Welcome to We Are Bookish

Do your friends turn to you first for book recommendations? Have you ever canceled plans to finish reading? Do you have detailed spreadsheets tracking book publication dates so you can keep up with reviews?

You are Bookish, and we are too!

Welcome to We Are Bookish, a new editorial blog for NetGalley members featuring book recommendations, author interviews, cover reveals, member spotlights, and more. I’m Kelly, your friendly neighborhood bookworm who lives to help readers all over the world find their next favorite book.

For some time, the NetGalley team has been hoping to expand their blog and to transform it into a space that celebrates the truths we hold most dear: that there is power in reading, that literacy is vitally important to our world, and that books should be as inclusive and diverse as readers are. Three years ago NetGalley bought Bookish.com, a site I lovingly managed for years. As a longtime NetGalley member, I was thrilled to be officially adopted by the company, and it’s been exciting to work with this amazing team to create We Are Bookish, a new editorially independent branch of NetGalley. This means publishers can suggest books or send us ARCs and digital galleys, but coverage can’t be bought. We Are Bookish is committed to highlighting the books our team feels passionately about, even those not featured on NetGalley.

My dream for We Are Bookish is to share book recommendations, highlight the incredible book advocates in this community, and better connect NetGalley members with authors and publishers. You can expect recurring features like interviews with authors, tips and tricks from industry professionals, book lists, and spotlights on NetGalley members!

In my three years on the NetGalley team, I’ve seen how passionate and special this community is. I’m looking forward to sharing books with you, but also learning from you and exploring the genres and authors you love that I haven’t discovered yet. After all, I’m only one reader. It’s you, fellow book advocates and industry professionals, who make up the “we” in We Are Bookish.

Being Bookish is part of our identity, and we’re proud to share it with you. 

So let’s get to know each other! Here’s a little bit more about me:

Likes: Book clubs, Bookstagram, and reading on rainy days
Dislikes: Papercuts, spoilers, people saying that audiobooks don’t “count”
Three books at the top of my TBR: Circe by Madeline Miller, Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai, A Phoenix First Must Burn edited by Patrice Caldwell
My #NetGalleyGoals for 2020: Maintain an 80% feedback score and create a reviewing schedule

Now tell me about you in the comments below! 

What are your #NetGalleyGoals for 2020?

Which book is at the top of your TBR list?

What do you want to see on We Are Bookish?

Kelly Gallucci

Kelly Gallucci is the Executive Editor of We Are Bookish, where she oversees the editorial content, offers book recommendations, and interviews authors and NetGalley members. When she's not working, Kelly can be found color coordinating her bookshelves, eating Chipotle, and watching way too many baking shows.

115 Comments
  1. My Netgalley goals are to be ahead on my reviews and improve my ratio, the next book on my TBR is Cold Nose, Warm Heart and I’m just excited to see where this new forum leads. Thanks for the warm welcome!

  2. THANK YOU SO MUCH, Kelly for We Are Bookish! I always love hearing which books impacted which authors–even from childhood (Ask me about A High Wind in Jamaica–), love the idea of author interviews (madly waving hand as in “pick me, pick me”) and of course, anything that has to do with the reading, writing, reviewing, bookish community. I hope you will be accepting essays, etc. from netgalley members, too? And showcasing many of the great smaller publishers I see on netgalley, too.

    Thank you again! Imagine that I am handing you a bottle of champagne. And cookies. There has to be cookies.

    Caroline Leavitt

    1. Thank you so much for the warm welcome, Caroline! How did you know champagne and cookies were the way to my heart? 😉 I think you’ll be very excited about the plans we have in the works for We Are Bookish!

  3. Congrats Kelly! Sounds like a great site.
    I’ve been using Netgalley for a year and the highest I’ve gotten is a 62% rating. I have books in my past folder i fell behind on when i got really sick in May and June of 2019. This year i plan to catch up, get everything reviewed and stay at at least 80% rating. 😉 I’m also a member of BookishFirst.com and have kept those books reviewed at the proper time and more. The two sites together makes for a more cohesive book world. That’s a fantastic match!
    Right now the top of my TBR is Near Prospect Park by Lawrence H. Levy, The Light After the War by Anita Adriel and The Yellow Bird Sings by Jennifer Rosner. Some really great WWII novels are ahead for me!

    When it comes to We Are Bookish- I’m looking forward to the author interviews the most! Although, I’m looking forward to exploring all of it!
    Congrats and enjoy. I can’t wait to check it out!

    1. Nice to meet you, Sandra! I hope that you’re feeling better. Best of luck with your #NetGalleyGoal for 2020 – I believe in you!

  4. Hello! I am Keira Soleore and I review for Frolic (www.frolic.media).

    My #NetGalleyGoals for 2020 are to stay above 80% as much as possible. Sometimes, it becomes a bit difficult, since I have ARCs sent by publishers through Netgalley many months down the road, and I like to review them for Frolic closer to the date.

    The book is at the top of your list for 2020 is Headliners by Lucy Parker, pubbing later this month. I read it and reviewed it as the first book of the year, and it was a fabulous romance!

    What do you want to see on We Are Bookish? I would like to see an RSS feed for this blog so I can keep up with it easily and regularly through my feed reader. Then any time I want to comment, I can click through.

    1. Lucy Parker is on my TBR! I’ve heard great things about that series and just need to dive in.

      And a newsletter will be coming soon! In the meantime, we’ll be keeping you updated on We Are Bookish via our social channels

  5. Exciting news! My goal for Netgalley this year is to increase my Feedback Ratio by 5%. I can’t wait to read An Uncommon Woman by Laura Frantz and Promised by Leah Garriott! I’d love to see interviews with the publisher (large and small) employees who actually approve or reject the Netgalley requests and insights into what criteria is most important to them and why.

  6. Hi Kelly,
    Likes: Book, music, and movies.
    Dislikes: People who talk during movies, dumb TV commercials
    Top Three TBR Books: Night Fire by Michael Connelly, Dilemma by B.A. Paris, Me by Elton John
    My goals for the year: Read at least 100 books again this year and maintain my 97% review rating.

  7. Hey! I’m Whitney Gaston the host and creator of Words+Wine bookclub.
    My goal is to read and review a NETGALLEY book a month and keep an 80% status.
    I’m reading SUCH A FUN AGE now and ready to start AMERICAN DIRT from NETGALLEY.

    1. Your book club sounds amazing! Hope you and your fellow book club members are having a great reading year so far!

  8. Live in Montana. Since I am retired I consider my job to be book reading, I do manage to find time for a few other things. I also make greeting cards.

  9. Kelly Gallucci, you are my reading twin! Chipotle, Baking Shows, Gryffindor (although I am a proud Ravenclaw #magicalreader), but, and most importantly, spearheading all things reading and books. Love it! Looking forward to hearing all about Netgalley’s newest project. Happy reading!

  10. Congratulations Kelly, I’m so excited about this! I’m aiming to read 1 book a week (minimum!) and finally maintain my netgalley rating at 80% or higher!

    My TBR pile has got a little out of hand so I need to get that sorted…I cant face putting myself on a book buying ban so I’ll just need to read more! I’m looking forward to reading Victoria Hislop’s latest book, I got it for Christmas and just get so immersed in her stories, I cant wait to read it!

    It would be great to create a forum that was like an online book club. I’m struggling to find one and trying to set it up, would be great to use this platform for that.

    1. I break every book buying ban I try to give myself, so I fully support the solution of just reading more!

      Also, if you’re interested in a reading forum there’s a great one over on BookishFirst, it’s a standalone giveaway platform also owned by NetGalley!

  11. Ooh, this sounds exciting! 🙂 I adore NetGalley, love being able to turn my passion for reading into something ‘useful’ (providing feedback, promoting books I’ve loved, and of course, access to pre-release books!). Never made the 80% feedback ratio, but I live in hope 🙂

  12. Likes: Books, bookstagram community, tea, dark chocolate
    Dislikes: spoilers, people saying that audiobooks don’t “count” ( borrowing this one), dogearing a page (cringe)
    Hogwarts house: Hufflepuff!
    Three books at the top of my TBR: The Snow Gypsy, The Nightingale, Wold Gone Wild
    My #NetGalleyGoals for 2020: Maintain an 80% feedback score

  13. Very cool–I really enjoy NetGalley’s engagement with its users, so I am looking forward to seeing how this blog develops! I’m a collection development librarian with a small-ish Virginia public library system. Before I started this position 1.5 years ago, I was a youth services librarian for nearly 14 years.

    My #NetGalleyGoals are to be more selective in what I request. I’m not behind in my reviews (working on March 2020 books), but when I first started reviewing for NetGalley in October, I requested too many books at the start, and really had to scramble.

    I’m really looking forward to The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires–not normally something I read (I read a bunch of biographies/history/historical fiction and other nonfiction areas), but I couldn’t resist the title and the great reviews I’ve already read. Also looking forward to Total Olympics–this year, there are finally several excellent Olympics-themed titles for adults. In Olympics years past, there were always a handful of new children’s (sometimes YA) Olympics titles, but rarely any decent ones for adults.

    As for what I’d like to see on Bookish–not sure! The description of what’s to come sounds pretty good to me!

    1. The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires is also on my TBR! With that cool cover and summary, I couldn’t resist. Can’t wait to check it out.

  14. Well at the moment my feedback score is 93%. I always try not to bite off more than I can chew (or in this case read). There are so many books that have appeared by email from Netgalley that I have very regretfully passed over but I just don’t like to be too heavily comitted. Reading after all, should always be a pleasure and not a chore.

    I would like to get the next badge up from 25 books read this year, I think its 50 so only 10 more to go.

    Top of my TBR list was a Christmas present and was published a while ago so not a Netgalley read – From the Mill to Monte Carlo by Anne Fletcher. Two more Netgalley ARC’s to read then I can read this one.

    I’d love to hear more about the publishing world on We Are Bookish. It’s always a mystery to me why there are always so many subsidiaries of a main publisher, it can get very confusing for us book bloggers.

    1. I’m glad to hear you want to learn more about the publishing industry! We’ll have some exclusives from publishing professionals coming up soon.

  15. This is great! I have been involved in working and painting ( an artist ). I now am retired with Parkinson’s, so exercise and reading are now my passions. I recently began scoring Ebooks from netgalley and goodreads. I intend to be selective about my requests because I got five in one day and I feel obligated to read and review. I just finished The Herd and loved it. I’m looking forward to The Delimma by BA Paris

  16. Likes: reading, crafting, bookstagram, hiking
    Dislikes: spoilers!!!
    TBR: What’s on my shelf! I”m a mood reader so think about dates, not titles, or I lose interest LOL.

    My #netgalleygoals for 2020: 1) improve my feedback ratio. I struggle with lag time on requests–I’ll request 4 books, get approved on 2, hear nothing on two. Then 2 months later when done with the 2 I was approved for I request 4 more, get approved on all 4 and then get approved on the last 2 from the previous month! I read a lot of nonfiction (mostly history), which can be long and slow on occasion, and I can really get bogged down, especially if books hang out for 3 or 4 months before an approval comes through. I have not figured out a way to manage this.
    2) keep better track of what I have wished for

  17. Hello:

    My #NetGalleyGoals for 2020 are to stay at my 80% and hopefully go higher.

    I read by publication date, so I honestly don’t have a book at the top of my TBR if that means what book am I dying to read. I love all the titles, and I look forward to starting each book on my shelf.

    I would like to see a place to discuss books and to ask questions about the plot or characters.

    THANK YOU, Kelly.

    1. I love the that you’re equally excited about all of the books on your reading list! With that mentality, you’ll have no problem hitting your #NetGalleyGoal!

  18. Hi Kelly and congratulations.
    My name is Susana and here is a little bit more about me:
    Likes: crime and thriller/mystery books, bookstagram!
    Dislikes: Spoilers
    Hogwarts house: Slytherin
    Three books at the top of my TBR: Body in the Library by Agatha Christie; I’m travelling alone by Samuel Bjork and The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup.
    My #NetGalleyGoals for 2020: Achieve and maintain a 90% feedback, do more and better reviews!
    I want to see in We are bookish: Advise about reviews, interviews with some authors and tips on how to get more books accepted!
    Good luck!!! wishing We are bookish a lot of success!!

    1. Slytherins are known for their ambition, so I think you’ll have no problem hitting your #NetGalleyGoal of 90% feedback!

  19. My Netgalley Goal is to be at 80%! I want to write wonderful reviews that never need “spoiler”, and get them in on time. I want to showcase my reads and a little teaser on my bookstagram account.

    My number one book to read right now is: “A Single Thread”, by Ms. Tracy Chevalier.

    I want to see authors interviewed, and what they want from us as influencers

    1. Love that #NetGalleyGoal! And we’ll have some influencer tips coming up soon that I think you’ll like!

  20. Off to a good start! As a member of Goodreads, I’ve read more than 100 books each year for the past few, with the majority coming pre-release through NetGalley. All books I read are reviewed on my book blog, Goodreads, NetGalley (when appropriate) and other social media sites, and my plan for this year is more of the same. What do I want to see? I’m ecstatic when books by popular (i.e., big-name) mystery/thriller authors are offered, so of course I’d like to see more. And although I regularly scan the offerings in my categories at NetGalley, I’d love to see list(s) of scheduled releases by month. several months in advance so I will know what’s coming (even if they won’t be available through NetGalley). Look forward to the newsletter!

    –Monnie Ryan, Mineral Ridge, Ohio

    1. One of my personal hopes in 2020 is to read more mysteries! We’ll definitely feature some great mystery and thriller books here.

  21. my #netgalley goal is get a 50 reviews badge and hopefully become auto approved from a publisher. I’m currently on #20 review with netgalley so I feel this is completely achievable. My TBR pile includes American Dirt, Night Swim and I’m hoping Riley Sagers new book will be on here this year!!!

  22. Love the idea of this blog!

    My #NetGalleyGoals for 2020: get that 500 reviews badge (I’m over 400 now!) and convince NetGalley to release a 1,000 review badge so I have something to aim for next 😛

    I organize my TBR by the date of release, so that I have always read the book before its release date, so mext three up on my list are Framed by S.L. McInnis, Ten Days Gone by Beverly Long, and A Cowboy to Remember by Rebekah Weatherspoon. I have to admit I’ve been rigidly holding myself back from jumping the queue and reading that last one out of order, so I’m probably looking forward to that one most! (If you want to know how I manage that TBR list by date, btw, Trello is a LIFESAVER. Happy to share my board and how it works if you’re interested!)

    On We Are Bookish: I’d love to see some indie books given the spotlight. Mainstream published ones get plenty of media coverage, let’s not kid ourselves here. I’d love to see reviews and discussions about the small pubs and indie books killing it in the marketplace and getting awesome reviews.

  23. Hi I’m Cathryn. I’m 36, work part time in mortgages and live with my husband and 2 children. I’ve been reviewing for Net Galley since July 2019 and have my Top Reviewer badge. I’ve been reviewing on Social Media but this week I launched my book blog called Life’s a Book 📖.

    Likes – Books (of course), Writing, Jigsaws, Swimming, Holidays, Christmas, Nice food & drink.

    Dislikes – Mushrooms, Rude/ignorant people, Football, Getting up early!

    Book at the top of my TBR list – Strangers by C L Taylor (via net galley)

    Net Galley Goals 2020 – To keep above 80% and to start posting my reviews via my new blog.

    I’m really looking forward to seeing member spotlights it’ll be great to get to know everyone 😀

  24. Hi. I’m Kerrie and very excited for We Are Bookish. Currently I’m reading The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson. I hope to keep my #NetGalley score at 80 or above.

  25. I suppose my main goal is to improve my feedback ratio since although I read quickly and review, I have so many on my shelf to get through! I’m relatively new to Netgalley and wish I’d discovered this wonderful platform earlier as I’ve had the opportunity to discover so many fantastic books (and a few not so fantastic!) which is a dream come true for any avid reader. Looking forward to another year full of books! Such a fun Age by Kiley Reid has been my favourite read of 2020. Also eagerly await Beth O’Leary’s follow up to The Flatshare.

  26. Hi Kelly!

    I love the Bookish website. Some of my goals for 202o are:

    *Read more books prior to publication date.
    *Connect with more authors
    *Support marketing campaigns with interviews, promotions.
    *Increase overall review of books
    *Tackle the TBR list
    *Share on social media.

  27. My 2020 goal is to read 125 books with significantly more “grown-up books” than in past years. As an educator, I find that I devote a lot of my reading time to kid books, which I love. This year, I am going to do a little more self-care in my reading life.

    The book at the top of TBR list is The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate. It is the sequel to The One and Only Ivan, which is a kid book. What is happening with my goal….

    I am always on the lookout for the next great read.

    1. I love your goal of reading more for you! It can be so tough to strike that balance. Definitely pick something up for yourself once you’re through with Applegate’s book!

  28. I’d love to see you give us a heads up on books being published 4-5 months out (far enough in advance to request, get approved and read books). I sometimes miss books by my favorite authors just because I don’t know they have a new one on the horizon. Thanks.

  29. My #NetGalleyGoals are to keep my feedback ratio at 80% or higher and read more books for me on NetGalley instead of just books for my classroom! Radium Girls is at the top of my personal TBR list, and Forgotten Girl is at the top of my classroom TBR list. As for We Are Bookish, I would love to see author interviews!

  30. Hi Kelly!

    Thanks for introducing yourself…here’s a bit about me:

    Likes: cats, rain, coffee, tea, books (obviously)
    Dislikes: the sun, noise, traffic
    Hogwarts house: I really wanna say Ravenclaw, but all the quizzes say I’m Hufflepuff…
    Top of my TBR: Holy Sh!t: Managing Manure to Save Mankind, To Kill a Kingdom, Letters to a Dead Friend about Zen
    #NetgalleyGoals: get my score up to 80 \m/
    What I want from WAB: my people. I’m just happy to be here ^_^

  31. This sounds so exciting! So my NetGalley goal is to get to 80% and stay there! “Call Down the Hawk” is at the top of my TBR. And I would really like to see tips and tricks for connecting with publishers for physical ARCs. Thanks! Jamie 😁

  32. Hi Kelly! As a netgalley user for years and a bookish member since the start, I’m very excited about this blog. Will you hire freelance writers to participate? I’d love to write about my experiences as a user as well as my experience as a publisher now using the platform. Many thanks, and I hope to hear from you.

  33. I’m new to NetGalley, my goals are to learn how it works, read books that hold my interest. and write reviews. At the top of my TBR is The Perfect Mistress by ReShonda Tate Billingsley my book club’s BOM for February, then on to the Alexander series by Tina Martin.

  34. I love a good scary read! At the top of my TBR is Andy Davidson’s The Boatman’s Daughter coming out in February. (But really, there are so many great authors out there, so it’s hard to choose a fave upcoming book!)

    1. You’re braver than I am! Scary books tend to freak me out but I am really intrigued by the upcoming horror novel The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

  35. Hi, My name is Claudia Castenir. I began reviewing when I retired after 34 years of teaching . My NetGalley goal for this year is to review at least 100 books. I believe I did 118 last year along with some from other sources. At the top of my TBR pile are The Land Beneath Us by Sarah Sundin, The Blue Cloak by Shannon McNear, and The Blizzard Bride by Susanne Dietze. I am interested in getting to know Bookish better.

    1. A newsletter will be coming soon! In the meantime, we’ll be keeping you updated on We Are Bookish via our social channels 😀

  36. Oh wow! This sounds great. I also have the same goal and I’m resisting myself from requesting for more books from the Galley. I have the same goal of getting to a feedback score of 80%.

  37. Greetings, I am most excited to learn that a reading blog is coming to NetGalley, and it could be more aptly named-We Are Bookish. I look forward to reading it and gathering reading insights. In 2020, I hope to read 52 plus books. I have so many books on my TBR reading list and it is very hard to pick which one I want to read the most, as I want to read all of them, and I am working through the list very slowly, but I’ll say that I very much want to read The Land Beneath Us by Sarah Sundin as I want to read the final book in her glorious and recent trilogy, Sunrise at Normandy- I’ve read the two previous books and they were amazing and heartfelt about estranged brothers who fight on D-Day and follows the themes of war, love, loss, forgiveness, renewal and second chances-so I really want to know what happens in the final book of the series.

    As for the content on We Are Bookish blog, I’ll be interesting in reading anything that the writers post, as well as the numerous book recommendations. However, I would like to see articles about my favourite authors: Sarah Sundin, Emily Madden, Natasha Lester, Mary-Anne O’Connor, as well as others who write about World War Two historical fiction. Additionally, I’d like to see the editors and writers of this blog talk about their reading habits and their routines, as well as about their favourite genres and why they love them, the greatest books they’ve ever read over the course of their lifetimes and the wonderful lessons and other beneficial things such as how books shaped their lives for the better.

    1. Hey Jaime, we don’t currently have that feature on We Are Bookish, but knowing that readers would like it back is great for our team to know. We’re currently working on ideas for a similar feature on We Are Bookish!

  38. Looking forward to reading! It sounds like an exciting new project. I’m Rachel and I blog over at Never Enough Novels. I am a Ravenclaw and am looking forward to reading The Glass Hotel, The Honey-Don’t List, and The Jane Austen Society!

    1. We have a similar TBR! I just finished reading The Glass Hotel and picking up Honey-Don’t List next 😀

  39. Hi I’m Kathy.
    Likes: Books, bookstagram, and snuggling with my pets while reading.
    Dislikes: Bullies, hurricanes, mixed messages
    Hogwarts house: Ravenclaw
    Three books at the top of my TBR: The Death of Mrs Westaway by Ruth Ware, Let It Go by Peter Walsh, The Coconut Layer Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke
    My #NetGalleyGoals for 2020: Be more discerning in my requests from NetGalley, make and keep a review schedule

    I love to read and make crafty things. I work in a library.

  40. My #NetGalleyGoals are the same every year, since I joined in 2013. I want to raise my reviews-to-ARCs ratio! Isn’t that every Netgalley member’s wish … or am I the only one on the corner? One sub-goal to that end is to maintain the quality of the writing on my blog, Miss Bates Reads Romance, while writing more succinctly.

    Sorry, if you’re going to talk about books at the top of my TBR, you can’t ask me to name one title! Any year with books coming out by Elly Griffiths, Mary Balogh, C. S. Harris, Deanna Raybourn, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig is a great year and they will immediately make their way to the top of my TBR, digital or dead-tree. This year I also discovered Allison Montclair and I can’t wait for the next one in her Bainbridge and Sparks post-WWII mystery series, A Royal Affair. I think it’s out in April!? Sadly, I think we have to wait to 2021 for another favorite author’s new book, Susanna Kearsley’s.

    I’d LOVE to see interviews with any of the authors I mentioned above.

  41. Hello Ms. Gallucci,
    My name is Svetlana Dubinsky, I work as a Librarian Information Supervisor for one of the Brooklyn Public Library , Brooklyn NY, branches.
    At this time for the Internet and many other gadgets, we use various ways to promote books and bring more patrons to libraries.
    Every Month I used to print from your website a page Happy Birthday, Authors!, give an information about these writers and promote their books.
    I already printed pages for January, February and March. But few days ago I found that this page is gone from your website and now I cannot get same information for April writers.
    May I ask if there is any possibility to bring Happy Birthday Authors page back, please do it.
    Thank you very much.

    1. Hey Svetlana, we love librarians here at NetGalley – glad to have you here!

      It’s great to hear you found our Author Birthday feature useful for yourself and patrons. We don’t currently have that feature on We Are Bookish, but knowing that readers would like it back is great for our team to know. We’re currently working on ideas for a similar feature on the site! If you don’t see it up before you need to prep for April, please email us at support@bookish.com and we’ll help you out!

  42. my #NetGalleyGoals for 2020 is to improve my ratio so i can stop getting rejections. I would love to get tot 80% or higher I am that persistent and I have alot of work to do. I am a newbie at this i would love to have more followers for my blog and to possibly interview some of the authors of the books i read.

  43. Likes: Book clubs, libraries, reading at night, reading to others, good thrillers/mysteries
    Dislikes: spoilers, people saying that audiobooks don’t “count”
    Three books at the top of my TBR: Circe by Madeline Miller, The Winter People Jennifer McMahon, and Witch Elm Tina French
    My #NetGalleyGoals for 2020: start my book review journey, Maintain an 80% feedback score and create a reviewing schedule

  44. Hi,

    Any relation to bookish first? Avid reader here, I am on the programming committee (choosing authors to invite) to the Morristown Festival of Books (morristownbooks.org) and part of 3 local bookclubs. I read mostly suspense/thrillers, historical fiction, and memoirs. Dislike dystopia, sci-fi, fantasy, and mindless romance.
    Last 3 5 star reads were: A Good Neighborhood, Fowler, You are not Alone, Hendricks, Geer, and The Lager Queen of Minnesota.
    Last 3 dislikes: On Earth we’re briefly gorgeous, been there, married that (DNF either of those), and Cape May, which I reviewed

    I try to be really opinionated in my reviews since people follow them. That works well for the people who like what I like and for those who like what I do not like, either way, I hope they get people reading!

    1. Welcome, Wendy! Morristown Festival of Books is such a fantastic event – I attended in 2019 and hearing Madeline Miller speak was incredible, and I loved the YA panel with Heidi Heilig and Elizabeth Lim! Looking forward to coming back this year.

      We are indeed related to BookishFirst! BookishFirst is NetGalley’s standalone giveaway platform.

  45. My goal is to review at least 4 books a both on my blog. I’m soooo excited for The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian, and I’m excited to see author profiles on Bookish! And possibly debut author recommendations as well.

  46. Hi I am Mary Anne and I thought I had commented earlier but I must have missed something because I do not see it. Thats all right because I like to write. I am new to netgalley and so thrilled to be a part of you all. I feel like a kid let loose in a candy store. One of my biggest thrills in life was when I was old enough to get my first library card. My first reads were The Bobbsey Twins (I’m showing my age) and I have branched out since then. I’m retired and this year I will be hitting the big 65. I actually think it’s pretty cool to have been on this earth for over half a century. My husband and I retired to Virginia from N.J. I have a son and a daughter and a stepdaughter. My youngest son passed away in 2018. We’ve been blessed with 4 granddaughters and 4 step grandsons and a crazy little Jack russell. Besides reading I knit and spin my yarn. I quilt and love wild life photography. I love to read mysteries, romance, craft books, Christian reads, horror. My goals for 2020 are to read more biographies, and nonfiction. I want to not go crazy loading my bookshelf so I will be able to review a majority of my books. One thing I have always wanted to do was start my own blog but I don’t have a clue where or how to start. Any suggestions?? I hope I haven’t rambled too much.

  47. What a great idea! I like author interviews, especially the backstories on how the book evolved. And, I always crave new book lists.
    Since I’m retired I read everyday (to the detriment of my exercise program) and hope to keep my NetGalley average above 80%. I will try to not get behind in reviews by reading in the publication order.
    Books on my purchased TBR list are Renoir’s Dancer by Catherine Hewitt, Spying on the South by Tony Horowitz and Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes. There are also three others in my NG queue at the moment.

  48. I want to read and review more titles for LibraryReads in 2020. I cannot commit to one title on my TBR, but it will probably be a mystery, YA SFF, or amish romance. I would love to see features which introduce members to upcoming books from certain genres. Will you send out a tweet for upcoming newsletters or will notifications be through email? I am looking forward to this new resource.

    1. That sounds like a great 2020 goals! A newsletter will be coming soon! In the meantime, we’ll be keeping you updated on We Are Bookish via our social channels 😀

  49. HI Kelly,
    Over the last 10 years, my book reading has dwindled while my writing has increased. I’m reading and reviewing other writer’s novels, manuscripts and helping them to become better writers.(As well as myself)
    My goal for 2020 is to temper my writing with good reading. I was asked to review a book by an author and found Netgalley. I joined and perused the book shelf looking for good new publications.. I’m hoping to read and review at least a book a month.

  50. Thank you for sharing. I enjoy reading. I have been reading Donna Grants series from the warriors, Dragons, reapers. I enjoy being able to review what I enjoyed about her books.

  51. My TBR is And Then There’s Margaret – I had a mother-in-law like Margaret and after reading some of the reviews on Goodreads and Netgalley, it looks like a good book that explores this complicated relationship. Everyone is saying how relatable and funny the book is so I am curious and will read.

  52. Hi Kelly

    I was going to write to you on Instagram but I figured I will try you here first. Catriona Ward is one of my top 5 authors. Tor/ Forge denied me. I know I’m a little behind on my reading, but I just had back surgery. from 2 car accidents in 1 tyear. And I’m having a tough time. Reading has always been my favorite thing since childhood. Do you have any influence with the publishers?

    I know its a big ask but I’ve been through the wringer. Both accidents not my fault nor my driver,, chauffeur,, boyfriend’s fault. Every book is a gift. I don’t have much family left, and we are both injured and getting evicted since we both require 7 surgeries between us! So this should feel like a big resent with a bow. I am so tired of getting flowers.

    Thank you for reading,

    Ann Marie

  53. Hi Kelly,

    I also wrote to you on NetGalley. I was gonna try for social media, but I absolutely love We Are Bookish! I get daily emails sometimes and I absolutely love We Are Bookish. Jim not being a brown noser, I would never ask this favor, but I’m recovering from back surgery. I was in 2 car accidents in 1 year. Both not my fault and I can finally read again.

    Anyway, I haven’t slacked on my reading by choice. I just finished On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel and I loved it. And Weyward by Emilio Hart, courtesy of NetGalley and I’m ready to read girl. And I have nothing but time and I LOVE to read!

    Anyway, my request or question is do you have any influence with Tor/Forge? They denied me on one of my top 5 authors, Catriona Wards new book Looking Glass Sound. I’m gutted, but I can see why I am a little behind, but I can finally hold a book or a kindle. Just a request that will feel like a Christmas present for me!

    Thank you! Keep up the excellence

    Ann Marie

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