Shelfari

Ever since I saw Delicious Library mentioned in a blog (cokeycyn, I think) I've always wanted to find a corresponding version that would work on a regular PC. Of course, being the cheap guy that I am I didn't want to spend anything on it. Which meant MediaMan was out. I then resolved to write something myself, but I found myself having no time to do it--what with the kids and just sheer laziness on my part.

This past week I came across Shelfari, an on-line equivalent of Delicious Library, but limited strictly to books. It's been a fun site to play with--I've been adding books left and right, with the total numbering more than 300. It's cool to see all the covers to the books you've read, all laid out nicely in a row.

The site also allows you to "personalize" the book, adding such information as date purchased and who borrowed it; sneakily, it also allows you to buy books from Amazon. There's also a community where you can share opinions.

Not to say that there aren't any problems with the site. It gets too slow sometimes, and not all books have the covers you know and remember. It's also frustrating not to be able to edit the cover of the book in a separate window, instead of having to leave your search screen. There's also the problem of too many book listings for the same title. Not surprising, seeing as their book database seems to come directly from Amazon.

The good outweighs the bad, though, and I thoroughly enjoyed the site. Here's a look at my Top 10 list: