Community Corner: Feb 2024

In today’s newsletter:

1. You get a book 📘, and you get a book 📙, and you get a book📕!

2. Brick & Mortar 4Ever: Lillian Stone Edition 📚

3. You spoke. We listened. New app updates are here!👂💬 

4. What wormies are reading NOW 🐛📖

You get a book 📘, and you get a book 📙, and you get a book📕!

For the foreseeable future, we’ll be channeling our inner Oprah and giving away-- not cars or humpback whales-- but BOOKS! And for a buncha bookworms, what could be better than that? 

Last month TWO lucky wormies wormed their way into an exciting reward. 🎉

ammie is our worm world champion who has a copy of Everybody’s Favorite by Lillian Stone (more on Lillian in our next section) in the mail as we speak. Ammie was our most active referrer, bringing in wormies left, right, and center. For this major feat, ammie won a book :) 

mac&ch33se was our ProWorm winner. And they’re walking away with this cool-as-hell annotated copy of What We Fed to the Manticore by Talia Lakshmi Kolluri. 

Seriously, look how cool:

Interested in winning some free books? Here’s what you gotta do: 

• Refer new users to our book-loving community. To do that, in your app, click the little gear in the top right of your screen, and simply click “Refer friends to Bookworm.” 

• Go Pro Worm. We’ll randomly draw a name from our ProWorm Pool (PWP) as a thank you for their unwavering support.

Keep an eye on future newsletters to see if you’ve won.

Brick & Mortar 4Ever: Lillian Stone Edition 📚

In our last community corner, we interviewed the one, the only: Lillian Stone, author of Everybody’s Favorite (if you’re curious, it’s really good). And while gabbin’ and goofin’ she shared with us her three favorite bookstores (in no particular order): 

Women and Children First (Chicago, IL): “When I first moved to Chicago, I lived in Andersonville for four years, which is where you'll find [this] famous bookstore. It’s still my favorite in the city. Although I no longer live in that neighborhood, I frequently make trips back there. It’s incredibly inclusive, really at the forefront of feminist literature and now, literature that spans all intersections. Their selection is thoughtfully curated, which makes it stand out.” 

City Lit Books (Chicago, IL): “[It’s] in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago. They have a similar commitment to thoughtful curation, and the staff always come up with the most unique, intriguing recommendations.” 

Pagination Bookshop (Springfield, Missouri): “Back in my hometown, there's this gem called right in the downtown area. Despite being a smaller town, they’ve created a wonderfully welcoming literary space that really enriches the community.” 

Been to these stores? My worms, shout it from the mountaintops! Let us know what you think. 🎙️

Got a hometown bookstore that we need to know about? 🌟 Hit reply and spill the beans. Your city might be next in our Brick & Mortar 4Ever spotlight.

You spoke. We listened. New app updates are here! 👂💬 

Two big features we’re excited to tell you about:

1- **Annual reading goal!! Set your year-long reading goal to go alongside our seasonal reading challenges.

**Android friends: You may not see this one yet. Sadly, Google is taking a long time to “approve” our change. We’re doing everything we can to speed up this process. It should be any day now!

2- Reply to comments!! Now you can easily respond to a comment and tag fellow worms. 

Both of these came from your requests. We hear you loud and clear, and we’re implementing feature changes and updates as quickly as we can. We’re a teeny tiny but super mighty team right now, and we’re working hard on upgrades and updates as you read this now. 

If you want to say thanks, and/or you’re eager to help make us even more us, and you even more you, go Proworm, bb. 

With a Proworm membership, you get: 

• VIP support because you're not just a user, you're our star. 

• A bestie for your worm & special fits.

• A sweet lil badge next to your name!

• Priority access to new features to our newest, coolest stuff, always. 

• 20% off on anything you want from the COMPOST PILE. (That’s our store... it’s not really compost. It’s cool.)

Thank you for your commitment to making Bookworm the best it can be. We wouldn’t be us without you. 

What wormies are reading NOW 🐛📖

Curious about what your fellow wormies are reading? Here are our top five reads right now (add ‘em to your shelves):

1. The Woman in Me by Britney Spears is a rollercoaster ride through the life of the pop sensation, packed with glitz, glamour, and heartfelt revelations. It's a no-holds-barred journey into the highs and lows that have shaped her into the person she is today. 🌟🎤✨
   

2. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow By Gabrielle Zevin is a vibrant and captivating tale, weaving the magic of video games with the complexities of human relationships. It's an enthralling narrative that explores the intertwining lives of two game designers, blending creativity, love, and the pixelated challenges of life into a memorable story. 🎮❤️📚
   

3. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden is a gripping psychological thriller that pulls you into a world of deceit and twisted secrets. It's a tantalizing tale where the lines between the innocent and the sinister blur, set in the eerie corridors of a mysterious household. 🕵️‍♀️🏠🔍

4. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross is an enchanting journey set in a realm where art and magic intertwine. It's a spellbinding story of two artists caught in a rivalry that tests their talents and hearts, all against a backdrop of fantasy and intrigue. 🎨✨🌌

5. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt is a heartwarming tale of unexpected friendship. It's a charming and insightful story where a clever octopus and a grieving widow cross paths, leading to a journey of healing and discovery. 🐙💫📘

Thanks for reading.

Yours in dirt,

Ali