As I said last week, I have a love-loathe relationships with large multi-author Facebook groups like Inspy Romance or Avid Readers of Christian Fiction.

I love them because I get so many great recommendations (contemporary Christian romance from Inspy Romance, and all genres of Christian fiction from Avid Readers). I love the fact that you can ask for what feels like an obscure kind of book yet still get dozens of recommendations.

My wallet and my overburdened Kindle love them less, as I already have too many unread books on my Kindle (and on my bookshelf). Exhibit A: yesterday, I reviewed a book that’s been sitting on my Kindle since 2016. And that’s not the oldest unread book …

I have one other love/loathe to share:

I like Facebook groups that truly feel like a community. For example, Canadian Romantic Suspense author Darlene L Turner has built a group of readers she truly cares for, and who care for her and for each other. She will often share news or post prayer requests from group members, which I find inspiring. I always enjoy reading posts from her group.

I dislike Facebook reader groups that are all about the author: pre-order my book! Buy my book! Read my book! Review my book! The constant sell-sell-sell feels selfish in comparison to the groups which are more community-minded.

What about you? What do you like or dislike about Facebook reader groups?

I’m a fan of some Facebook reader groups …

I can think of two different kinds of Facebook reader groups.

The first is large groups with a combination of readers and authors, and the second is reader groups run by a single author to share and promote their own work.

I have a love-loathe relationships with the large multi-author groups like Inspy Romance or Avid Readers of Christian Fiction. I love them because I get so many great recommendations (contemporary Christian romance from Inspy Romance, and all genres of Christian fiction from Avid Readers).

But I already have too many unread books on my Kindle (and on my bookshelf), and these groups just feed by addiction by forcing me to buy more books. Yes, they force me!

I could remove myself from the groups or delete Facebook, but then I’d miss out on all the great recommendations (yes, FOMO is alive and well). And that wouldn’t be good at all.

From that point of view, I almost prefer the single-author groups, because it’s easier to keep up with their new books. I also enjoy the camaraderie that some authors build in their groups – the best groups leave me feeling like I’m as much a friend as a customer.

What about you? Are you a fan of Facebook reader groups? If so, which groups do you recommend?