Welcome back to Top Ten Tuesday!

For those who don’t know, the Top Ten Tuesday Tag is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. It’s been a while since I’ve participated and I’ve missed writing these posts. For the next little while I’m going to play catch up with some of the previous topics. So without further ado, this week’s topic is:

Top Ten Websites I Love That Aren’t About Books

This week’s topic was a lot harder than I expected it to be. There aren’t many websites that I frequent on a regular basis and out of the ones that I do, they tend to revolve around books in some way.

10. Tumblr

Tumblr is easily the website I spend the most time on. If it’s quiet at work, if I’m waiting for a bus, if I’m bored, I find myself scrolling through tumblr looking for some kind of fix. Whether that be pictures of my favourite actors, weird useless facts or hilarious comics, tumblr is my one stop place for entertainment. It also tends to serve as a gateway into how I spend the rest of my time on the internet. I’ll come across articles or videos on tumblr, which will lead me to click through to other websites. For the amount of time I spend scrolling through my dash, I’m not really an active part of the tumblr community. I’m more of a silent witness.

9. io9

Every Wednesday at work I start my morning by opening up io9 and going through the last week of articles. The website covers everything science fiction and fantasy: tv, movies, books and pop culture at large. I’ve gotten many recommendations of things to watch (and yes read) off of this site. One of my favourite post series is the Morning Spoilers, where they give brief updates on new television shows, upcoming or currently in production films. It’s my one stop spot for everything I love.

Also I’ve been following this site I’ve seen it change as the internet changes. Which is kind of terrifying when I look back on it…

8. TV Tropes

TV Tropes is the black hole I fall into. I’ll start researching one thing and then hours later later find myself looking at pages about ancient creation myths. The best advice I can give you is to avoid the Random Trope Button like the plague. Don’t click on it. You’ll never leave the website. During the process of writing this post and grabbing the url, I lost 45 minutes reading about things like the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny and eldritch abominations.

XKCD summarizes it beautifully in this comic:

7. Youtube

My time on youtube is not limited to watching booktube videos. I know, what a surprise. I spend a lot of time watching video essays about films on channels like Every Frame a Painting or Nerdwriter. Youtube is also the new home to some of my old favourite Channel Awesome Producers like The Nostalgia Critic or Brows Held High. At some point in the last few years I’ve started watching more youtube shows than television shows. I expect that that’s the norm these days though.

Final Cut Pro and Adobe After Effects on youtube are also one of the most useful things. Just saying.

6. Letterboxd

Letterboxd is like the goodreads for movies. I’ve used many different websites for tracking the movies I’ve watched and liked before (like flickster), until I eventually settled on Letterboxd. The site is basic, focusing on writing reviews and creating different movie lists. You can follow other users for their reviews and their recommendations. The ridiculous movie puns scattered throughout the website also help.

5. Cracked

Cracked is a comedy website that I’ve read off an on for years now. As much as I love their video series, it’s their list articles that keep me coming back. Cracked looks at anything that they can spoof or things that are just too ridiculous for words. Article topics can range from The Seven Greatest Superhero Powers to 6 True Stories That Prove Local News Is Creepy As Hell. If you’re looking for a laugh, then I definitely recommend checking out their website. if you have a sense of humour, they have something for you.

4. Neopets

Neopets was the love of my life while I was in high school. I spent so much time on that website playing games, participating in roleplaying forums and just eating through my parent’s dial up. Though my love affair with the website is no where near what it used to be, every once and a while a strong sense of nostalgia pulls me back and I poke around the site for a while. Whether it be some need to play solitaire or pyramids or some weird deep seated guilt for abandoning my pets… I’m still around. Can you guess my username?

3. Facebook

Yeah, I still use Facebook. I spend so much time on social media sites related to my interests it’s nice to have a website that’s focused on keeping people updated on their lives  I have lots of friends and family spread all over the world, so it’s great to be able to talk to them. Facebook messenger is a great app for organizing events and keeping in touch during trips (see our BEA adventure). I don’t use Facebook as much as I used to in high school, but it would be a lie to say it wasn’t one of my most used websites.

2. Happle Tea

Happle Tea is a clever and cute webcomic that I have rambled on and on about for years. If you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last few years then go check it out. It’s a comic about religion, mythology and folklore. Under each comic there is a mini essay that either goes into the history or meaning behind the myth or story that the comic is riffing. I’m still waiting for Scott Maynard to release a book binding up the comics. I would buy it in a heartbeat.

I’ll leave you with my favourite comic he has ever released that to this day still makes me giggle:

1. Netflix

Netflix is a brilliant website. It’s also the reason why I’ve seen the entirety of Arrested Development about five times. Netflix got me through university when I didn’t have cable. I’m a binge watcher, which makes Netflix the perfect place for me. Whether I’m powering through a series or just looking for something to put on in the background this is my go to place. As I write this post I’ve finally gotten around to watching season four of House of Cards. And remember:

So there you have it, the secret of my internet life. Do with it what you will. When you’re not spending your time on book related websites, where do you tend to spend your time on the Internet. Tell me about it in the comments below… I’m going to go and check tumblr for a bit now.

Happy Reading