How to Add a Reading List to Blogger and Link It to Amazon

Add the books you're reading as a list to your Blogger site.

Creating a reading list of your favorite books or books that you're currently reading isn't tough to get on your Blogger site. You'll need to use the List gadget by adding it to your Blogger layout. Once added, you can add individual book links that you copy from Amazon.com. Unfortunately, there is no gadget or method to get the books from Amazon automatically to Blogger site. Instead, you must copy and paste each separate link that you find on Amazon.

Instructions

1. Head over to Blogger.com, sign into your Google account and click the "Design" link next to the blog you want to edit.

2. Click the "Add a Gadget" link from the layout's sidebar. A pop-up window appears. Scroll down the list of gadgets until you find the List gadget. Click the "Plus" icon to add it to your blog.

3. Type a title for the gadget, such as "Books I'm Reading." Select your sorting method, which includes "Don't Sort," "Sort Alphabetically" or "Sort Reverse Alphabetically." Keep the "Configure List" window open in the background.

4. Open another browser window or tab. Go to Amazon.com in the new browser session. Search for the book you want to add to your reading list.

5. Go to the book's listing page on Amazon.com and copy the website link from the browser's address bar. Press the "Ctrl" + "C" keys simultaneously to quickly copy the book's link.

6. Go back to the "Configure List" window on Blogger. It should have remained open in the background.

7. Type the name of the book in the "Add List Item" text field. When done typing, click the small "Chain Link" icon. A pop-up window appears.

8. Paste the book's website address into the "Enter the URL you would like to link to" text field. Press the "Ctrl" + " V" keys simultaneously to quickly paste the link. When done, click the "OK" button.

9. Click the "Add Item" button. The book title will appear below. When done entering all the books on your reading list, click the "Save" button. The list is now visible on the sidebar of your Blogger site.

References

• Blogger Buzz; Spice Up Your Blog With Google Gadgets; Aug. 11, 2008