Why GoodReads is Bad for Books
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ก.ย. 2020
- There are a lot of frustrations readers have with GoodReads and I only use it minimally. Here I respond to an article which suggests GoodReads might be dead and it's time for a new online platform for readers! Click ‘Show More’ for info.
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New Statesman article by Sarah Manavis: www.newstatesman.com/science-...
The StoryGraph: beta.thestorygraph.com
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I've been on Goodreads since 2007 (until I clicked through to that New Statesman article I hadn't remembered that meant I'd been there essentially since it launched). I've always used it primarily as a book-tracker, so I'm one of those people who shrugs at most of the complaints about the social features. I see them, but the impact on my personal use is very minimal.
So purely from my user perspective, if Goodreads is bad for book sales, it's purely because it's stopped me from accidentally re-buying books that I've already read but forgotten about! 😆
Ah, goodreads... I only use it as a 'book-tracker', i.e. books to read in a certain category and such. For that, the shelf-structure is really helpful because I am a nerdy list-person and I can create as many shelves as I want. I never write (and hardly ever read) reviews anymore, and the star-rating system is also just for my own 'tracking'. Book rec's from goodreads? Never look at them. Ever. LoL.
Absolutely....book-tracker, all the way. So for me, Goodreads, yes. Amazon, no.
Same for me. Just a tracker. Very handy for that.
Britta Böhler that is exactly how I use Goodreads
I've never read a book reviews and ended up wanting to read that book...
I am in the minority as I don't mind Goodreads it does everything I need it to do. My only gripe would be it's clunky.
I use Goodreads to only catalog my books, but we are working really hard on phasing Amazon out of our home. Living in rural Michigan it is not always easy, but we are making it happen. I think a big draw to Amazon for many people is the convenience and the often heavily discounted books. People don't think about the effect it has on writers or small bookstores. We don't have a bookstore here so I order my books from a small, independently owned bookstore in Petoskey Michigan and I am really happy with it. I have also finally retired my kindle (it was very old) and bought a Kobo because I can buy the ebooks through said bookstore and they make a small profit.
I live in a small town in northern mi too and Amazon was a life saver as far as groceries during the pandemic. We never had a bookstore where I live so when Amazon began I bought books. I know I will be in the minority here. 😕
I discovered McLean and Eakin because Steve Hamilton was doing a signing there. They're the best!
I use Goodreads to track books I’ve read and TBR. If I’m interested in a book, I might look at how people I respect rated the book. But I never use Goodreads for book recommendations.
I love Goodreads. I won't be abandoning it any time soon. I get to track what I''m reading and see what my friends are reading.
I don't like the website very much because the app is outdated,glitched and needs rules and regulations but at least some foreign books and out of print books are listed there for me to find.
Loved to hear your thoughts on this! I've been using Goodreads since 2013 but now I have started using the storygraph. I think it has better features for reviews and on reading stats even though its still in beta. The recommendations feature is good but I still get them through youtube and instagram
And can we talk about how I've been on there since 2012 and my first yearly challenge was a whopping 10 books, and the last normal year of 2019, I read 96 with a goal of 90? I'm already at over 100 books this year too. Goodreads really helped me get back into reading!
Wow! 📚 Yeah, I love how online interactions fuels bookworms to read even more like that. I’ve certainly found that too.
Yes start at 2013with 12 books end at 2019 for 92 ... its made me comeback to Reading 🥰
Just come from Leena Norm's video, it's like a wonderful video sandwich 😁
Such a funny coincidence we both posted a video at the same time about this issue! 😂📚 Leena is much better informed though! I just ramble. 😅
@@EricKarlAnderson I like getting to hear other people's perspectives though! I also just tend to use Goodreads to add the books I've read and have never really used it for recommendations but I totally get other people's frustrations with it!
I deleted my GoodReads account, because I found my reading choices being influenced subconsciously by what I thought my "friends" would think or I wanted to impress everyone by only reading really long complicated books. This was after I stopped doing 50 book challenges, because I would just read books that were short just to squeeze 9 easy books in so I could say I read 50 books. Now I just read whatever interests me at the time and I don't worry about how it will look socially.
I have never before this year used goodreads but after a rather disastrous reading year in 2019 I decided it would help me to track my reading to get suggestions and find like minded readers. It was a good move as I found groups to follow e.g. the Read more German literature which I love. From there found booktubers and other blogs. My 2020 reading has been really satisfying and I use star ratings to remind myself how I felt at the time. I love the suggestions from bloggers and always enjoy your videos. Thanks 😊
Watching this video was so wonderful! Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I laughed when you talked about star ratings because I'm EXACTLY the same. I'm very generous with my 5 star ratings for the same reasons. Also: generally, if I read a book that is 3 stars or lower, I consciously don't rate it on goodreads and just skip that step. This is because I feel the star ratings lack so much nuance- you can often have a 3 star read that sticks with you for years for instance, or promotes loads of interesting debate. I don't want to put others off reading a book that maybe just didn't work for me, you know? I only make exceptions if I find a book offensive or if the book is wildly popular and I have taken genuine umbridge with something in it (The Salt Path, for instance). Also, like you, I just use goodreads to catalogue stuff but I would LOVE to switch to this new platform you mentioned because I hate amazon. In conclusion: I agreed with everything you said! 😂😘 x x x
I joined Goodreads in 2014, I came across it while googling recommendations. Initially, I started cataloguing what I was reading, so that I could keep track. Then I started writing a few impressions, mostly for myself. I like the platform, I've come to meet some lovely people who are inspiring. I don't have many friends who read as much or as diverse as I do, so it's wonderful to connect with others, it's all about the books, not the looks or anything else. If it hadn't been for using GR, I wouldn't have come across some wonderful novels, I wouldn't have discovered NetGalley and so forth. I sometimes remember that it's owned by Amazon and I have issues with that, but then, I have a Prime Video subscription and a Kindle... As with most other things, it's how you use it and the type of interactions you have that make an experience enjoyable or not. Many people say that since joining GR they're reading more, so that's got to be a good thing. There aren't many other valid options out-there for bookish people. I'll have a look at StoryGraph.
I have had a spreadsheet for years but then wouldn’t have it with me when I happened on a store. I love Goodreads for the listing and ratings so I can remember if I liked that author , or already have the book. I can access this from anywhere. I don’t need the suggestion feature, as I have over 600 in my want to read list and am adding more every day. I’d prefer not to add any more for a while 🙂. I’m in a few groups but I’ve found someone joins and their personality takes over or there are so many rules, which takes the enjoyment out of the group. I love watching vlogs like yours to get my ideas and a bit more understanding before I purchase. I like the way Goodreads is but I’m not looking to replace the vlogs or suggested reading from friends. Thanks for this video!
I've been using Storygraph for about a month and I like it so far. I just use it the same way I used Goodreads which is to catalog the books I've read. I will say that Storygraph's book recommendations is pretty spot on to my taste in reading.
Same! I switched some weeks ago and it’s been really working for me, though I hope they eventually do multiple editions of the same book, especially in different languages.
I used to use Amazon to track my tbr, then I moved to Goodreads around 2012 and I found it wonderful in its ability to track my read books in addition to my tbr and reading goals!
I love reading reviews by some of my trusted bookish friends!
I don’t like the recommendations and I hate the way they push bestsellers and new releases!
Goodreads is owned by Amazon.
I've never liked that amazon cornered the market on books. I stopped using audible for that reason. I have been using Goodreads for the past 7 years but only to keep track of my books. I've looked for other options but haven't found a good one yet. Am enjoying this discussion and hearing about other options. I buy only a few books, use my library and Overdrive and Libro for audio books and ebooks right now. I buy from a local independent book store when I buy. I find Book tube to be a valuable resource for reading recommendations.
I just use goodreads to log my reading - the recommendations are often wide of the mark and I don’t go there for the social aspects. I really hate that half of the images are wrong for the books I’ve read but that might be ocd issues! I’m completely with you on the frustration of regular updates - I wonder how many users apps lose through this - I just give up on them!
I don't think Goodreads is dead (sadly), but I do hope in time people switch. I recently made a video exploring The Storygraph, liked it, and switched. I just used GR as a tracker, and though I like to read people's reviews, I don't pay attention to star ratings (for the reason you mentioned), so The Storygraph pretty much fulfilled my purposes (even better, for they have more stats, a DNF option and a marked as owned feature). However, some people do feel it should have more of a social network aspect (you can follow people but not interact with them), which I hadn't thought about because I use booktube and bookstagram to discuss books. For people who make GRs their main space for sharing their thoughts it makes sense to be more attached to it. Great video and discussion as always!
I have only been on Goodreads for about a year-and-a-half, when I really picked up reading as a hobby again. I use it to track my reading and categorize books I hope to read in the future. As someone re-entering the bookish world, I was very interested in getting a quick look (by rating and reading some reviews) of what other readers thought about books I was starting to hear about and whether I really wanted to read them. Over time, I have curated people I follow there who read in areas that I am interested in. It has been a very helpful tool for me to organize and categorize what I am reading and my TBR wishlist. I am always afraid I will forget a title when I get interested in a book and don't know when I will actually get to reading it. But I do find it clunky and not very intuitive. Also, any chance to get away from Amazon is a good thing.
I joined StoryGraph yesterday and am excited about it. As you pointed out, deemphasizing the star rating and focusing on the tone of a book or the reading experience (pace, characters, etc,) is more helpful and more accurate. I look forward to see how it develops and I hope it has some staying power to become a good alternative for the reading community.
Goodreads is the only part of Amazon that I use. I always support bookshops and get very angry with those who browse in bookshops, but purchase from Amazon. Anyway, most of the time I post to vent spleen on books that I was encouraged to read, but really hated (Conversations with Friends, or Belle Canto) or to boost books that are neglected (Gorky's My Childhood).
The search function is often useless : one of my favourite books of recent years is merely titled Confessions, which by rights should appear first, but instead we get Confessions of a Shopaholic, followed by string after string of books with Confessions in the title. You have to write Confessions Jaume Cabre (the author) to find it at all.
The Storygraph sounds worth a try.
It's a really interesting discussion. I am happy with Goodreads as it is for now - at least for what I am using Goodreads for. I mostly use it for tracking my reading, writing reviews and taking part in the yearly reading challenge. For those purposes, it is a quite clear, easy to use site for me. It also had that advantage for me, that when I started using the site, December 2012, it was already built up for international audiences as well with users from my country, too (I'm from Hungary) with quite a few Hungarian books uploaded into the system already. I definitely am open to uploading a few books that are not in the system yet, but starting from scratch, uploading every single Hungarian book into a system... I just don't have the time or the drive for that. There is a limit to my urge to be a librarian. I also find a lot of alternatives are quite English-speaking audience based, or at least, would need a lot of time and a lot of effort to present the same experience for international users that Goodreads can provide now. I might look into Storygraph, but at this moment, I am quite apprehensive about leaving Goodreads.
There are of course some annoying sides of Goodreads, but I learnt to just disregard those aspects - the recommendations are bollocks, but they are nonsense on all the sites I have ever been to. I also don't like it that, mostly because of the average age of the typical Goodreads user, not necessarily the most useful reviews get the most hype on the site (and here, I don't mean I want to read overly high-brow newspaper critiques of books at all), but stuff that are more like meme territory, and people trying to dreamcast the novel with gifs and putting in weird jokes...
I understand the complaints about giving money to Amazon by using Goodreads, because I have heard about the gajillion ethical issues with Amazon (but to be honest, I have not known before that Goodreads was powered by Amazon), but for now, since I am not paying for it and I am not using Amazon for anything, I don't feel "guilty" for using Goodreads... I mean, I don't even visit the Amazon site, because when I am buying books, I like supporting my local economy, and buy books either in local Hungarian bookshops or local Hungarian charity shops. If there is a book I'm interested in that wasn't translated into Hungarianm firstly, I try to order them from a Hungarian business whose main profile is to get you books from abroad... and if that is not working, I would rather find other options than Amazon... mainly because the shipping prices are usually insane to my country, but also because I would like to support other businesses (like buying a used copy off of Ebay, or buying from Bookdepository).
Very insightful comment! Just a heads up though Bookdepository is also owned by amazon sadly
@@lisxsa Oh wow, thanks for the heads up! I didn't know that.
Did you coordinate with Leena? Both your videos popped up about the same time LOL. I don't use the social aspects of goodreads that much. For me it is a good place to easily track books and leave a short review, intitial thoughts and a very emotional in no way consisten star rating.
I don#t use them for recommendations either and if I could I would buy books more in a bookstore and less from amazon, but there we lack availability for the books I read.
This is a great discussion topic, thanks for bringing it up. I mainly use Goodreads to track the books I've read. I used to use it more (writing reviews, participating in discussions), but I found that it was a lot of effort for not a lot of return. Goodreads doesn't do much to encourage interaction between the users. The feed, forum, and comments are all clunky to use, but I wonder if the appeal of Goodreads is that it hasn't evolved. You were saying that you found it comforting that it doesn't change much, and I think that most avid readers prefer things that are unchanging and a little old-fashioned. Social media can be tiring, too, and it takes away from reading time, so it might just be that a lot of readers generally don't find it to be worthwhile regardless of platform design. Amazon might've not bothered with it for that reason. I like the idea of a new platform that isn't owned by Amazon, though. I hope it catches on.
I use Goodreads to catalog my books and keep track of what I read. I love that I can go back to 2016 for example and see exactly what books I read & how I rated them. I almost never read reviews unless they’re by my personal friends. I also enjoy Our Shared Shelf as a community on Goodreads. I do dislike that Goodreads is owned by Amazon, but never knew of any other alternative.
Great discussion topic - I read the article as well and had mixed feelings about it. I agree that the website has a very 90s look (its app in particular is clunky) and that its book recommendations algorithm is bad, but like you I don't have the need for an app that recommends me books. Overall I am quite happy with my moderate use of Goodreads. I use it to track my readings and my thoughts on them and to check people's reviews on books - the reviews vary in quality but I find it useful to see why people did or did not like about a book as it helps me get a better feel of whether the book is for me. I don't keep my full booklist on Goodreads though, I use Libib for that. I also like the community component of Goodreads with the groups and the reading challenges that these groups host; you can dip in and out of them at your wish and, as a big big introvert, I appreciate a platform that allows me to socialise but not too much :-) I think what maybe bothers a lot of people is that Goodreads isn't a platform where you can be very showy...
Stingy Five Star rater here. I need to feel like I loved it so much that I would read it again. I use Goodreads as you mentioned- to simply catalogue my reading. I don’t write reviews there after seeing some people get into spats with authors, which I found to be ridiculous. But I love your idea of tracking your thoughts on your blog and not giving that to Amazon. I have a blog but I haven’t updated it as it’s already hard to do BookTube, IG, Twitter, Voxer and Litsy (which I think is such a great community), plus keep up with a blog- on top of a full time job. How do you do it?
Enjoyed this video, and totally agree with your comments about not contributing to Amazon. I think people underestimate how valuable their data is - by logging your books on Amazon's website, you're giving them extremely helpful information, which they use to price out bookshops (they know which books people are excited about reading so they can get specific new releases and sell them cheaply to keep out other sellers).
I stopped using goodreads and switched to SG a few weeks ago; honestly storygraph is less tedious to use and I way prefer it anyway.
I use it to track my reading but mostly I use it for the communities--I"m a member of a few fairly active communities that are all reading the same books, they're awards-based so there's a limited booklist in each community and the discussions are prescient and lively and ongoing. It's a lot of fun.
I didn't even realise GR gave recommendations but I only use the app version so maybe that's why? I use it for tracking my TBR and for when I start and finish books. I also love the yearly summary where it shows me what I've read in a year, which on the app is very aesthetically pleasing 😍
I never really enjoyed using Goodreads, it was the only platform that I knew of at the time. Now there are so many other places where I can get book suggestions from. Goodreads is just more widespread so it's the go to for so many newbies
I still use it from 2013 to catalogue my book shelf it rate it follow my to read list and add reviews too ,I hope it will one day develop more and become user friendly giving more statistics results and sorts
I occasionally check Goodreads, usually to scan lists rather than for ratings. I appreciate the folks who contribute to the Booker-eligible list and I have been grateful for some of their choices. "How Much Of These Hills Is Gold," "The Shadow King," and "The Girl With the Louding Voice" first came to my attention there.
I joined this year just to track my reading. The reading challenge, as I am now way behind my schedule, is stressful but that's not Goodreads fault. I do read some other people's reviews which can be interesting. I get my reading suggestions from friends and TH-cam. I love the Penguin blog/newsletter too for articles. I have used Amazon more in lockdown because their delivery is so good and fast.
I have found the scant time I've spent on Goodreads would've been better spent elsewhere or just reading. I'm very disturbed by Amazon's involvement, so I'm now trying StoryGraph per the suggestion of The Artisan Geek here on BookTube. So far, so good! For the most part, though, I keep my own book records offline. For reading suggestions, I get most from my favorite BookTubers!
Hi! Great video. I just use Goodreads to see the progress of my readings. I don‘t like 5 starts as I am a woman of 10 stars as I need a wider range. Why Goodreads congratulates you for the numbers of books you’ve been reading and not for the pages? I mean, you can read 4 books a year of more than 1,000 pages etc. I try to buy in bookshops but as I am Catalan and I read in English as well I need books in English. where I live I can’t find many books in English so sometimes I need to buy online in book depository or
Amazon. Do you know any other online bookshops? And second-hand bookshops that may deliver to Catalonia? I didn’t know Goodreads belonged to Amazon. Now I understand a lot of things. I also a booktube channel but I do it in Spanish although I talk about books in different languages. A big hug and thank you. 🤗
My first attempt on Goodreads was in 2010. I was 12 years old and hella into the Hunger Games, I deleted that account probably not long after I started it! Fast forward to the start of 2019 and create a Goodreads.. it still looks the same as it did nearly a decade ago!! I have never used or viewed it as a great social media platform but it will do for keeping track of TBR’s and current books I’m reading (or DNF’d). Definitely keeping an eye on TheStoryGraph!
I still use goodreads to track what I read, but I continually contemplate stopping. I've never cared about recommendations or groups, and for my usage, the site just has a lot of noise. It's become a habit though to go and mark a book as read as soon as I finish it, so I've never quit. I'll be interested to see what Storygraph is like.
previously, i used goodreads before i found book tubers. i don't use goodreads because i
don't agree with much of the hype for particular books. I didn't realize amazon had bought the platform; which
now makes sense. goodreads to me is more of a New York Times best seller list. thank you for posting and
talking about the New Statesman article. am enjoying your channel. a new subscriber.
Ah interesting! Thanks for watching. 📚
I only started using Goodreads last year mainly to easily record what I have read. But I do not buy from amazon at all it is too big in the market and doesn't have a good employment history and treatment of staff. Sorry to rant. I have followed you and several others on TH-cam where I get more ideas of new and old titles to read. Hope to start my own channel later in the year because I love books so much. Happy to hzve any advice sent my way. X Alison 📚🤗
I never thought about how unpractical goodreads is until someone brought it up. I'm glad there is an alternative, thanks for sharing the link!
I only started using Goodreads last year, and even then I use it in a fairly limited way, only to track the books I've read and sometimes write reviews. I enjoy the Reading Challenge, since it keeps me on track and I like looking at the stats and the lineup of all the pretty covers. :-) However, I don't use it for much else. I track the books I own just on a regular Excel spreadsheet on my computer, and my TBR is split between an Amazon or Indigo wishlist (though I don't necessarily buy them from there), and the "For Later" shelf in my library account. It's probably not the most efficient system, but it works for me!
I do not use it and can't see how or why I would.
This is a great discussion. They are some many options inside Goodreads... I use it from 2007. I am a nerd and the stats are quite weak for me so I create an Excel Database and I run my own stats. But I do not see myself moving from Goodreads. I invested so much time on it! The comments.... I read them after I finish a book. I will like some improvements, specially in their mobile app but I can't find a better way to track my books and my TBR... For my mobile experience I really enjoy Libby...
I use Goodreads for the reading challenge. I look for recommendations from my favorite Book tubers like yourself! I am also looking forward to Victober and will participate on Goodreads with the ladies that host it. I am not a fan of Amazon, however it seems that one cannot buy anything without ultimately going through them. I have tried to buy from the company only to be directed to their website. I have had very frustrating dealings with them. I like to order through Book Depository. What is your opinion on that? I live in the US. My favorite buying platform is my local library. I donate my books there and enjoy going to the book sale. Unfortunately, book sales are not happening. I am boxing quite a load of books for the library for when they can accept them. Thanks for your channel. I don't tweet, nor do I do Instagram. I will check out your blog!
Is there a way to write private note on book, in Goodreads?
Click 'edit review' on the book page, then click 'more options' to reveal the private notes text field.
I tried bookaxe, which I liked but it seems defunct. I’m trying out storygraph, recommended by The Artisan Geek, I still use goodreads, but I prefer storygraph already, simply because the reviews are feel more genuine, I read one of the recommendations and I liked it, so it hopefully works!
I just deleted all my books from goodreads after switching to storygraph. I actually hadn't used goodreads for an entire year. I've always hated goodreads. I just can't get into the community aspect.
Was not that impressed when I tried to use it, so haven't been back - prefer to watch a video on youtube about the books such as book reviews as well as book chats (such as near mint for comics)
Goodreads is my go to social media website. At first it was just a book tracker/book reviews lookup. Now, I am in several groups that I really enjoy, and I am actually a moderator for one of them. It works perfectly for what I want.
I'm not a very good GoodReads user. I tend to just use it to keep track of the series I'm in the middle of. I hadn't seen this article, so thanks so much for sharing it.
I think Goodreads gets the job done (if you ignore how clunky and out of date it is) but if a better website was to become available then I think very quickly people would realise what they were missing out on.
I use Goodreads as a kind of online bookmark for my TBR but i get my tbr from other sources, such as booktubers, articles in newspapers and newsletters from publishers etc. I also like it to set a challenge and to know what books I read in the year. I agree that the search engine is very bad. I don't look at their suggestions.
Interesting. I've never used Goodreads. Until I started a Bookstagram account I never tracked my reading online, just had buckets of Book Journals! I now put all my bookish thoughts/reviews on 'Bookstagram', I quite like it as a place to put my curated thoughts. My home library is catalogued using the LibraryThing app, which is fabulous so now I never buy a book I already own! And, yes, I've joined Storygraph, but will probably use it to try out new books to read, Bookstagram is very 'samey' like that.😊
I use goodreads solely to track my reading. For me that means, adding books I'm currently reading and giving star ratings when I finish. I joined the platform at the beginning of 2020. I have also joined story graph... haven't used it much though.
Goodreads is very useful to know how many books I have read by an author and what books my friends have read. When looking at buying a book in a retail bookshop I can gain an idea of what my friends think of the book, and the both good and bad reviews on goodreads. The star rating provides a quick guide to readers positive/negative thoughts of a particular book. It helps provide a quick guide on what the book is about. I have been in a goodreads book club for four years and have enjoyed the experience. I am able to communicate with other readers. I love the yearly summary of all the books I have read.
I do use Goodreads to track my books and participate in readalongs. I have made a Story Graph account that I intend to do more with, I just haven't yet. I would love to get away from Amazon products for my bookish needs (and the search feature in Goodreads is atrocious) but it's so pervasive I think it would be hard to leave the platform completely.
great insight :) thank you
I've never liked Goodreads. I hardly ever go on there. Thanks for providing a potential alternative! I will check it out. II recently purchased an app that allows me to track and rate my books, my TBR, etc.... It's called BookBuddy+. So far, I really love it and would highly recommend it.
I can't even remember the last time I bought books from a physical store. The only bookshop nearby has a better selection of stationary than books. Though there is a tiny second hand bookshop that I can't wait to be able to browse again. I get my books mostly from the library, friends and online from Adlibris, which seems to be a better alternative to Amazon. The Libby app is convient for audio and ebooks, though I have no idea how to download a book from there to my ereader. 😱
Btw hi, I just found your channel .
I typically only use it for cataloguing what I've read, and keeping a running list of books I'm interested in. Once in a great while I've been involved in a Goodreads group, but it's rare. I used to write reviews in Goodreads (never on the main Amazon platform) but now I use the star rating and most reviews are on Booktube. Goodreads is incredibly clunky and unnecessarily complex to use it for anything else...IMO.
I mainly use Goodreads to track the books I've read. I sometimes use it to help me decide on what to read next by looking at what people in my feed are reading. When I have finished a book I often look at the ratings and reviews to see what others thought of it.
What are your preferred sources for book recommendations? In addition to your personable podcasts and well-parsed prose, of course! I imagine that several savvy publishers must be sending you some books by now, which you have earned by podding and posting, whether or not you are judging. Lucky them that we listen to you. Other great sources might be ______?
I use goodreads as a tracker app. I also like following certain people whose reviews I enjoy--like Roxane Gay! It's great for what I use it for.
I use Goodreads mostly to keep track of the books I've read and I review about half the books I read. I find most of the notifications irrelevant, relating often to a comment I made on someone's review years ago. I use Booktube as my go to place to discuss books.
I've never used Goodreads as I use LibraryThing which came out at about the same time. I originally used it primarily to catalog my books as it's a great way to always know what's exactly on your shelves. Then I found the forums excellent, just rimming with wonderful dialogue about different books. Find the group that best fits your personality and have fun, basically. LibraryThing is still majority owned by the owner and while it does use the Amazon database, to help you find books to add to your catalog, it also pulls from Library of Congress and other major library databases.
tokyochemist - LibraryThing started about 18 months before Goodreads. I had my books catalogued on LibraryThing before Goodreads came along. I tried Goodreads for a while but found out I preferred LibraryThing.
@@Zozette27 Thank you for correcting me. I meant to say that Goodreads came out about when I started using LT which was 2006 although LT had already been out for a year by then. Like you, I took a glimpse at GR but LT was the superior experience for me. You can find me in the Club Read group although under a different username.
I don't really have any problems with Goodreads. The only issue I really have is books that are terrible with very high star ratings that trick me into reading them.
I joined Goodreads in 2009 and enjoyed the discussions for over 3 years. Since Amazon acquired GR, I have continued to track books I've read, library books I want to read and books I want to read. So many people left in 2013, that the atmosphere in the discussions has never been as congenial for me. I have tried most of the competing sites as they have come and gone. I try to buy books from places other than Amazon but have been mistaken a few times about ownership. Amazon does not compensate anyone fairly.
I like Goodreads to track the books I read, as well as the "year in books" that shows all the books you've read in one year. However, I don't really like the reading challenge thing I have to do to get my year in books. I read to get away from the numbers not for the numbers!
My average rating is on the higher side because if I liked it, I'll give it 4 or 5 stars. Lower ratings don't happen as much because I don't read the books I know I'll dislike. Also, I rate based on personal enjoyment.
I know other people do it differently, like only giving high ratings to books they consider all time favourites. I just have a different shelf for those books.
it actually gives you "my year in books" regardless of whether you do the reading challange or not. Not sure where the myth comes from that you have to do it.
I joined GR in 2012 and I still use it every day. I track my annual reading goal & books I’ve read/want to read. I don’t bother with recommendations, but I enjoy doing challenges; and also like to browse through the ‘readers also enjoyed’ carousel. I admit that I do find their search algorithm puzzling. I did a ‘title’ search on The Deep and the result came back preceded by five other books with three or more words (including the deep) in their titles. I don’t get that 🤔
Never clicked so fast XD
Hilariously, as I was uploading this I saw Leena Norms coincidentally just posted a video talking about this same thing and trying out Storygraph as well. We're all wondering: is there a better place than GoodReads?!?! 😄📚
@@EricKarlAnderson No way!! I'll have to go to her channel now haha. I do agree with you though! Goodreads is very dated, but does this beta offer a better world? I've been on Goodreads for eight years now I think, that's a lot to start-over from (even though I don't like the platform). It's AWFUl at recommending reads - I actually appreciate using The Book Depository's recommendation section (which is, of course, owned by Amazon...)
@@CinziaDuBois The Storygraph has a function that helps you move over all your past data from goodreads.
I'm using both at the moment, observing how The Storygraph will develop.
I have been a Good Reads user since 2008 and use it for only keeping a list of books I've completed. Years ago I deleted my TBR just because it became overwhelming. I am moving towards a physical list and took the time last month to start a book journal with everything I have cataloged there over the past 12 years. I'm continuing to add to it, and my goal is to exclusively journal physically. I may eventually delete my Good Reads profile because I have had people be rude with me over my personal book reviews and star ratings. It really has sucked part of the joy out of reading, with being worried about assigning a rating and what other people will think.
I use it to catalogue only! I don’t put too much value into reviews/ratings. I wish it was easier to find and follow other users or authors!
I started a Goodreads account as a lady at work advised me to. Said she used it to look for books and record books she wanted to read. At first I was quite excited by the site. A place to talk about books and find new books to read. That excitement soon wore off. All the recommendations were of books I had no intention of ever reading or were more picture books rather than fiction or non fiction reading books. I wrote a number of book reviews and only one ever got any likes. Now I hardly go on there. I would rather listen to your videos or those of other favourite book tubers who I trust. At least I know your reviews are genuinely from the heart and not made up to boost sales.
Thank you Eric, this is a very interesting overview and critique of online book selling.
😄📚
My desire for a goodreads alternative is solely because i don’t like Amazon and their business practices. I disagree that Goodreads is Stodgy. I do use it more as a record keeping site and less as a place to find books or interact with people. Though i do often look books up there when i hear about them or find them in a store so that i can read a few reviews on them to see if I think i will enjoy the book. I actually was chosen at one point to demo to a group of goodreads developers how i use the site when they were working on their redesign a few years ago. So i do think they listen to some extent as far as re-orging the site, but yeah i don’t think they have any investment or desire to make big changes like offering half stars which people have been screaming about for years, It’s a mixed bag and I keep meaning to spend more time on story graph to see if it will meet my needs as far as what i use goodreads for now because i would love to switch, but i have been on goodreads since 2007 when they launched, so it’s a hard change for me for sure.
I went to Goodreads after using and enjoying Librarything.com . Adding books to Goodreads is far less clunky than to LT. I participate in some groups, I use the 'shelves' and Lists. I also rate and review each book I read, just with my own sentiments and general thoughts about the books I read. I don't use their recommendations, I did try reading their 'books of the year' and they weren't really to my taste. I tend to follow literary prizes and booktubers recommendations more than goodreads recommendations. Goodreads seems to have many YA readers and its overwhelmingly USA centred.
I do not use Goodreads. I am a great fan of your blog, love your reviews. Most of my recommendations come from Book Tubers. Please keep up the great work.
Thank you, Maureen! 📚
I feel like using Goodreads is like cranking up an old Ford Model T, ( now *that* is making someone sound old!) I found most of the highly rated books pablum, and had difficulty finding the right discussion groups for me.
This is a very mature and well said video. I wish more TH-camrs made videos like this.
Thank you!
Hooray! I do the same with ratings. If I really love a book, it gets five stars. So, my goodreads book list is a lot of five star books, some four stars, and just a couple of three stars. Nothing below that. If I DNF or just really don’t like a book, I keep it to myself. I don’t like dissing someone’s work on a public platform, especially with so many authors on the platform. Now, if I really hated the author... 😂 No. I haven’t had a book so disgust me or make me so furious that I had to let people know about it.
I just got on StoryGraph about a week ago. I haven’t checked out their recommendations, but I don’t look at recommendations on Goodreads either.
Coincidentally just watched Leena's video. As I commented there I really don't get on with that new site Storygraph for several reasons.The Goodreads import didn't work. I find it very clunky and a lot of books are not on there and it's impossible to turn off the inaccurate recommendations.I think I will stick with Goodreads just as a personal record online . Plus I like how we can see what readers whose taste match ours are reading such as yourself etc. I NEVER use these sites own recommendations and never will. I like the way Goodreads looks and the fact that it hasnt changed, There is nothing worse than sites who 'improve' and it's always worse. I never read reviews or ratings on any site.
Amazon also bought Bookdepository :'-(
I’ve started using bookshop.org. It seems similar to book finder. They support independent bookstores. As far as I can tell, it’s not owned by Amazon. I agree with you about Amazon. I try not to support them too much.
i switched to thestorygraph a few months ago and i couldn't be more happier!
Film people have the some discussions about letterboxd all the time. I think goodreads is perfectly functional for keeping track of your books and your to-read list. If I didn't have that, I would have a hard time remembering every book I saw at the bookstore that interested me and what I want to reserve next at the library. That's all I use it for and to jot down brief thoughts on a book so if I need to recommend something to a friend I can go back and look for stuff that might be their taste. Book recommendations imo should come from friends, reviewers you trust and just plain old bookstore browsing.
I really only use goodreads to track. I don’t look at ratings until I have finished a book. If I have really enjoyed or really disliked a book I will read some reviews to see what other people think. I think I have been on goodreads since 2011 or 2012. I have gone through spells of not using it but use it pretty consistently now.
Like a lot of web 2.0 sites that have evolved over time, Goodreads is basically cobbled together with spit and twine. Once in awhile the search function will annoy me but I don't often have issues with the functionality. Maybe you just get the hang of it. It's a bummer that we're basically allowing Amazon to data mine us by using it but there's no ethical consumption in capitalism and I've been using it since 2008 so it has its value for me. I mostly use it as a tracker, as a database, and to see updates on what friends are reading. A little discussion but not much. It's more likely I'll see a friend's update and then text them about the book and discuss it in our own space. I don't look at the recommendations or click through to buy books there.
I use Goodreads for marking what I've read and add some potential books to read, I do like seeing that I hit my reading target on the site as well (I hate that I can't even track anything else on there, so I have a journal for other bookish targets, thoughts, notes). I read review on there, but I much much prefer relying on recommendations I get from people I watch on YT (like you). I find Goodreads too clunky and not very user friendly.
In the pre-monopoly days, I would purchase new books from Amazon and used books through ABE. And I'd probably still be doing the same, but I've gotten so frustrated with Amazon's careless manner of storing, handling, packing, and shipping books in recent years. I return -- no exaggeration -- 90% of the "new" books they send me (and at least 50% of the replacement copies they send as well). Of course, I still want to own those books, so I've recently gotten on the mailing lists and created online accounts with all my go-to publishers, and I'm just going to start ordering books directly from them. Here's hoping that pride of ownership means they will put more care into the way they deliver books than Amazon does these days.
I only really use Goodreads for organizing shelves and keeping track of things. I've been using Storygraph and once they have similar features, I will likely dump Goodreads.
Yeah, that kind of basic use seems to be what it's best for.
I love goodreads, about a dozen very useful features. I find most people use it for 1 or 2 features. Its pretty awesome in my opinion.
Hello Eric, I don't like the idea of a computer recommending books for me to read. The only recommended books I have read are from BookTubers whose opinions I respect, such as yourself!
Everytime I read a book review I end up frustrated and not wanting to read it, every book sucks and someone has to say bad things about it. I stopped reading books reviews...
I think Goodreads is a useful tool for readers. I use it to see what books other people are reading, what books are recommended for me, what books others like. I have found books to read on Goodreads. I have also found other readers on TH-cam who are booktubers. I think that Goodreads is helpful to keep up with the books I read and I can find books that I haven’t read yet so yes I recommend Goodreads.
I’ve got a goodreads account but I don’t really use it. It’s me, I can’t keep journals or diaries or even blogs! Mea culpa ☹️ I have so many reading ambitions which don’t usually marry up. My TBR is enormous and is split between kindle/real books. I am a quick reader - good job really. I think that reading one book often leads to the next book. I also don’t like being told what to read. Too old these days!
Don't use Goodreads anymore. Now I follow book blogger websites for inspiration, along with local bookstores, libraries, friends, and TH-cam. I have disengaged from Amazon based platforms.
Good video my man. If I read as many books as you I think I'd get a Kindle
Thanks
I use it to update how far I've gotten in a book and I read the reviews if I'm uncertain about a book. I write reviews too. I do sometimes have trouble finding the exact edition I want, but that's about it. I agree the recommendations given by the site aren't accurate. I am on Byzans, but I use Goodreads. I guess I'm the minority. I just started shopping on Thriftbooks. My mother has an Amazon account, but ThriftBooks allows me to make my purchases will having to go through my mother.
As it remains static and wedded to the star rating format, Goodreads holds less and less appeal, other than as literally a rough data warehouse of read and maybe-want-to read books. That said, I never consult it to look at my "TBR" and remind myself what's on there that I might want to read. For that, I'm more likely to look at my much smaller Amazon wish list--even though I try to limit what I actually buy from Amazon. When people recite their star ratings on Booktube, my heart sinks a bit in most cases, because all but the worst-written books are complex and nuanced and somebody worked really hard to create them--then this pat system is applied in assessing them. Don't get me wrong--I totally pan or praise books, but that's different from entombing this complex creation in a star rating.