“So many books, so little time.” ― Frank Zappa
Have you ever wandered through the
stacks at the library trying to recall a book that your friend recommended? Or have you ever randomly picked up a book that had an
interesting cover, begun reading, and realized about 50 pages in that maybe you had already read it before? Book lovers
out there who haven’t yet checked out the wildly popular Goodreads should give it
a try. It is an excellent site to help keep track of what you have read, as
well as to discover new titles to read. And that is only the beginning of all the
fun features it has to offer!
On the Goodreads website, you add
books to your virtual bookshelves, using cover images for quick identification.
The site provides three default shelves to help you begin organizing – read, currently-reading, and to-read; you can also add personalized shelves if
you wish. Quickly rate books by awarding them between one and five stars, and once
you have rated 20 books, Goodreads will begin making personalized
recommendations for you. Browse book lists, reviews
and your favorite genres to discover books to enjoy, as well as write your own book reviews for others to peruse. It is a social networking site, so you
can add friends and share with them what you are reading plus discover and
comment on what they are reading. In addition, you can join a wide variety of book
groups and clubs, or even start one of your own if so inclined.
There is even more – challenge
yourself to see how many books you’ll read this year, or take part in trivia,
quizzes and giveaways. I also recently discovered that you can search for quotes and create
a list of the ones you like, which is how I found the Frank Zappa quote above. For smartphone users, there is an app for Goodreads for your iPhone/iPad or your Android device to use while on the go – perhaps when you are at the library
searching for a book! Goodreads is an
amazing tool to organize books you have read, identify books to read, and tap
into the world’s largest social network for readers.
