That’s right, I FINALLY made a profile on GoodReads! It’s so silly how long this has been on my to-do list (I think it’s been like three years)… and why did it take me so long? I’m not sure, probably just because it’s something to help my reading life, which is mostly for leisure.
What is GoodReads?
While I don’t know how it’s officially described, it’s basically an online reading community where you can rate and review books you’ve read. You can also keep track of the books you want to read and get recommendations based on the ones you’ve already read.
A few things I didn’t know you can do, include track the progress of the book you’re currently reading, get roundups of your “year in books” based on what you’ve put into the app, and set an annual reading goal for yourself.
You can also search for books by scanning the barcode, which will come in handy when I’m in the library and bookstores and want to read a book, but am not quite ready to.
How I’m Planning to Use GoodReads
Before creating a profile, my method for keeping track of my to-be-read list has been a random nightmare.
I have a list of almost 200 books digitally book-marked in my library account, a countless number of books saved on Pinterest and Instagram, pictures of book covers I stumble upon are on my phone, and I’ve written down book titles in various places throughout my planner. Ugh.
So, a big part of how I plan to use GoodReads is to keep track of the books I want to read all in one place. I do wish there was a way to note within the app whether or not the library had the book so I could easily see what books needed to be purchased — if there is a way to do this, please let me know!
I just started my profile last night so I am still learning all of the different ways I can use it. I also started uploading books and reviews from the past (starting in late 2016), so I can build up my history of books.
The thing is… I read tons before then, of course, but these are just the books I’ve kept up with on this blog. I can often remember titles of the books I’ve read, but it’s so nice to have kept the reviews and even quotes I liked.
I had a blog before this one where I put book reviews, but it’s long-gone! I’m going to upload everything from the blog, and I’m sure other titles I’ve read will come to mind along the way.
GoodReads Groups
I also didn’t know that GoodReads has groups you can join! I’m not entirely sure what groups are out there that would be good to join — I did join the group for Oprah’s Book Club and Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Book Club.
I would eventually like to see if there’s a way for me to create a Blanche’s Book Club group so people could join and discuss the book picks there. If you’re a GoodReads enthusiast and know how, please let me know. I’d appreciate it!
If you’re on GoodReads, give me a follow so I can follow you back and keep up with what everyone is reading. It’s already been so cool to see what my friends have read and are reading now!
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The Bitter Lemon 