GoodReads

[TromboneAl]

I distinctly remember a college interview during which the interviewer asked me what books I'd read recently. I had read books, but I couldn't remember any.

I vowed to keep a reading list from then on, but I've never been good at it. It was always inconvenient to write down the details of the books I'd read.

It's a problem because I often pay little attention to the title of a book, so I sometimes don't know, from the title, whether I've read a book before or not.

I've been using Goodreads (Share Book Recommendations With Your Friends, Join Book Clubs, Answer Trivia), and it may be the solution, since it makes book tracking easy. When I buy a book or bring it home from the library, I can scan the bar-code with my Nexus, and it automatically goes on my to-read shelf. I can also let it examine my Amazon purchases to add books that way.

I move the book to the currently-reading shelf when I start reading it, and to the read shelf when I'm done (or my abandoned or paused shelves). I can quickly rate it, review it, and/or make some private notes about it.

Finally, I've gotten a lot of good recommendations here on the "What have read recently" thread, since it's a smart group of people and I get to know who likes the same kinds of books I read.

Goodreads works like that in that you can have friends, and see what books they've read and enjoyed. It will also automatically recommend books based on what you've liked.

So I recommend that web site and system.

Click here to become my friend on Goodreads so I can see what you've read and vice versa.

 

[Gotadimple]

I would add to this, that the GoodReads software also makes recommendations based on your reading history.

Gotadimple

 

[zinger1457]

Looks interesting. I use Calibre to manage all of my ebooks in one place. Tried to import my Calibre catalog into GoodReads but it only picked up about 1/3 of the books. Apparently it requires the books ISBN to import and many of those were missing from the catalog. Will have to see if there is a way around that.

 

[NoiseBoy]

Does the app have a way to manage a list of books that you want to read but may not have the ISBN for? That would really help me out as I often forget what is on my list when I am at the library.

 

[Ally]

I use Goodreads, too. However, I keep my list of books to read on my Amazon wish list. I got in that habit years before Goodreads.

 

[Chuckanut]

Thanks for the tip on GoodReads. One of my goals this year is to read more books and watch less TV.

One thing, just to play the Devil's Advocate - I must question keeping an Amazon list. Have you considered a local book store, or even a Barnes and Noble? Or another store? I am finding that as Amazon gets nearer to being omnipotent their prices are going up.

 

[TromboneAl]

Does the app have a way to manage a list of books that you want to read but may not have the ISBN for? That would really help me out as I often forget what is on my list when I am at the library.

Yes. You can enter the title and it will find it. If it doesn't find it, you can enter info manually.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[TromboneAl]

Thanks for the tip on GoodReads. One of my goals this year is to read more books and watch less TV.

Goodreads has made my reading more structured and also more goal-oriented.

In the past, sometimes I'd start too many different books, and not realize that I'd forgotten about one of them. This is easy to do when you download some free Kindle books on a whim. Now, I make sure I'm only reading a few at a time (usually one or two non-fiction and one novel).

Also, there's more motivation to finish a book I've started, to get it onto the "read" shelf, and to watch that shelf grow. Or I may read a book rather than news just to get a book finished. That's a little silly, but it works that way.

It bugs me that the "read" shelf name is ambiguous. It could mean "red" or "reed."

 

[walkinwood]

My library keeps track of the books I've borrowed. For ebooks, it only remembers the books I rate, so I have to remember to do that.

 

[Ally]

Thanks for the tip on GoodReads. One of my goals this year is to read more books and watch less TV.

One thing, just to play the Devil's Advocate - I must question keeping an Amazon list. Have you considered a local book store, or even a Barnes and Noble? Or another store? I am finding that as Amazon gets nearer to being omnipotent their prices are going up.

I don't necessarily buy them from Amazon. I do check prices, reviews and Kindle prices on Amazon for comparison purposes. I buy a lot from Abebooks, our Friends of the Library sales, and check out from the library.

 

[Meadbh]

I've been a lurker.on Goodreads for some time but as I joined a book club about a year ago I decided to get a little more organized. I recently began making a list and entering many of my old favourites as well. Now I have a list of almost 300 books. Reviewing them, and comparing with lists my friends make, I tend to choose a wider variety of subjects and more international writers. I like the reviews and the ability to search by any term, and the database is quite comprehensive. For example, I've thrown a lot of obscure Irish literature at it, and it has always come up with an answer. I really like the iPad app too.