purpose of goodreads. and how can i use as an advantage

[wakkaday]

most of my books are epubs which have been convered.have very few books from amazon store

i was just wondering what is the purpose of goodreads?

i use calibre as my database, its a shame i can't get collections to work although my device is jailbroken - kindle oasis

thanks

[Cinisajoy]

Goodreads can be used in numerous ways. To keep track of your books. (Personally found that useless). To see what books your favorite author has available. To talk to others about books.

[barryem]

Every now and then I'll go into Goodreads and look for something interesting about it. So far no luck. I think it's just a social thing but I'm not sure. I don't really get social things. I never really understood Facebook either.

Barry

[Hollow Man]

Originally Posted by barryem

Every now and then I'll go into Goodreads and look for something interesting about it. So far no luck. I think it's just a social thing but I'm not sure. I don't really get social things. I never really understood Facebook either.

Barry

This is a social thing too, and you get this!

-HM

[JSWolf]

I use Goodreads to keep track of what I've read. I alos use it to look at reviews as sometimes the stars are worthless.

[CWatkinsNash]

I use it to track my reading and to look for more info on books / authors I'm interested in. I use Calibre, too, but for me, Goodreads is more "what I've read and a few things I definitely want to read" whereas my Calibre collection is more like a book repository to feed my devices.

I belong to a few Goodreads groups. One of those groups is an unofficial offshoot of Mobileread that was started when a few people wanted to go more in-depth with the annual challenges. I also started a group called Reading Gamers that's, well, for gamers who are also readers. Groups are really like mini-forums rather than your typical social media interactions.

As for the more "social media" type features, my use of them is incidental, really. An occasional comment on a friend's review or a like when they've shelved a book I enjoyed. I hardly ever look at the activity feed, I usually go straight to the page that shows group discussions to see what I've missed.

[Atunah]

I use goodreads quite a bit. I use it of course to log all my reads. With many shelves and star ratings. Sometimes I write a review. I have lots of shelves on there for stuff coming up, etc.

I mostly follow folks that read stuff I like reading. So when I look at a book, I only ever have to look at the reviews and ratings of readers I follow or have friended. After a while I know what they like or not like and so on. Huge help for finding stuff to read. Also, I can compare my shelves with others and see how good of a match we are. It gives you a percentage and takes in account star ratings. Again, huge help finding folks to follow.

After a while this creates a goodreads that is very tailored to my tastes and wants. So my home page feed is targeted. I get to find out about new books coming out in my genres from authors I like or will like. I get entertained by the funny book stuff some folks are posting. I get emails once a week on new releases on authors I have on my shelves.

Also the recommendations are now spot on for me. The more I rate, the better they get. Those recs are actually better right from my kindle for some reason. Easier to navigate too, filterable by genres one likes.

I hate facebook and I don't do social media stuff at all. But I love goodreads as its all about books. And I am all about reading.

[barryem]

Originally Posted by Hollow Man

This is a social thing too, and you get this!

-HM

Well, I thought I got this but now you have me wondering.

Barry

[FizzyWater]

My biggest use for Goodreads is to find the reading order when I discover a new book series.

[Lordblacknail]

Fantasticfiction.com will answer most of your questions about books. I use it all the time, don't use goodreads since it seems to me to be a FB for books. FF just gives you the information you want.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by Lordblacknail

Fantasticfiction.com will answer most of your questions about books. I use it all the time, don't use goodreads since it seems to me to be a FB for books. FF just gives you the information you want.

The problam with fantasticfiction is the database. I just went and searched a couple of small press books - award winning, so not vanishingly obscure - and they weren't there.

[barryem]

Fantasticfiction's limitation seems to be the search. You have to check your spelling very carefully. A slight misspelling will prevent it from being found, unlike most searches.

I'm not saying that was your problem but it is something to be aware of.

Barry

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Lordblacknail

FF just gives you the information you want.

Not quite. Fantastic Fiction doesn't tell me what people who have similar tastes to mine think about a particular book. Stock publisher descriptions and author blurbs aren't sufficient (and not nearly unbiased enough) for my book-purchasing needs.

"Goodreads=Facebook for books" is a common, knee-jerk criticsm (and it CAN be that), but it's not the whole picture, either. If you (rhetorical you, now) have no wish to know what other people think about certain titles, then by all means stay away from Goodreads (and possibly user-reviews, or "What Are You Reading Now" threads, or book/author-forums, etc...). But if you like books and people, it's a pretty useful site. Unless, of course, you're dogmatically opposed to anything that can be labeled "social media," and enjoy sharing your curmudgeonly dislike of them in your various (non)social internet circles (that aren't the same thing at all, dangit!).

Originally Posted by wakkaday

most of my books are epubs which have been convered.have very few books from amazon store

i was just wondering what is the purpose of goodreads?

i use calibre as my database, its a shame i can't get collections to work although my device is jailbroken - kindle oasis

thanks

I used Goodreads more for the social networking with other people who love to read, and it was also a good place to get recommendations on other books to read. You can also track how many books you've read, where you are in a book, share things about books and authors with others, et cetera. But after about three years I realized I wasn't using it anymore so I closed my account with them. I think it is a good place for some people to hang out though, I just grew tired of it was all.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

I use it to track my reading and to look for more info on books / authors I'm interested in. I use Calibre, too, but for me, Goodreads is more "what I've read and a few things I definitely want to read" whereas my Calibre collection is more like a book repository to feed my devices.

This describes me, too. Tracking my reading in Goodreads is so much easier than the alternatives and there's tons of useful ancillary info on titles.

Besides, I love y'all and all that and this is where I hang my bonnet, but there's no denying a certain unfortunate bent in the reading tastes of the members here. There are people on GR who like what I like and whose taste I trust, which is quite useful.