Goodreads blog
This is a place for Goodreads employees to blog about anything they like. Site updates, new features, relevant happenings, or really anything!
Check back here whenever you like to find out what is going on at Goodreads and to learn a little more about us.
Check back here whenever you like to find out what is going on at Goodreads and to learn a little more about us.
blog posts (showing 1-10 of 188)
The legacy of J.D. Salinger
posted by Jessica on January, 28
Today Goodreads mourns the loss of a literary icon and famous recluse, an author who encapsulated teenage angst in The Catcher in the Rye and inspired all of us to avoid the “phonies.” J.D. Salinger died yesterday at the age of 91. The author of one of the most-read books on Goodreads will be remembered for his notable influence on 20th century literature and for his disinterest in fame. In 1953 Salinger moved to New Hampshire and lived in seclusion until his death, shunning the press and avoiding public appearances. Although little is known about the man, his books will forever be read and re-read, and shared with each new generation of thinkers.
What Goodreads Members say about his books:
The Catcher in the Rye
Goodreads member Melanie says, "The author doesn't romanticize Holden's life, you don't read it thinking he has some special key to life that we all need. You simply feel his struggle to fit in and hope eventually he can learn to play the game and see the beauty that is there, hidden a little." Read more reviews »
Franny and Zooey
Lee says, "He's been called the voice of several generations, but Salinger's ability to maintain belly-laugh-worthy humor while touching on such dark themes might be the most notable (and most underappreciated) thing about him." Read more reviews »
Nine Stories
Rolls says, "Salinger's Nine Stories should be renamed How to Write Short Stories. While many hold up Catcher in the Rye as the zenith of his achievements for me it will always be this wistful and brave little book. I re-read it two or three times or year. I love it that much." Read more reviews »
"I love you to pieces, distraction, etc." (Franny and Zooey)
"Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody." (The Catcher in the Rye)
posted by Jessica on January, 28
Today Goodreads mourns the loss of a literary icon and famous recluse, an author who encapsulated teenage angst in The Catcher in the Rye and inspired all of us to avoid the “phonies.” J.D. Salinger died yesterday at the age of 91. The author of one of the most-read books on Goodreads will be remembered for his notable influence on 20th century literature and for his disinterest in fame. In 1953 Salinger moved to New Hampshire and lived in seclusion until his death, shunning the press and avoiding public appearances. Although little is known about the man, his books will forever be read and re-read, and shared with each new generation of thinkers.
What Goodreads Members say about his books:
The Catcher in the Rye
Goodreads member Melanie says, "The author doesn't romanticize Holden's life, you don't read it thinking he has some special key to life that we all need. You simply feel his struggle to fit in and hope eventually he can learn to play the game and see the beauty that is there, hidden a little." Read more reviews »
Franny and Zooey
Lee says, "He's been called the voice of several generations, but Salinger's ability to maintain belly-laugh-worthy humor while touching on such dark themes might be the most notable (and most underappreciated) thing about him." Read more reviews »
Nine Stories
Rolls says, "Salinger's Nine Stories should be renamed How to Write Short Stories. While many hold up Catcher in the Rye as the zenith of his achievements for me it will always be this wistful and brave little book. I re-read it two or three times or year. I love it that much." Read more reviews »
"I love you to pieces, distraction, etc." (Franny and Zooey)
"Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody." (The Catcher in the Rye)
Site problems - updated
posted by MICHAEL on January, 21
One of our power circuits died at the Goodreads datacenter. What this means is we're running on half power for the moment. We've got a man down there at the moment and are looking into it. If you're experiencing slowness or other problems, we're sorry about that. We're working to address this as quickly as possible. Thanks!
Update 1am pst:
some equipment was damaged as a result of the power fluctuations, some of our cache servers are still down.
Update 1:20 am pst:
i think all functionality should be restored. If you notice anything unusual, please report it in the comments.
posted by MICHAEL on January, 21
One of our power circuits died at the Goodreads datacenter. What this means is we're running on half power for the moment. We've got a man down there at the moment and are looking into it. If you're experiencing slowness or other problems, we're sorry about that. We're working to address this as quickly as possible. Thanks!
Update 1am pst:
some equipment was damaged as a result of the power fluctuations, some of our cache servers are still down.
Update 1:20 am pst:
i think all functionality should be restored. If you notice anything unusual, please report it in the comments.
January Newsletter!
posted by Elizabeth on January, 11
January Newsletter!
We decided to ring in the new year with one of our strongest newsletters yet! This month Goodreads talked about marriage with Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the runaway success Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia, and asked Jasper Fforde, author of Thursday Next series and Nursery Crime series, all about color. Gilbert was as nice as could be and Fforde’s dry wit had us in stitches.
We also asked Joshua Ferris for his favorite on-the-road book recommendations and spoke with debut authorAmy Greene about her home in the Smoky Mountains of Appalachia.
Movers & Shakers covered a variety of topics (time travel, Alice in Wonderland, Anne Boleyn, motivation, and the uber wealthy) and The Literature at Every Latitude book, The German Mujahid, is being heralded as the first novel to address the Holocaust from an Arab perspective.
Finally, please read the winning poem of the month. Birthday on Brokenback Mountain is by Jane Ellen Glasser.
We hope you enjoy the newsletter and best of luck for 2010!
P.S. We’re also proud to announce the winners of the first annual Goodreads Choice Awards. Congratulations everyone!
posted by Elizabeth on January, 11
January Newsletter!
We decided to ring in the new year with one of our strongest newsletters yet! This month Goodreads talked about marriage with Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the runaway success Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia, and asked Jasper Fforde, author of Thursday Next series and Nursery Crime series, all about color. Gilbert was as nice as could be and Fforde’s dry wit had us in stitches.
We also asked Joshua Ferris for his favorite on-the-road book recommendations and spoke with debut authorAmy Greene about her home in the Smoky Mountains of Appalachia.
Movers & Shakers covered a variety of topics (time travel, Alice in Wonderland, Anne Boleyn, motivation, and the uber wealthy) and The Literature at Every Latitude book, The German Mujahid, is being heralded as the first novel to address the Holocaust from an Arab perspective.
Finally, please read the winning poem of the month. Birthday on Brokenback Mountain is by Jane Ellen Glasser.
We hope you enjoy the newsletter and best of luck for 2010!
P.S. We’re also proud to announce the winners of the first annual Goodreads Choice Awards. Congratulations everyone!
Announcing the Winners of the 2009 Goodreads Choice Awards
posted by Jessica on January, 08
We are proud to announce the results of the inaugural Goodreads Choice Awards! We analyzed statistics from the 39 million books added, rated, and reviewed on the site in 2009 to create nomination lists in 13 categories. Books were categorized according to their popularity and how they were shelved (tagged). The candidates were announced in the December newsletter, and Goodreads members voted in droves until the polls closed on New Year's Eve.
See detailed polling results! »
All-time Favorite: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Also the winner of the Young Adult Series category, Collins's second book in The Hunger Games series was a huge favorite on Goodreads is 2009. Its average rating, 4.53 (out of a possible five stars), is remarkably high.
Fiction: The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Goodreads Author)
Stockett won handily with 17% of the vote. The Help is also one of the top-rated books of 2009 on Goodreads with a 4.51 average rating. Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol came in second with 10% of the vote.
Nonfiction: Columbine by Dave Cullen (Goodreads Author)
Also a strong favorite, garnering 18% of the vote. The runner-up was Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls.
Mystery/Thriller: The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
Larsson dominated this category with nearly 30% of the vote. Dan Brown was a distant second with The Lost Symbol earning 16% of the vote.
Fantasy: Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
The zombies of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies put up a good fight, but were bitten back in the final days of voting by the vampires of Dead and Gone, which won by a whisper-thin margin of 13 votes.
Science Fiction: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Two very different authors vied for the top spot. Margaret Atwood's The Year of the Flood lost to Westerfeld's Leviathan.
Chick Lit: The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
This category generated some healthy controversy, since many readers disagree about what constitutes "chick lit." As mentioned above, we used shelving statistics to determine a book's genre. Nicholas Sparks won the category with almost a quarter of the votes.
Romance: An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon
Gabaldon is known for fiction that defies easy categorization. An Echo in the Bone is the seventh book in her popular Outlander series, which is shelved as romance, historical fiction, and time-travel fantasy.
Graphic Novel: Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? by Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author) and Andy Kubert (illustrator)
Gaiman’s capper to the epic Batman series won easily in this category, but Max Brooks’s The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks and Stitches were not far behind.
Young Adult Fiction: Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen (Goodreads Author)
This category pitted several Goodreads Authors against each other. Sarah Dessen edged out Laurie Halse Anderson (Wintergirls) for the win.
Young Adult Series: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Also the winner of the All-Time Favorite category, Collins led runner-up The Last Olympian by 20 percentage points.
Children's Book: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney.
Book 4 of Jeff Kinney's popular series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, won by a whopping margin.
Picture Book: Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess (illustrator)
Goodreads Author Neil Gaiman picked up his second award. Gaiman is one of the most-followed authors on Goodreads with nearly 5,000 followers.
See detailed polling results! »
posted by Jessica on January, 08
We are proud to announce the results of the inaugural Goodreads Choice Awards! We analyzed statistics from the 39 million books added, rated, and reviewed on the site in 2009 to create nomination lists in 13 categories. Books were categorized according to their popularity and how they were shelved (tagged). The candidates were announced in the December newsletter, and Goodreads members voted in droves until the polls closed on New Year's Eve.
See detailed polling results! »
All-time Favorite: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Also the winner of the Young Adult Series category, Collins's second book in The Hunger Games series was a huge favorite on Goodreads is 2009. Its average rating, 4.53 (out of a possible five stars), is remarkably high.
Fiction: The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Goodreads Author)
Stockett won handily with 17% of the vote. The Help is also one of the top-rated books of 2009 on Goodreads with a 4.51 average rating. Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol came in second with 10% of the vote.
Nonfiction: Columbine by Dave Cullen (Goodreads Author)
Also a strong favorite, garnering 18% of the vote. The runner-up was Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls.
Mystery/Thriller: The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
Larsson dominated this category with nearly 30% of the vote. Dan Brown was a distant second with The Lost Symbol earning 16% of the vote.
Fantasy: Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
The zombies of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies put up a good fight, but were bitten back in the final days of voting by the vampires of Dead and Gone, which won by a whisper-thin margin of 13 votes.
Science Fiction: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Two very different authors vied for the top spot. Margaret Atwood's The Year of the Flood lost to Westerfeld's Leviathan.
Chick Lit: The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
This category generated some healthy controversy, since many readers disagree about what constitutes "chick lit." As mentioned above, we used shelving statistics to determine a book's genre. Nicholas Sparks won the category with almost a quarter of the votes.
Romance: An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon
Gabaldon is known for fiction that defies easy categorization. An Echo in the Bone is the seventh book in her popular Outlander series, which is shelved as romance, historical fiction, and time-travel fantasy.
Graphic Novel: Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? by Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author) and Andy Kubert (illustrator)
Gaiman’s capper to the epic Batman series won easily in this category, but Max Brooks’s The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks and Stitches were not far behind.
Young Adult Fiction: Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen (Goodreads Author)
This category pitted several Goodreads Authors against each other. Sarah Dessen edged out Laurie Halse Anderson (Wintergirls) for the win.
Young Adult Series: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Also the winner of the All-Time Favorite category, Collins led runner-up The Last Olympian by 20 percentage points.
Children's Book: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney.
Book 4 of Jeff Kinney's popular series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, won by a whopping margin.
Picture Book: Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess (illustrator)
Goodreads Author Neil Gaiman picked up his second award. Gaiman is one of the most-followed authors on Goodreads with nearly 5,000 followers.
See detailed polling results! »
A new way to show off your erudition: Quizzes!
posted by Louise on January, 05
If you're afraid to click on the Never-Ending Book Quiz because it's so hard to stop playing, now we have quizzes in bite-sized form right here!
You can show off just how well you know your favorite books and authors. If you're the competitive type, you can even compare your scores to friends and other members. Can't find a quiz about a book or author? You can create one yourself and invite friends to take it.
Some of our more popular quizzes:
posted by Louise on January, 05
If you're afraid to click on the Never-Ending Book Quiz because it's so hard to stop playing, now we have quizzes in bite-sized form right here!
You can show off just how well you know your favorite books and authors. If you're the competitive type, you can even compare your scores to friends and other members. Can't find a quiz about a book or author? You can create one yourself and invite friends to take it.
Some of our more popular quizzes:
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide Quiz -- be careful, this one is HARD ;)
Goodreads Choice Awards - polls now closed
posted by Jessica on January, 01
Thanks to everyone who voted in our inaugural Goodreads Choice Awards. The polls are now closed. Winners will be announced in the January 2010 newsletter. Stay tuned!
posted by Jessica on January, 01
Thanks to everyone who voted in our inaugural Goodreads Choice Awards. The polls are now closed. Winners will be announced in the January 2010 newsletter. Stay tuned!
Last Chance to Vote in the 2009 Goodreads Choice Awards!
posted by Jessica on December, 29
Vote now in all categories! »
The end is nigh! As we say goodbye to 2009, remember that you have only a few more days to vote in the Goodreads Choice Awards! Polls close at 11:59 PM (PST). Vote for your All-Time Favorite book of 2009, and also vote for your favorites in Fiction, Nonfiction, Mystery-Thriller, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, Graphic Novels, Young Adult Fiction, Young Adult Series, Children's Books, and Picture Books.
Most categories are still too close to call, with books neck and neck in the vote tallies! There is still time for a late-breaking winner to take control of any race. We'll announce the winners in January. Celebrating reading is the best way to ring in 2010!
Vote now! »
posted by Jessica on December, 29
Vote now in all categories! »
The end is nigh! As we say goodbye to 2009, remember that you have only a few more days to vote in the Goodreads Choice Awards! Polls close at 11:59 PM (PST). Vote for your All-Time Favorite book of 2009, and also vote for your favorites in Fiction, Nonfiction, Mystery-Thriller, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, Graphic Novels, Young Adult Fiction, Young Adult Series, Children's Books, and Picture Books.
Most categories are still too close to call, with books neck and neck in the vote tallies! There is still time for a late-breaking winner to take control of any race. We'll announce the winners in January. Celebrating reading is the best way to ring in 2010!
Vote now! »
Ways of Reading
posted by Ken-ichi on December, 28
Just came across these brief and beautiful pieces of advice on reading: Ways of Reading, from a working library, itself a charming set of contemplations on a life of letters. My favorites:
and
posted by Ken-ichi on December, 28
Just came across these brief and beautiful pieces of advice on reading: Ways of Reading, from a working library, itself a charming set of contemplations on a life of letters. My favorites:
Reading must occur everyday, but it is not just any daily reading that will do. The day’s reading must include at minimum a few lines whose principle intent is to be beautiful—words composed as much for the sake of their composition as for the meaning they convey.
and
Every book alights a path to other books. Follow these paths as far as you can. This is how you build a library.
Happy Holidays / Site issues
posted by MICHAEL on December, 23
Currently a large portion of the internet is having dns issues (amazon.com, salesforce.com, imdb, netflix, walmart).
While it appears our servers are ok, we host a lot of images on amazon's S3 service, so a lot of those aren't loading. Also doing a search on goodreads using amazon will not work.
Theres nothing at we (the goodreads team) can do at this point, but I'll continue to monitor the situation.
Have a great holiday everyone!
Update, seems to be resolved now.
posted by MICHAEL on December, 23
Currently a large portion of the internet is having dns issues (amazon.com, salesforce.com, imdb, netflix, walmart).
While it appears our servers are ok, we host a lot of images on amazon's S3 service, so a lot of those aren't loading. Also doing a search on goodreads using amazon will not work.
Theres nothing at we (the goodreads team) can do at this point, but I'll continue to monitor the situation.
Have a great holiday everyone!
Update, seems to be resolved now.
Vote for your favorite books of 2009 in the first ever Goodreads Choice Awards!
posted by Jessica on December, 16
Vote now in all categories! »
Every year newspapers, magazines, blogs, and media outlets around the
world bombard us with "best of" lists. At Goodreads, it's all about
you, the reader, so instead of having our editors pick the best books
of 2009, we've created the first ever Goodreads Choice Awards! Using statistics from the site to select books in multiple genres, we compiled polls in Fiction, Nonfiction, Mystery-Thriller, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, Graphic Novels, Young Adult Fiction, Young Adult Series, Children's Books, and Picture Books. We also created an All-Time Favorite poll based on the top 10 most popular books (most shelved) on Goodreads in 2009.
Help us choose the five-star books of 2009! Support your favorite books and authors by voting. A total of 32 Goodreads Authors are up for awards this year (including Audrey Niffenegger for Her Fearful Symmetry, Kathryn Stockett for The Help, Dave Cullen for Columbine, and Alyson Noel for Evermore), so be sure to show them some love.
More than 20,000 votes have already been cast. Voting remains open until the end of the year. We'll announce the winners of the inaugural Goodreads Choice Awards in January.
Vote now! »
posted by Jessica on December, 16
Vote now in all categories! »
Every year newspapers, magazines, blogs, and media outlets around the
world bombard us with "best of" lists. At Goodreads, it's all about
you, the reader, so instead of having our editors pick the best books
of 2009, we've created the first ever Goodreads Choice Awards! Using statistics from the site to select books in multiple genres, we compiled polls in Fiction, Nonfiction, Mystery-Thriller, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, Graphic Novels, Young Adult Fiction, Young Adult Series, Children's Books, and Picture Books. We also created an All-Time Favorite poll based on the top 10 most popular books (most shelved) on Goodreads in 2009.
Help us choose the five-star books of 2009! Support your favorite books and authors by voting. A total of 32 Goodreads Authors are up for awards this year (including Audrey Niffenegger for Her Fearful Symmetry, Kathryn Stockett for The Help, Dave Cullen for Columbine, and Alyson Noel for Evermore), so be sure to show them some love.
More than 20,000 votes have already been cast. Voting remains open until the end of the year. We'll announce the winners of the inaugural Goodreads Choice Awards in January.
Vote now! »
