Through Goodreads I found my book club which meets once month. We started out as 3 strangers meeting at a Starbucks and reading only chick lit. A little over a year later we now have 7 members who meet at each others homes, and have now ventured into fantasy, Sci Fi, and mysteries. We range from a senior in high school to 30 year olds with kids. Thank you Goodreads for helping me find the friends that I couldn't live with out, and for helping me find books that I wouldn't want to live with out.

I thought it was funny, but wrong. I would never make fun of my friends for ordering a cheeseburger in a 5 star French resturant, so why would I make fun of them for reading. At least they turned the TV off!

I liked it, too, but I had to post something positive defending Goodreads, too! :)

That was funny, lol, thanks for sharing!

I came across this blog post a few weeks ago:

Good Reads, Bad Blood: Why goodreads.com is so bad for me.

It's the exact opposite of a success story, but I thought it was funny.

Goodreads has encourgaged me to read more often, expanded the type of genres I am interested in and supplied me with so many friends from all over the world.

I have always wanted to join a bookclub, but I work 2 jobs and have an 8 year old living at home with me. My time is very limited and I could not make regularly scheduled meetings. Goodreads has given me this opportunity, I can read the books that my group does and then post on my time. Even if I review a book at 3:00am I know that people are reading what I have written.

Thank you Goodreads!

I love this thread! Thanks for sharing, everyone.

It sounds interesting, Madison. I'm going to request it, too.

Catherine wrote: "I think it's wonderful how many different needs this site fulfills. Not being an author myself, I've been only vaguely aware of the ways the community services authors. It's great to see talent bei..."

Thank you Catherine. I am honored.

I think it's wonderful how many different needs this site fulfills. Not being an author myself, I've been only vaguely aware of the ways the community services authors. It's great to see talent being encouraged and supported here.

Madison - your book sounds very interesting. I am requesting my library purchase it.

The Poisoned Apple

Bookreads has given one American school teacher the opportunity to really feel like an author. In days I have been able to connect my book to an audience that appreciates my efforts to improve education in our country. The greatest compliment I can pay is that I now spend more time on Goodreads than Facebook or Twitter! The community of authors is amazing and people genuinely want to support one another. It has become a refuge from the sometimes cold publishing world. My sales and fan base are increasing daily, but more importantly, I am getting out a much needed message through groups and blogs. A special thanks for the individuals who provide this site for us daily.

Hello,
I just wanted to let you know about my experience and how Goodreads is allowing me to let others know about the book, "My Miracle" which is about a traumatic brain injury and learning life. I thank Goodreads for allowing me to opportunity.
Rodney

I'm thrilled for you, Kelly! I have health problems too, and I really have to thank my library system and GoodReads (and my dogs) for keeping me sane. Literally! Isolation can be so tough, but good books, interesting recommendations and the occasional great connection are invaluable. Thanks guys and continued good luck, Kelly :)

Thanks for the hugs, Rivka. Thank you, Otis. You've created a great thing here.

That was a beautiful story Kelly - thank you so much for sharing it!

Thanks Sandi and BunWat. You are two of the very people I'm talking about. Thank you!

Agreed. Very glad to hear that Goodreads is helping you connect, and also glad to have your participation and contributions. You are respected and liked.

Thank you for sharing that, Kelly.

Thank you, Dottie!

Count me as one who finds this truly wonderful news. I have had a couple of severe depressions over the years -- and I know how difficult it is to pull oneself up and back over the edge of that abyss and into the world again. So glad you came to Goodreads -- and books and talking about them is a grand way to connect with the world in general in my opinion.

I think that GoodReads literally saved my life.

I suffer from clinical depression which is usually controlled with medication and a positive attitude. However, a series of Really Bad Things happened to me and I had turned so inward I had disconnected from all of my friends and rarely left the house. I had developed social anxiety disorder which I had never had before.

I started to use GoodReads as a way to keep track of my books. I posted in a couple of groups but my heart wasn't really in it. Then someone befriended me and we chatted a bit. She invited me to a private group with a small group of people with similar interests. I began posting there and soon was spending more time on GoodReads then I was reading.

My social life online quickly snowballed to the point where I now have a bunch of friends I genuinely like and talk to regularly in several groups I've been invited to. As I gained positive feedback from these people who so recently were total strangers, I began to feel better about myself. I began reaching out to friends I had disconnected with and going to social events. A private writing group invited me to join and I began writing again, something I haven't done in years.

I now don't spend nearly as much time on GoodReads but I do manage to keep up with the friends I have made and the conversations I'm part of. I still spend a significant amount of time here where I always feel welcome, respected and liked.

I credit GoodReads for pulling me out of my downward spiral and setting me back towards life again. I do believe that the people on this site stopped me from what inevitably would have been complete separation from the human race, very possibly even suicide. I cannot thank you enough for giving me my life back.

Because of GoodReads, I've become best friends and penpals with a wonderous person! A couple days ago, we used the Skype application and we finally got to verbally speak and see one another. And for that, I thank you all!

good reads is an amazing site. I've used it to find books in the categories I love, and even books in other categories that I thought I would never read.
The site just has so much on it, it is a great resource, and a great place to talk to people who are interested in the same types of things.

I keep adding more and more to my "to read" than I ever have before, and I don't know if I can catch up to actually buy all the books I want to read...think its time for a library card...

I had always wanted to read more, but with my OCD the way it is, I never knew how to organize what I wanted. I knew I liked Philip K Dick, Chuck Palahniuk, Jonathan Lethem, and a few random selections here and there, but I never knew of a resource specifically for books. I used to find the books that I like by just going to a Barnes & Noble, and perusing the SF section reading the first few pages of everything that looked interesting until I found something. I would spend sometimes hours in there and never find anything that hit me at which point I would just default to a PKD novel (which is why Ive read 28 of them).

I really got tired of doing that so I kept looking for a site online that was the book equivalent to imdb.com or discogs.com and I found a few, but the set ups were all wonky, there was virtually no activity, and there was tons and tons of stuff that just wasnt in there. It was just by a fluke that I discovered fantasticfiction.co.uk which is a wonderful resource and then, shortly after that, goodreads.

Like one poster said (Lisa I believe), I now spend more time on this site than I actually do reading. For example, I just bought 14 books the other night and Ive 10 home from the library and an ILL waiting for me to pick up...and here I am typing away LOL.

I've been a Goodreads member since January, thanks to my friend Dave.

Goodreads is like one-stop shopping. Just one site to catalog books, read interesting and informative reviews, chat with friends, discover new authors, and be part of a worldwide community who loves books just as much as I do!

I've always wanted to be a librarian, but sadly lack the education. Now I have a rewarding volunteer job as a Goodreads Librarian! Seeing my name every week prominently displayed among the top librarians is almost as much fun as getting a paycheck!

Goodreads is Facebook for books, lol. Goodreads... bringing books into the 21st century, lol. That could be a slogan, but seriously, in my view, literature can benefit from technology as much as any other industry and at the same time stay forever permanent in print.

Also, not to steer the discussion of course again or anything, but imo, if you're only interested in ebooks, there's no need to spring for a costly Kindle when you can just upload your books to your iPod.

And for a different sort of success, I was just looking at Top Shelves and 'Read' is incredibly close to the one million mark. Will there be some sort of announcement when that happens? Will there be a record of the actual book?

I've noticed that, too, Kristen. I used to like to read a classic that I hadn't read before every once in a while - but probably not even one a year. Now I can see what classics everyone else has read that I've missed, and I feel compelled to read them! Or at least have them on my to-read list so I will eventually get to them. :) For example, before joining Goodreads, I didn't realize that I'm the only one in the whole world who hasn't yet read To Kill a Mockingbird!

The reporter no longer cares, but I'm compelled to mention this anyway. I've noticed that since joining GoodReads, I've finally started reading all those 'classics' that I never got around to. It wasn't a conscious decision but has just sort of been happening. I pretty much only read new stuff before. I guess I'm reading them now because it no longer feels like it's being done in a void. I have both a record for myself and an opportunity to trade feedback with others. It's pretty neat.

Put it this way: I've always felt like an absolute nerd because I read so much compared to my friends ... then I read what Virginia Woolf did (no TV, so free time was taken up by reading alone) and thought that I'm OK - she became a famous writer, so why should I feel ashamed of my reading (and book-buying) habits? Somehow this site just allows me to "live" what I am, as opposed to staying in bed depressed by all the snubs I get for my "nerdishness". GR is really just doing what Woolf lived years ago. I applaud that.

The Kindle has bigger screen and is supposedly more "read friendly" than my Palm. (Not that I've ever had any problem reading on my Palm.) But the Palm is definitely cheaper ($200-250) and it does dozens of other things, like organizing my contacts and to-do lists, playing games, playing music, etc. And while the Kindle does have a wider selection of ebooks available, there are more than enough available for my Palm to keep me happy! I like the MobiReader software, which Tor is currently distributing free together with their free-ebook-a-week offer.

Well, color me surprised! I'd tried unsuccessfully to replace mine after it died, and no one seemed to be able to sell me something that wasn't a phone, too.

I'll join you in bringing this back to books - sounds like your Palm has become a cheaper version of that Kindle Amazon keeps pushing! I think last time I checked, it was $400 with books at $20 each...yow, when I compare that to my free public library. I'd be interested to find out if any GRers have used it and what they thought. (Future success story - GR prevented me from spending money when I didn't need to!)

Most of them were free, too. :D

my Palm has about 30 ebooks on it right now

I might be able to be won over to ebooks. They'd be so handy for when I'm out and about.

There are three current subcategories of Palms. Treos and similar smartphones are only one of the three. I have one from the T-series, and my teenage daughter has one of the (cheaper, less powerful) Z-series.

And to neatly bring this back to books, my Palm has about 30 ebooks on it right now. My daughter's has two (which is less an issue of its lesser capacity, and more an issue of the only ones she gets, I have read and approved first).

Aren't the newer ones in the guises of Trios and other phone/email/organization tools?

Palms are hardly obsolete. You just need to get a newer one. ;)

Thanks to Goodreads, I've actually been able to keep track of my to-reads.

Once upon a time, I had a to-read list rivaling my GR one in my Palm Pilot (talk about an obsolete machine!). My Palm died, but luckily I still had the software on my computer that it synched with. Not as easy to take to the library/bookstore with me, but at least the list was preserved.

And then my hard drive died. And my backup software did not exactly do what it said it did (if only I'd kept it in a .doc file instead).

Today I have a much better backup program, but more importantly, GR stores it all for me! And I can just click each book to see a synopsis instead of searching Amazon and Wikipedia every time I wanted to decide which book to read next.

The scary thing is, hardly any of the books on my GR to-read list are the same ones that were on my Palm list. It boggles my mind that there are just THAT many books out there I want to read. I wish I could remember even a few that were on the Palm.

Thanks to Goodreads, I've actually been able to keep track of my to-reads. If I didn't have this, I would've never read one of my favorite series of all time because I would've forgotten to read it!

Thanks to Goodreads, I can see what others my peers are reading, have connected with new friends, and on the whole totally love it. I've discovered several new favorites through this site. Also, I love how we can put up our own stories, and get feedback. Goodreads forever!

Thanks to Good Reads I am able to connect with the age group that my book is intended for. YA/Fiction. This site is the best site to promote your literary artistic talent!!! 5 stars to Good Reads!!!

I've joined a book club with good monthly discussions. Now I enjoy reading books I don't like and learn what I think about them.

I grew up as a reader when I was a child and read countless books most of which while I remember reading I don't really remember what the book was about. Through the forced reading and homework of highschool and college I dropped the habit. Now that I am working fulltime I really wanted to try and pick the habit back up. The only problem I had was trying to figure out which books to read without just picking off the best sellers lists. That's when I found this website and have been able to read some great books that I would've otherwise probably not read. I've also been able to find those classics that somehow I skipped over reading in highschool and am getting to go back and read those as well.

For me the angle would be the speedy memory trip into what you once have read and what the books where all about. Faster than finding it on your own bookshelves. Great database, but also a place for those that need to vent their feelings for what they read and get some kind of closure.

A great place to search, compare and eventually find new books to read. Since I joined no books have come in under 3 stars for me.

Goodreads - makes solitary reading no longer.

I was invited to join Goodreads as part of a book group that friends had started. Little did I know how much more fun there was to be found and how useful it was in keeping a log of books I have read and those that I want to read. As a dedicated reader of book reviews ( I look forward to Sundays every week for the NYT)I was always clipping out reviews of books I was interested in or writing the names on random pieces of paper which got lost along the way. Now I can add them to my book shelf AND read the reviews of other Goodread members for a more varied assesment of a given book. I love the various group discussions and am thrilled to find that there are so many other bibliophile's out there!!

Joining Goodreads was like entering my second home (first will always be my family).

And who is responsible for this:

AIDAN MOHER and his blog entry from 23rd of April 2008.

http://aidanmoher.com/blog/?m=200804

I signed in on 27th of April and.....WOW...What a wonderful world.

On first of May I received my first friends request
from Inara. I felt like a teenager!
And the result: Great minds think alike.

This was the beginning. So many interesting people
with sometimes unbelievable bookshelfes.
My to-read list is growing like skyscraper.

In real world a lot of people smile about me because I'm bibliophile but in Goordreads I'm surrounded by bibliophiles......IT IS NORMAL

I still discover GR. So many interesting things...
In the meantime I'm member of Goodreads Librarians and Goodreads Feedback.

Members of these teams do a lot of work in the background which I appreciate.

So if you want to know why GR is such a good place
you have to
put together all comments which have been posted here
add all existing friend details
AND THAT'S IT

I was invited to this group by a seller that I had bought some books from on ebay. I joined in March and it's fantastic, I get to talk about one of my favourite things in the whole world READING!!!!!

Their are some really cool people on the site and i've found some new authors :D

I, am a Goodreads addict.

I have made a good close friend over Goodreads, and are making more. I love the groups, which are quirky and interesting. And having a to-reads shelf really has helped me to decide which book I want to read next.

Over on Amazon.com, they have discussion forums that a) are not searchable and b) do not allow you to communicate privately with other users.

There are 20+ Amazon Romance Forum participants who are now Goodreads members. We all got on each other's buddy lists on paperbackswap.com but then found we were constantly trying to keep one another up-to-date on what we were reading.

Soooo, we all joined Goodreads. Now we send one another private messages, keep track of one another's bookshelves and we've got our own 'library' going, lending books amongst our friends. We've got friends here in the U.S., but we've also got friends in Canada, Germany, New Caledonia, and New Zealand.

I've never been much of a joiner and would probably not be inclined to sign up for a reading group (it seems I'm never reading what everyone else is reading). But here on GR, I keep in touch with 20 readers who enjoy the same genre, recommend several and send a few good books to me, and cause my wishlist to grow exponentially!

My reading buddy lives 1378 miles away and we're as close as we can be!

Thank you for creating an awesome resource for readers!

Colleen