Has Goodreads made you a better reader?

[Cheryl]

I'm sorry to hear you've had so much bad luck, MrsJoseph. There are a lot of tempting new titles out there that are actually not worth our time, I agree.

Maybe I'm lucky that I still rely mostly on traditionally pub. books in paper from libraries, and so escape much of the chaff?

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*]

Cheryl wrote: "I'm sorry to hear you've had so much bad luck, MrsJoseph. There are a lot of tempting new titles out there that are actually not worth our time, I agree.

Maybe I'm lucky that I still rely mostly o..."

That's part of it.

I'm gonna say something that's a little bougie but...
...GRs determination to force everyone to crowdsource genres and the like...

I honestly think that - even with all my complaints - that this is where a lot of us go wrong. I have picked up some horrible, terrible WTF am I reading books. And they will be highly recommended and the review pages are filled with squee and I SWEAR I lose brain cells just trying to get through chapter 1.

I was supposed to read a book where the fucking MC is named - and I kid you not - Celestia Rainbow. FML. I couldn't do it. The series - of which there are 5 books - is highly rated in the subgenre but DT for Damn That! The book is in 1st and the MC says things like "little ol me."

[Leticia]

I think so as it brought me back to books after a decade of not very intense reading, where I was fine with following a handful of series I liked and not much more. Nowadays I can say that I spend almost my whole online time on Goodreads or Youtube picking on book recommendations, reviewing books or participating on readathons/reading challenges. I exchanged playing videogames with reading, since kids took over the time and the consoles LOL.

[CBRetriever]

I've learned to love the Look Inside feature and the free Samples of books on Amazon as those have saved me from some terrible books.

Plus I'm picky. In the "old days" I could walk into a book store and come out with nothing. Nowadays, since there are more books available I'm finding books to read.

Reviews, whether on Goodreads, Amazon or other sites, don't sway me much especially since there are people churning them out at the rate of 10 or more per day. Quotes from other authors are another thing I don't trust as those are quite often tit for tat deals. I had a friend who was an author and she'd have me read books for her and give her a couple of points she could use in reviews.

[Don]

it's a great resource

[Leticia]

CBRetriever wrote: " she'd have me read books for her and give her a couple of points she could use in reviews"

Oh, that would be comfy, having a kind of review house elf LOL But joke aside, I also don't trust all online reviews so quickly, I have already bought books only due to hype and found out they were not for me. Reading a sample is a good idea, because you will usually know after thirty pages if you want to pick up a book or DNF it.
With me it's often that the more people talk about how a book if the best thing ever, and the more an author is celebrated, the less I end up liking it. Exceptions happen of course and then I recommend a book I like to someone else only to have that person telling me they didn't like my recommendation at all. So, I am no mainstream reviewer.

[Cheryl]

I need to remember to read samples more often. I think they're less avl. on the books that I normally consider though... have to check at least....

Yeah, I don't trust random reviews for sure. But people who I have experience with, who I know whether we have compatible taste, sure, I'll weight their opinions.

Ack syntax. Sorry. Busy morning brain fried.

[Silvana]

I honestly could not remember whether I have posted here or not but my answer at this point of time is yes.

Because of the groups I am in, I feel have more awareness in terms of diversity and content. Not just fiction but also nonfiction. As a woman and a POC, being exposed to more relatable stuff really helps.

Furthermore, I made peace with my own (sometimes moody) reading behavior. I learned that DNFing a book is totally okay and I could stop torturing myself and move on.

[Gabi]

Allison wrote: "I'm more concerned about hurting people's feelings when I don't like something they like.

Definitely! I became a more cautious reader because of that. I sneak out of discussions when I realise that my opinion is contrary to those of others.

Other than that GR made me at least try to formulate my feelings about books. I was a much more secluded reader before.

[Jemppu]

Gabi wrote: "I became a more cautious reader because of that. I sneak out of discussions when I realise that my opinion is contrary to those of others.

Other than that GR made me at least try to formulate my feelings about books. I was a much more secluded reader before...."

Definitely. Both of these.

Though I personally still struggle with 'committing' to a final verdict on many a book, regardless if I really like them (when I tend to feel unable/overwhelmed to form the thoughts they'd deserve, leaving the task for other, 'more focused time'), or find myself indifferent and/or just have nothing to say or anything new to add (I've yet to find the capacity or have the energy to 'hate' a book).

On the whole: GR has *made* me a reader. My reading before it limited to news feeds and graphic novels and various non-fiction publications.

[Cheryl]

Oh Silvana, heartwarmingly put, ty.

Gabi, contrary opinions are fine! So long as you're not rude about it, plz keep discussing... you're unlikely to be the only one with a negative opinion....

[Anna]

Cheryl wrote: "Gabi, contrary opinions are fine! So long as you're not rude about it, plz keep discussing... you're unlikely to be the only one with a negative opinion...."

Yes, a lot of times there are several people just waiting for someone to open the floor to not loving the thing everyone is raving about. And vice versa.

[Beth]

Anna wrote: "Yes, a lot of times there are several people just waiting for someone to open the floor to not loving the thing everyone is raving about. And vice versa. "

Agreed with this.

I never put a lot of thought into this, but for an individual person's review, I don't step into their comments just to share that I don't agree with their rating/opinion. The intent in commenting is adding to a conversation they're leading than trying to take it over. (And always let the reviewer have the last word!)

I feel a little freer to be the dissenting voice in a group or buddy read.

And of course getting personal is right out.

[Jim]

Definitely. Not only do all the great conversations make me think about the books in different ways, but I'd never even think of reading some of them without the recommendations of GR friends & groups. Knowing what I've read or tried through my reviews means I don't waste time starting to reread a book that I didn't like. (It happens as you get older. So many books & some just blur into genre-typical after a few years.)

I'm also more aware of what I'm reading. I noticed I wasn't reading much nonfiction, so tried to add a bit more to my diet. Lately I've been reading as much nonfiction as fiction for the first time in my life. Of course, as Blake Crouch recently pointed out, much of our science today was the SF of yesterday & SF has always held a particular fascination for me. I'm continually amazed by what we've found out recently. In many cases, it's better than an SF novel. A recent example is Wild Sex: The Science Behind Mating in the Animal Kingdom. I gave it a 5 star review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Dawn F]

Oh yes, it definitely did. After years of buying books and maybe reading one a year and spending the rest of my time reading fanfiction, GR has helped me organize and discipline my reading a *lot*. Three years ago I’d never have been able to read 150 books in a year, but being able to track, schedule and getting and giving encouragement has been a huge help for me personally, to the point where I barely want to do anything else than read :D

I don’t always participate in discussions, mostly because I’m always using the phone app and it’s really a hassle to do from there, but also because years ago I used to be on fora and discussion boards for tv shows and it was madly time consuming and tbh I could use those three hours I’d spend replying to stuff on just *reading*. I do keep an eye on debates, though, because it’s always interesting to see what people have to say. I usually express my opinions in status updates or a review, if I feel I have something to contribute with (I don’t always).

GR and especially joining a group has also helped me expand my horizon and discover niches within genres I wouldn’t normally look towards, so I am now branching out and able to be be much more specific in what I like within the genre fiction I usually read.

[Nicky]

I'm someone to participate in group discussions - I'm quite picky and most of the time the group books aren't too promising in my opinion. Plus, my reading rate has declined over the months so it's quite the challenge to keep up with the group. And I don't wish reading to become a chore.

I do, however, search for book recommendations through GR. I've always read thrillers but they've become quite boring and I wanted to read something fresh and new. So I use the website for searching a genre's databases and pick some books I might enjoy. I also use GR to write reviews and rate books, and keep track of what I've read and want to read.

It's made me think more in depth about a book and I've discovered I find character development throughout a story quite important. It's that reason that I find some books not living up to my expectations. And my favourite author is no longer my favourite author, because her characters barely develop.

[Cheryl]

So, do you have a new favorite author? :)

[Nicky]

Cheryl wrote: "So, do you have a new favorite author? :)"
Not yet, but I like The Passage by Justin Cronin. :) I'm still searching for what sci fi subgenres I like most, and thus what authors I like.

[Chloe]

It's brought me back to reading. The reading challenge, the logging and stats, all of those things have motivated me to pick up books again, and I've discovered some fantastic books thanks to the site. Now i just need to read them all!

[Cheryl]

That's a never-ending challenge.... ;)

[Tyler_zakiyareadsbooks_]

I do believe it has. Because I'm always busy and my attention span and focus can vary greatly sometimes, it has taught me discipline.

It has allowed me to track my books, my progress, express my opinions in a free and open space. It has allowed me to discover new books that I love and for someone who had difficulty reading in my childhood, it has made me an evermore enthusiastic reader.

Although, I am struggling atm because I have soo many good books on my 'to-read' list but soo little time.

I still have periods of inactive due to assignments and health, but I will always return to it once I am able to.

I hope to participate more in group threads and activities for this year and the next.

[Gabi]

Ty wrote: "I do believe it has. Because I'm always busy and my attention span and focus can vary greatly sometimes, it has taught me discipline.
..."

This was an important point for me as well. I tend to race through books when I like them - and I tend to forget details as soon as I finish the last page. So doing Buddy Reads on GR helped a lot in letting me pause and at least trying to formulate my feelings while reading.

[Herrholz]

Yes. I have started looking at other peoples' bookshelves for what to read. Works for me.

[P.L.]

Goodreads has certainly made me a better reader. Just helping me to organize books that I'd like to read in the future has been a Godsend. Seeing people's recommendations is extremely helpful, and the best thing I like is how it can help tailor your searches to what you are fairly confident you would like to read. Love the groups, and ability to connect with other readers and authors, so I can see what they like to read, and possibly give their personal favs a read too. So grateful I got into Goodreads!

[Cheryl]

This is such a great thread... so many reasons to be grateful to GR, despite its imperfections.

[Alexandra]

I've always been a reader and a writer, but Goodreads has helped me develop those skills even further. Goodreads has pushed me to read regularly and to keep up with my goals, which in turn has helped me in my writing career because exposing myself to different genres and authors allows me to continuously refine my writing.

[Anna]

Reminder that all author talk needs to stay in the Authors' folder :)

[Marc]

Anna wrote: "Reminder that all author talk needs to stay in the Authors' folder :)"

"Back! Back, foul creature! Bring not your contagion into the house of Licus!"
"Oh, the poor creature. Just jab him back into his den of ill-health."