All About Books discussion
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Has Goodreads changed the way you read?
The Bingo that this group has going on changed my reading habits while I was participating in it. Books that would have languished at the bottom of my TBR pile got read, so I consider it a good thing. Also in this group, the Joyce/Ulysses discussion also moved up my timetable for reading that particular work.
And once more in this group, I'll be reading Pride and Prejudice sooner rather than later, and I'll be reading the collected Wizard of Oz stories. Once again, books I already have, but they get bumped up in the reading queue.
That said, I tend to use GR as a way to log/track what I've read, rather than finding new things to read. That may change as I've been thinking about giving the GR shelf recommendations a go.
Tom, I started out using GR to log/track my reading, and my use has grown and changed over time.
The other thing I did was start a 2015 challenge thread to monitor what I read during the year. I give a brief analysis of the month and name my favorite book each month.
The other thing I did was start a 2015 challenge thread to monitor what I read during the year. I give a brief analysis of the month and name my favorite book each month.
No, GR has not changed the books I choose to read, BUT I love how it lets you share ideas about books with other people. Before it was not so easy to find people interested in a particular book. It is also much easier finding books on a given topic.
Tom wrote: "The Bingo that this group has going on changed my reading habits while I was participating in it. Books that would have languished at the bottom of my TBR pile got read, so I consider it a good thi..."I don't doubt my usage will change over time too. I just haven't made it past the elementary logging stage (yet).
My adventure with GoodReads started out as a way of keeping track of the books I read. I was already using another such website before (Anobii), but wasn't satisfied with it and decided to give GR a go. It was not until the end of 2013 that I started to fully appreciate the many features GR has. This has certainly led to a different way of reading, and a wider variety in books read. I started jumping in challenges and that helped me get outside of my comfort zone, reading a book because it was recommended to me or because it fit the challenge. I started reading more, and I started widening my reading horizons. It was also a good way to bite off my TBR pile, picking books for group reads and challenges that had been waiting on my shelves for far too long.
I joined Goodreads in 2010 and used it as a way of tracking my reading . It wasn't until May , 2013 that I became an active participant when I joined groups and began making friends. At that time I started writing reviews so it changed how I read in that I started to highlight passages and quotes that i liked and take notes to help me with my reviews. I have always been interested in new releases and new authors and seeing what Diane S. And Terri read has increased my awareness of new books as they tend to read a lot of those . I was also introduced to NetGalley in 2014 and Edelweiss in 2015 by friends here which has definitely changed my habits in that I read a lot of advance copies .
Like Tom , I may not have tackled Ulysses even though I kept saying I would if it wasn't for Petra , Gill , Evelyn and others .
Goodreads has broadened my reading by introducing me to new authors and genres including classics I would not have managed to read! I also read many more books than before I discovered the site and this group. I have also expanded my poetry reading
I used to read above all classics and thanks to GR I started reading also other genres. I've made some good group reads and found a lot of new authors I liked. So I expanded my reading horizons.Thanks to GR I started again to read in other languages and I'm very glad for this because this helped a lot to don't forget the languages I know. Thanks to this I've bought a kindle so reading in a foreign language is now easier and also cheap.
Mod
Goodreads has been solely responsible for my to read list!! Before Goodreads, I didn't really have one (only in my head) and the number of actual books I own both on kindle and physical books has increased enormously! I have been introduced to new authors and genres and read so many excellent books over the last few years, but I think it's more specifically down to the members of this group, rather than Goodreads, although I guess this group wouldn't have existed without GR. I've read books recommended by members of AAB that I would never have picked up, so thanks to all of you for introducing them to me!
Shirley, I've had the same experience. GR in general and AAB in particular have introduced me to some great reads, things I don't think I would have found on my own.
I think our international community is great! I admire all of you for whom English is a second language.
I think our international community is great! I admire all of you for whom English is a second language.
I started using GR in 2009, as I wanted to discover books online rather than to always browse bookstores.I love how GR made sure that I read only the books I really thought had a chance of me loving them. Before that, I had always read books that I picked up in bookstores, where I mainly relied on the content description and, of course, the cover. Now, I base my reading choice on reviews 80% and description 20%. I also follow reviewers whose reading preferences I share - that way, I discovered a lot of my now favorite books.
Since using GR in earnest, the quality of my reading has increased a lot. I hardly ever read shitty books anymore, and if I do, I mostly have an inkling beforehand that I might not like the book but decided to read it anyway and take a risk.
Finally, I love reading indie books, and finding them in bookstores is mostly impossible. I also browse amazon for new releases in that category from time to time, or use listopia. Indie books, I think, really profit from GR and amazon.
Mod
I think our international comm..."
Agreed, I've barely mastered English as a first language.
Angela M wrote: "I joined Goodreads in 2010 and used it as a way of tracking my reading . It wasn't until May , 2013 that I became an active participant when I joined groups and began making friends. At that time I..."Ulysses creeps in everywhere! I think maybe it's in my genes now!
Heather wrote: "Goodreads has broadened my reading by introducing me to new authors and genres including classics I would not have managed to read! I also read many more books than before I discovered the site and..."I stumbled onto GoodReads through a friend's Facebook post in 2012. Before that, I had been oblivious to online book sites. I was in a bit of a rut with my reading -- I was still reading more than most of my real-life friends but almost all mysteries. So I hoped GR would help me expand my horizons & also reconnect to some types of books I hadn't read for a long while (such as classics) which it certainly did!
But what I didn't anticipate was the way it got me reading multiple books at a time! I had just started listening to audiobooks also in 2012 so that played a role. Mostly though, this change is because GR members encouraged me to read more poetry and short stories (both of which lend themselves to reading in small chunks along with a novel) and trying more nonfiction.
Since joining Goodreads in February 2014 and AAB a couple of months later, I've discovered a whole new world about books and reading. The exposure to different authors, different genres of books and members' reviews and comments, those that I would never have otherwise been exposed to, has been quite a mind-boggling experience for me! None of my real-life friends has much interest in reading, and I thus find that friends I've been fortunate and honored to make here are a great help and inspiration to me, to say the least! It never occurred to me, before joining, that I could have an ever-expanding to-read list. Now, thanks to you all, I do, although my main focus still remains on classics.English is my second language and French a distant third. One of the windfall benefits of being a GR and AAB member is that I can keep improving and expanding my English vocabulary and brushing up my rusty French (through the poetry and other threads).
Yes Goodreads has changed how I read. Much like Alannah and Shirley have already mentioned above, it's made me aware of books I might not have heard of or picked up otherwise. I also read a lot more than I used to, as I get involved in group reads and buddy reads, so try to fit multiple books in each month. I've also started reading Audiobooks, which I might have been less aware of and I've tackled some daunting books that I'd been avoiding on my own. Ulysses still to come!
Pink wrote: "Yes Goodreads has changed how I read. Much like Alannah and Shirley have already mentioned above, it's made me aware of books I might not have heard of or picked up otherwise. I also read a lot mor..."Toward the part of Pink's post about audiobooks, goodreads is tangentially related to my trying out my first one (Hamlet, Prince of Denmark), which I very much enjoyed.
Has anyone tried any books which goodreads itself has recommended, via shelf recommendations, ads, etc?
Tom wrote: "Has anyone tried any books which goodreads itself has recommended, via shelf recommendations, ads, etc? "No, never, also because they don't send very related recommendations. I prefer to add to my to-read list books recommend by members of the groups with which I have similar tastes.
Tom, I've used the recommendation shelf a fair amount. It's helped me find good titles in areas like short stories and Japanese fiction. You have to look at it with a discriminating eye, however.
I don't think I've ever read anything recommended by GR, as they seem to be either books I've already read (frustrating to get them suggested again) or else they're only loosely related to what I want to read. Much better to get recommendations from real people.
Tom, I haven't tried any books recommended by GR but only because my to-read list became so enormous after I discovered the Guardian's "1000 novels everyone should read" list! My to-read shelf here is mostly books I have come across in discussions or someone has recommended to me personally. I have barely glanced at what the site recommendations are so I have no idea if they would be good or not.
I echo many of the comments above. GR and AAB in particular has injected a new sense of enthusiasm and excitenent into my reading. I love being able to post a comment or review and know that somewhere sometime that might encourage someone else to discover the book, but the members here are so encouraging feedback is sometimes very rapid! I get a real sense of achievement when I see someone has posted a comment or just "liked" a review. Posting reviews encourages me to reflect more on a book I have just read and helps to fix it in my mind. Although I am a voracious reader my memory for detail is poor and the opportunity to read others reviews helps to bring back details too.
I lead a very busy and often complex life where things are often happening on several levels and this can be very tiring and stressful. GR and AAB is a place to relax in and just chat knowing you are among friends.
Anybody who checks out my current reading will know I usually have multiple books on the go many of which languish for a long time half finished. AAB encourages me to get on and finish a book and to share my thoughts on it.
In addition there are a number of great books I have only discovered or read since joining GR and AAB because others are talking about them on here.
Well I will stop waffling now and say THANKYOU ALL
I joined GR to track my books and to get recommendations. I've definitely found books through the recommendations, although I always look at some reviews as well. Pink, if you've already read a book, just mark it as Read and it won't keep coming up as a suggestion. There's also the option to mark Not Interested next to a suggestion. I've been in and out of several groups over the years, mostly because they say they are going to discuss a book I'm interested in, and then they don't really discuss it.
I've also participated in some online author interviews and I can kill a lot of time looking at book lists and quizzes! I've definitely read more since being on GR & tracking my reading, but I wonder how much more I could read if I didn't spend so much time on GR!
Robin wrote: "I wonder how much more I could read if I didn't spend so much time on GR!...":D I wonder about that too -- I suspect we all do!
Mod
:D I wonder about that too -- I suspect we all do!"
Absolutely!!!
Started an audiobook last night. I never would have ventured there if not for GR.
Me too Terri. And to think I (very occasionally) have pockets of valuable 'reading' time for this type of reading. Other times small amounts, but it all adds up.
Leslie wrote: "Robin wrote: "I wonder how much more I could read if I didn't spend so much time on GR!...":D I wonder about that too -- I suspect we all do!"
Yes, but ....... I do think that spending so much time on GR has given me lots of ideas about what books and genres I might like to explore; for me this definitely counterbalances any excess time I spend on GR. I can't really remember how I used to select books before I joined GR 3 years ago. My change in vision about coincided with this, so I don't really know which changes are due to which. I used to browse library shelves a lot before my vision change; so I guess browsing GR is a pretty effective substitute.
I`ve broaden my reading by looking through reviews and l`m dabbing more into other genres than only thrillers and by doing that I`ve discovered amazing books.
Tom wrote: "Has anyone tried any books which goodreads itself has recommended, via shelf recommendations, ads, etc?Yes, I tried a few GR recommendations when I first joined GR (which was only 3 or 4 months ago) and was pleasantly surprised that so many of the books were not recently published, and were unlikely to be included just because the publisher paid GR. A few excellent recommendations.
More recently, as I've joined a few groups, the group members have provide WAY MORE THAN ENOUGH ideas for a set of library size bookshelves.
Yes. - definitely. I now have a huge TBR list (wouldn't have even known what that meant until GR) and I love the tracking system and reviews. I wish I had a log of every book I've ever read, alas it's now only what I can remember. I used to just shop at Barnes & Noble for books to read, now it's what I see online. I'm utilizing the library a lot more too.
Colleen wrote: " I'm utilizing the library a lot more too. ..."Oh, yes! I should have included that too. Although I used the library a lot as a child, I had pretty much stopped using it as an adult. But once I started exploring more genres here, the library was a perfect way to try out something I wasn't sure about. Now I am a regular library patron again :)
Leslie wrote: "Colleen wrote: " I'm utilizing the library a lot more too. ..."Oh, yes! I should have included that too. Although I used the library a lot as a child, I had pretty much stopped using it as an ..."
Actually your post reminded me that (as I don't use the library, preferring ownership of what I read) Kindle sales have been the most influential in changing what I read. Often times I'll buy a book for $0.99 or $1.99 because it looks interesting, and more often than not I tend to like it. War of the Whales: A True Story was just such a purchase, and it is something I would not see myself picking up on my own.
Leslie wrote: "Colleen wrote: " I'm utilizing the library a lot more too. ..."Oh, yes! I should have included that too. Although I used the library a lot as a child, I had pretty much stopped using it as an ..."
Same here, I don't think I'd have returned to the library without GR.
I joined Goodreads in 2012. The main thing that changed after that was that I began to actively search for specific books. Before that I would go into a bookstore, grab anything that looks interesting and just read. No challenges, no ratings, no keeping track. Just reading.The other difference happened once I joined this book club. I began reading with more than one book at a time, and was pleasantly surprised at well I could keep up.
I guess Goodreads also definitely introduced me to new types of books, which turned me into a more rounded reader.
I think it's made me a more voracious reader - I like to compete with my previous years book challenge! And it's also really opened up the selection of books I read thanks to chats and recommendations from friends on here and the occasional arc from an author!
Tom wrote: Has anyone tried any books which goodreads itself has recommended, via shelf recommendations, ads, etc? Yes, the shelf recommendations introduced me to Ragnarok (I'd read another book by AS Byatt, but never heard of this one), and The Willows. I have added some others to my to-read list from the recommendations. I ignore a lot of the recommendations, but there are usually some interesting ones.
I have been using GR for several years as a means to track books and reading, but have only begun using it as a social media site for the last several months. Since then, it has changed the way I have been reading. I love the community feel of the site, and I like many things about the social aspect, but am sometimes feeling caught between reading specific books to fulfill challenges and reading things that I come across spontaneously.So I am going to start the new year following Teri's suggestion:
"So my solution is to plan my reading monthly, but always be open to what the universe is presenting me."
Kerry wrote: "I have been using GR for several years as a means to track books and reading, but have only begun using it as a social media site for the last several months. Since then, it has changed the way I h..."Yes, Terri's idea is really the best way to do it I think!
Mod
Absolutely true!
I don't think GR has changed the way I read really but my reading world has been hugely expanded, thanks mainly by having contact with all you fabulous readers here in AAB.I've been introduced to, and loved novels, non-fiction, poetry and facts which I would probably never have found on my own. Bless every one of you!
I have found many good books on goodreads and the games have help me with English.
Mod
I've been introduced to..."
And this is also absolutely true! Half of the books I'm reading these years have been suggested me by someone in here!
Both my fellow readers and the recommendations and pop-ups have lead me to books and authors I never would have found at my local bookstore. That said, the local stores had tables of books I'd never heard of that were great. There are trade-offs.
Terri wrote: "I've been thinking a lot lately about what I read and how I decide what to read. I've been a member of Goodreads since 03/12, and my reading habits have definitely changed during that time. It's br...":-) Terri ~ I hear you there.
Goodreads has not changed my way of reading too much.
but - Instagram has. and I have been a member on two book-related ezboard forums for many years now.
Instagram has introduced me to buddy reads. and, I have my circle of bookish friends there who share a similar taste in contemporary books.
Goodreads - feels more like, a forum. something chatty. longer exchanges. not only on books. going into detail. but my reading choices are mainly influenced by the two options mentioned before.
Goodreads has changed my way of reading by helping me be a bit more organized especially with keeping track of my series books. Also finding more books to read based on ones I've liked. Within the last year or so I have started participating in team challenges which also helped me to finally pick up books that I had been planning to read for a long time. Seeing what my friends are reading and what's being read for group reads have helped me find books I wouldn't normally read.
I'm so thankful that I discovered Goodreads last October! I loved reading in elementary school but I let that habit languish in middle school. In high school I began again but I didn't know many people who supported that. People don't generally care for doing much reading outside of school.Of course, I found joy in books themselves, but a joy is always compounded when one finds others to share it with. And my reading pattern was, admittedly, floundering from one title to the next, sometimes resulting in me accidentally rereading something from several years back. It was a bit disorganized and random at best. So that's what I used GR for at the start - to catalog what I've read already and mark what I hope to get read in the future. Then that blossomed into discovering many different books, using the recommendations bar. Also, seeing reviews prevents you from potentially wasting your time with something. That's a HUGE plus!
As to GR itself, I really like three features: recommendations, quotes, and seeing reviews. I like to see my thoughts laid out in words because they're always a bit jumbled in my head, so reading and writing reviews really helps me keep a record. Also, I tend to highlight and take notes already, so this helps me produce an "end product", which I find satisfying. I really enjoy liking quotes, and one of the bookmark bars on my Google Chrome links to the "My Quotes" page on the "random order" setting, so it's easy to get motivated (or amused, depending) seeing that. I already touched on recommendations earlier but it's just so much easier to find things you like when things are digitalized.
I haven't started creating multiple bookshelves yet, it seems messy when you make too many. I prefer having things in one place (just one massive TBR list).
Maybe both the blessing and curse of Goodreads is that it tends to reward readers on how many books they read, whether they be long or short, easy or hard. It makes you want to get through a book so you can "check another one off" your list, whether you were fully able to appreciate it or not. It doesn't really reward re-reads either. Ah, well, things can't be perfect.
I didn't realize what a treasure a reading group could be until I joined AAB a month or so ago, and this has made my reading experience of late so much more vivid! You are all such inspiring people. I see people setting 300-book challenges, tackling Ulysses, challenging themselves and others, encouraging others....in short, one of the best forms of social media I have ever seen. When I procrastinate doing homework, GR is one of the first sites I go to, because I'm excited about what you are all up to. Thank you all for making my time here such a great experience!
All About Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Beleuchtete Höhle: Sanatoriumstagebuch (other topics)Ragnarok (other topics)
The Willows (other topics)
War of the Whales: A True Story (other topics)
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (other topics)
Goodreads has helped me plan and really think about my reading--and this is a mixed blessing. I'm introduced to new books almost every day, and I have plans to read more than is reasonable. But I resist planning on some level. I believe my reading is often a matter of synchronicity--books spring up unexpectedly, books lead from one to another through this mystical process. So my solution is to plan my reading monthly, but always be open to what the universe is presenting me.
GR has also changed my reading in that I now take more notes than I previously had, but this is discussed in another thread.