Are you always on the hunt for your next must-read? Does perusing the bookstore shelves or the latest book review have you digging in your purse for a pen? This was a problem I often encountered. I couldn’t remember everything I wanted to read. It was a years long dilemma.
My affinity for books had begun at an early age. It started innocently enough, a Nancy Drew here, some Ramona Quimby there, and soon enough I was hooked. In school I plowed through summer reading lists and happily read for extra credit. Being a Creative Writing major and English minor only increased my fascination with the written word. Since becoming homeowners last winter I have been bugging my husband with requests for built-in bookshelves to hold my many volumes. He, however, would much rather have me sell my books than have them take up valuable wall space. It seems he is not alone in this sentiment.
Many people I know do not take the time to sit and read a novel anymore. It is as if any material that cannot be read in a matter of minutes is too antiquated in a world of tweets and status updates. I was even a victim of this right after graduation. I was burnt out and didn’t want to commit myself to anything exceeding a few pages. Outside of school I also didn’t have an intellectual community in which to find recommendations and share my thoughts, that is, until I found Goodreads.com.
Goodreads, founded in 2007, allows its some 9.5 million users, according to its website, to ” recommend books, compare what they are reading, keep track of what they have read and would like to read, find their next favorite book, form book clubs and much more.” I especially like its Reading Challenge feature. For 2012 I’ve set a goal of completing 25 books. So far I have read nine (it gently reminds me that at the rate I’m going I’m 17% behind).
Now when I see a book I want to read I add it to my profile’s My Books list. No more excuses for losing a post-it with a title or author’s name scrawled across it. I also constantly check out what others are reading. “People are more likely to get excited about a book their friend recommends than a suggestion from a stranger,” states Goodreads’ About page. This is definitely true and I look forward to the emails I receive with updates from those I follow on the site. Goodreads’ incorporation of social media to the book reading experience has brought the pastime of being a bookworm into the 21st century. Whether traditional print or e-readers are your preference, being a reader has never been cooler.
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