5 ms·

> Goodreads is only good (eh, decent?) as a database of books you've read. All the other functionality is pointless and or broken. Why would you need a service

> Goodreads is only good (eh, decent?) as a database of books you've read. All the other functionality is pointless and or broken. Why would you need a service to keep track on what you read? I have a text file with a list of book and some notes about every book. Works perfectly for me.

Cthulhu_ 3y ago
I mean it's convenient to have quick links to extra resources and the like, but... those are a single search query away anyway, so a text file is fine. I really should start a notes file or spreadsheet to log my collections of things; I'm at a risk to accidentally buy doubles of e.g. video games now with all the cross platform releases and promotions. Play them though? Nah, I got a backlog and I prefer my 10 year old comfort games.
Loughla 3y ago
I'm learning now that this is even something that people keep track of. This next section isn't meant to be shitty: but what's the purpose of even keeping track of that? I've read hundreds, maybe thousands of books over my life and don't have a list of them anywhere, nor can I see a use for that.
- dimaor 3y ago
  personally, having a list of books helps me keep up the reading habit. usually I have months of reading, followed by months of not touching a book. having a list in notion reminds me to continue. in addition having a list of books I want to read (ghost library in japanese?) reminds of the things I don't know yet or haven't read which in turn helps keeping the reading habits.
  - Loughla 3y ago
    Thank you for the response. A list of prospective books to read is something I believe everyone should have. It was the list of books already read that didn't make sense. I hadn't considered it as a motivator to pick back up the habit.
    - creer 3y ago
      You may also simply have much better memory of author names and works titles than I or others have. I often can't quote a name on the spot even when I vividly remember the book (or movie, or track). Or be much earlier in your reading career. For me these lists (which I regret starting far too late in my own reading career) now cover about 9000 items. For me the prompt to starting the process was noticing that I was again and again giving a chance to really terrible authors. That had to stop. And it did.
- stepbeek 3y ago
  I've been tempted to start foor gifts. Family buy me books for Xmas and having a big list of what i already own would make that easier.
- ZeroGravitas 3y ago
  I have lists of books I want to read. And books I'm "reading", which actually means have them on hand and ready to go and or actually reading them. As a natural feature of clearing out those lists when I finish a book, you create a book read list. I don't have much use for this but it is interesting to review the stats on say author nationality.
- creer 3y ago
  To keep track of authors and series I follow, over many years. To collect quick notes. Both for myself and ready for recommendations to others. To avoid trying again authors I dismissed ages ago (but whose book covers and blurbs still tempt me.) To keep several lists/queues to things to read (theme-based lists most of them). A few years ago I added date marks for when I read or re-read each item. I general these lists have made my reading more systematic and I can now always, but always instantly pick something that I wanted to read AND is on the shelf at the library.
- Shugarl 3y ago
  Personal satisfaction. "Ooga booga, number get bigger" kind of thing
mypastself 3y ago
Same reasons to use a service instead of text file for anything else: ease of use (e.g. you can connect your Kindle to automatically add a book to the list on completion), metrics, challenges, etc.
joenot443 3y ago
For myself, it’s much less about keeping track of what _I_ read, and much more more about seeing what my friends read. Perhaps it’s trite or mundane, but there are people from high school I haven’t seen in years whose reviews I look forward to because it brings me joy to read their voice again. I’ve always seen GoodReads as more of a social network than just a list of what one’s read because you’re right, the latter is well replaced by a document.
m_0x 3y ago
Because it's prettier than a text file. Because I can see what my connections (close and not-at-all-close friends) are reading. Because I like it and have been using it pretty much since 2013. Goodreads works perfectly for me as it was intended to be used: a nice book database
senko 3y ago
Why would you need a list at all? If it's worth remembering, you'll remember you've read it, and if you want to refresh your memory what better than to reread?
- beej71 3y ago
  My memory doesn't "iterate" very well. Ask me all the places I visited last year, and I'll fail to recall some of the big ones. But if you say the name of the place, of course I know I was there. Same with books. I've had plenty of times where I'd start reading a book and then a chapter in recall it. It's just nice to have a list.
- newaccount74 3y ago
  I don't keep a list of books that I read for exactly this reason. But the drawback is that I have a few nordic detective stories on my bookshelf and I don't remember which of them I read already.
- derstander 3y ago
  > Why would you need a list at all? > If it's worth remembering, you'll remember you've read it, and if you want to refresh your memory what better than to reread? If it’s not worth remembering, you won’t remember if you read it or not — so you could waste time rereading a forgettable book until you realize. ;)
- anytime5704 3y ago
  Your memory must be better than mine. Having a couple notes about the things that stood out to me at the time is a great way to remind myself how I felt about books I’ve long since stopped thinking about.
  - senko 3y ago
    Oh I'm sure I can't recall a bunch of (details of) books I've read. On the flip side, I have a firm belief that every book worth reading changes you at least a little, so even if I don't remember it consciously, it has had an impact on me. I did try writing notes at some point, and stopped after the first attempt. That was several years ago and I never read those notes :)

Cthulhu_ 3y ago

I mean it's convenient to have quick links to extra resources and the like, but... those are a single search query away anyway, so a text file is fine. I really should start a notes file or spreadsheet to log my collections of things; I'm at a risk to accidentally buy doubles of e.g. video games now with all the cross platform releases and promotions. Play them though? Nah, I got a backlog and I prefer my 10 year old comfort games.

Loughla 3y ago

I'm learning now that this is even something that people keep track of. This next section isn't meant to be shitty: but what's the purpose of even keeping track of that? I've read hundreds, maybe thousands of books over my life and don't have a list of them anywhere, nor can I see a use for that.

dimaor 3y ago
personally, having a list of books helps me keep up the reading habit. usually I have months of reading, followed by months of not touching a book. having a list in notion reminds me to continue. in addition having a list of books I want to read (ghost library in japanese?) reminds of the things I don't know yet or haven't read which in turn helps keeping the reading habits.
- Loughla 3y ago
  Thank you for the response. A list of prospective books to read is something I believe everyone should have. It was the list of books already read that didn't make sense. I hadn't considered it as a motivator to pick back up the habit.
  - creer 3y ago
    You may also simply have much better memory of author names and works titles than I or others have. I often can't quote a name on the spot even when I vividly remember the book (or movie, or track). Or be much earlier in your reading career. For me these lists (which I regret starting far too late in my own reading career) now cover about 9000 items. For me the prompt to starting the process was noticing that I was again and again giving a chance to really terrible authors. That had to stop. And it did.
stepbeek 3y ago
I've been tempted to start foor gifts. Family buy me books for Xmas and having a big list of what i already own would make that easier.
ZeroGravitas 3y ago
I have lists of books I want to read. And books I'm "reading", which actually means have them on hand and ready to go and or actually reading them. As a natural feature of clearing out those lists when I finish a book, you create a book read list. I don't have much use for this but it is interesting to review the stats on say author nationality.
creer 3y ago
To keep track of authors and series I follow, over many years. To collect quick notes. Both for myself and ready for recommendations to others. To avoid trying again authors I dismissed ages ago (but whose book covers and blurbs still tempt me.) To keep several lists/queues to things to read (theme-based lists most of them). A few years ago I added date marks for when I read or re-read each item. I general these lists have made my reading more systematic and I can now always, but always instantly pick something that I wanted to read AND is on the shelf at the library.
Shugarl 3y ago
Personal satisfaction. "Ooga booga, number get bigger" kind of thing

mypastself 3y ago

Same reasons to use a service instead of text file for anything else: ease of use (e.g. you can connect your Kindle to automatically add a book to the list on completion), metrics, challenges, etc.

joenot443 3y ago

For myself, it’s much less about keeping track of what _I_ read, and much more more about seeing what my friends read. Perhaps it’s trite or mundane, but there are people from high school I haven’t seen in years whose reviews I look forward to because it brings me joy to read their voice again. I’ve always seen GoodReads as more of a social network than just a list of what one’s read because you’re right, the latter is well replaced by a document.

m_0x 3y ago

Because it's prettier than a text file. Because I can see what my connections (close and not-at-all-close friends) are reading. Because I like it and have been using it pretty much since 2013. Goodreads works perfectly for me as it was intended to be used: a nice book database

senko 3y ago

Why would you need a list at all? If it's worth remembering, you'll remember you've read it, and if you want to refresh your memory what better than to reread?

beej71 3y ago
My memory doesn't "iterate" very well. Ask me all the places I visited last year, and I'll fail to recall some of the big ones. But if you say the name of the place, of course I know I was there. Same with books. I've had plenty of times where I'd start reading a book and then a chapter in recall it. It's just nice to have a list.
newaccount74 3y ago
I don't keep a list of books that I read for exactly this reason. But the drawback is that I have a few nordic detective stories on my bookshelf and I don't remember which of them I read already.
derstander 3y ago
> Why would you need a list at all? > If it's worth remembering, you'll remember you've read it, and if you want to refresh your memory what better than to reread? If it’s not worth remembering, you won’t remember if you read it or not — so you could waste time rereading a forgettable book until you realize. ;)
anytime5704 3y ago
Your memory must be better than mine. Having a couple notes about the things that stood out to me at the time is a great way to remind myself how I felt about books I’ve long since stopped thinking about.
- senko 3y ago
  Oh I'm sure I can't recall a bunch of (details of) books I've read. On the flip side, I have a firm belief that every book worth reading changes you at least a little, so even if I don't remember it consciously, it has had an impact on me. I did try writing notes at some point, and stopped after the first attempt. That was several years ago and I never read those notes :)