Read book reviews from friends instead of strangers with Goodreads
You are looking for a new novel to read and browsing book sites in search of a good one. You read a review on Amazon.com for a mystery novel by a new author. It is a raving review by someone named BookLover79. Well, who exactly is BookLover79 and how do you trust this stranger’s opinion of the book? I have been there and as an avid book reader, you may have too. Wouldn’t you rather read reviews from people you know and trust? If so, then you should give Goodreads a try.
Goodreads is an app that allows you to connect with Facebook friends, see which books they have read, are currently reading, or want to read. You can see the star rating they have given to books they have read and also check out their reviews. So, if you know that Jill loves mysteries just like you do, then pop open the app and take a look at some of Jill’s recommendations.
Once you have set up an account and connected your Facebook account to Goodreads, you can see which of your friends use the app. You can also invite friends that you think would love the app as well. This can be done with Facebook friends or even contacts you have stored on your device. Your friends can easily find you too and send you requests to be added to your friend network.
This is a perfect way to see which books your friends like and do not like. It is also helpful for them to see books you have read that they are thinking about reading and check out your ratings and reviews as well.
The Goodreads app offers plenty of other great features too. You can look at new book releases for the month or year, most read books in a week, most downloaded e-books, or just browse by genre. Once you select a book you can view all the details for it. Book information such as page count, published date, ratings, and a brief description are all available. You can also share books by recommending them, sharing on Facebook or Twitter, texting, or emailing the book details.
Sharing progress on books that you are currently reading is another nice feature. So, if friends are waiting for you to finish in order to see your rating and review of a book, they can easily see your progress and check back when you have finished. If you own a Kindle, Goodreads will connect directly to your device so that you can browse books and keep up with your friends’ reviews easily.
After you have reviewed 20 of your own books, you will begin seeing book recommendations from Goodreads based on those you have read. This is a really helpful feature as well.
So, the next time you are looking for a good book check out what your friends think with Goodreads. The app is free and available for iPhone and iPad on the App Store.