The Pros and Cons of Goodreads

Welcome to A Literary Latte

For those of you who are maybe new to the book blogging community and are unaware, GoodReads is a bookish social media platform where you can track the books have both read and want to read, find new recommendations and read reviews, amongst other features. It’s definitely a useful platform and one that I check daily to update on my reading progress, so I thought it would be only fitting for me to fully review the platform!

I haven’t written a pros and cons post in so long (the pros and cons of being a mood reader was my last one back in March 2020) and so, without further ado, here are the pros and cons of the GoodReads platform!

THE PROS OF GOODREADS

• TRACKING THE BOOKS YOU READ
  The feature that I use most frequently on GoodReads is the Current Reads section, where I track which books I’m currently reading, how far into the book I am and any thoughts that I want to make a note of. Once you’ve read the book you can then track how long it took to read and your overall rating!
  It’s therefore such a useful platform for looking back at the books you read – especially as a book blogger. Not a blog post goes by without me checking the platform!

• THE GOODREADS CHALLENGE
  I mentioned the challenge in a discussion post on reader guilt a few years ago _{^{(won’t be linking because it is cringeworthy)}} but the GoodReads challenge (setting yourself a goal for how many books you’d like to read in the year) has both pros and cons. For me though it is a pro because I love to set number targets – it keeps me motivated and I love seeing the percentage of my progress. This year I set my target at 50 books which I was doubtful I’d reach, but I’m currently 9 books ahead of schedule which is lovely!
  
• READING REVIEWS AND FOLLOWING LIKEMINDED READERS
  As someone who doesn’t have Bookstagram or other bookish social media besides my blog, the GoodReads follow option is where I’m able to stay updated on what my friends and other likeminded readers/bloggers are reading. I’m able to follow my favourite bloggers that have similar reading tastes and from their shelves find so many recommendations! If I’m thinking of reading a book, I’ll also head straight to GoodReads where you can find thousands of reviews, which will ultimately help me to decide whether a book deserves a precious spot on my ‘Want to Read’ shelf or not.
  
• THE DREADED TBR LIST
  Over on GoodReads it is super simple to add a book to your ‘Want to read’ shelf, which is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it is so easy to track all the books that you want to read in one place. A curse because it is so easy to add books to the list and if you’re not careful it can end up a little overwhelming! Too many books and too little time.
  
  Honourable mentions: I haven’t used the Group feature in ages but if you have a book club (or want to join one), Goodreads is an amazing hosting platform! You can have groups with hundreds of members and can organise discussions, post reviews, chat with other readers/buddy read etc; creating such a community feel!

THE CONS OF GOODREADS

• YOU CAN ONLY RATE A BOOK ONCE
  As someone who is an avid rereader, it is so frustrating that you can only rate a book once, rather than each time you read. I’d love to keep track of how my ratings have changed overtime, rather than having to choose from a) keeping the original rating or b) updating to the new rating.
  
• THE GOODREADS CHALLENGE CAN CREATE PRESSURE
  I personally really enjoy setting myself a challenge because it helps with motivation & is just generally interesting to see my progress; for others though, the GoodReads challenge can add an element of pressure to a hobby that is meant to be fun! For example, say it’s nearing the end of the year and you’re behind on your challenge, you may find yourself tempted to pick up short YA contemporaries/graphic novels over that 900 page novel you know will take you a while.
  
• A POINT FOR COMPARISON
  As with any social media platform, GoodReads can definitely be a point for comparison at times. For example I know that when I’ve been really busy and not had much time to read, I’ve found myself comparing myself to others who are flying through their GoodReads challenge. If you’re reading 10 books a year, it may be quite frustrating to see X blogger reading 200 a year and posting review after review of books you want to read but don’t have the time to get to.
  
• THE HORRIBLE LAYOUT
  Goodreads is actually owned by Amazon, a billion$ company, and yet the Goodreads platform itself is in desperate need of a makeover! It’s just not an aesthetic platform to use and that can be a little annoying at times.

And that’s all of the pros and cons for Goodreads! I love doing these pros and cons posts so I had so much fun writing this! Goodreads is definitely a platform that I use and love, despite its minor issues so I’d really recommend setting one up if you haven’t already!

Do you use GoodReads? What’s your fave feature? Is there anything that annoys you about the platform?

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