GoodReads Replacement?
September 23, 2013 4:12 PM Subscribe
I've been using GoodReads to keep extensive lists of the books I've read, the books I want to read, and the books I've tried to read and didn't several years now. Since the Amazon buyout, lots of my friends left the site, and new changes to their guidelines have me rethinking my continued use. Can you recommend a replacement? More details inside!
So, the things I love about Goodreads that I'd like to see somewhere new:
1) No limits on the number of books I can add to my shelves. This is one of the main reasons I haven't switched to LibraryThing.
2) Good social features, including being able to see friends' reviews, comment on them, and social media integration (especially Twitter).
3) Good metadata for the books I want to add. I don't read a lot of obscure books, but I also don't want to have to add stuff.
4) Pretty good interface, both for the web and on mobile devices.
5) It's free. I'm cheap, what can I say?
If I could find a new site that scratch all those itches, it would be awesome! It would be even more amazing if I could import my information directly from Goodreads, but I know that might be a pipe dream.
Thanks in advance!
So, the things I love about Goodreads that I'd like to see somewhere new:
1) No limits on the number of books I can add to my shelves. This is one of the main reasons I haven't switched to LibraryThing.
2) Good social features, including being able to see friends' reviews, comment on them, and social media integration (especially Twitter).
3) Good metadata for the books I want to add. I don't read a lot of obscure books, but I also don't want to have to add stuff.
4) Pretty good interface, both for the web and on mobile devices.
5) It's free. I'm cheap, what can I say?
If I could find a new site that scratch all those itches, it would be awesome! It would be even more amazing if I could import my information directly from Goodreads, but I know that might be a pipe dream.
Thanks in advance!
Sorry, didn't see you mentioned LibraryThing. You might check out Shelfari, Riffle, Bookish. and Booklikes.
posted by Dansaman at 4:54 PM on September 23, 2013
posted by Dansaman at 4:54 PM on September 23, 2013
Booklikes seems to be what everyone is headed for. bookdigits is another contender--their review system and recommendation engine seems good and it has an okay interface, but the social aspects are pretty lacking.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 5:27 PM on September 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 5:27 PM on September 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
I know you list "free", but I'm totally going to recommend LibraryThing. A lifetime membership is $25 for all the book love you could ever want or need, they have an amazing "Early Reviewer" program that can net you free books from publishers, and they do good things for and with libraries. The social interactions are a bit high quality than the free sites (just like, ahem, MeFi) because of the mild paywall. Try the free out, but I think it's well worth the $25 one-time.
posted by griffey at 7:35 PM on September 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by griffey at 7:35 PM on September 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
Don't signup for Shelfari. It's owned by Amazon.com too. I have an old account and each time I sign in, I have to say "no" to them linking my Shelfari account to my Amazon.com account.
posted by 1smartcookie at 7:17 AM on September 24, 2013
posted by 1smartcookie at 7:17 AM on September 24, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Dansaman at 4:46 PM on September 23, 2013