I've always thought of reading as a sacred experience, and feared that interference from the internet would cheapen and degrade it. I went to the beach last week with my family and witnessed a few teenage girls drive up to the shore, run into the sand only to smash their heads together for a few minutes of 'selfies', and then jump right back into the car to drive away. I can only imagine the eye rolling and baby barfs that would have ensued had I been forced to actually view their posts: "Winter Break 2014 with my BeStIeS on the Beach #lolz #california #freejustinbieber..." but I digress... basically, I hate when people pretend to be something they're not on the internet and I could never bear to allow that kind of fraudulence into my reading life. But I was wrong about Goodreads: it's no place for shallow narcissism.
Things I loved about my hours (yes hours) of exploration on Goodreads today:
1. Bookshelves: While searching, I found many books I had forgotten that I read! I remember in high school I would forget plot lines and main characters of books that I had only read two years prior, and I started making my own notes about themes, motifs, main characters, etc. so I would have greater resources to prepare for the A.P. tests. How amazing that I can create a virtual shelf of books that I've read in the past and include all of those things in one place? Also, I can actually keep track of the books I've been saying I want to read for years.
2. LISTS: The 'List' feature is amazing, and is how I found many of the books I had already read. It categorizes books together based on different elements of the work and is amazing for finding future reads and Goodreads 'friends' with similar preferences to your own.
There's more to love but I'll keep this short for now. The point is: Goodreads is cool, and I can't wait to keep exploring!
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