The Reasons That I Don't Use Goodreads or Storygraph To Track My Reading

Updated October 22, 2022

I've returned to Goodreads. They updated the user interface. I have a brand new account with no friends on it and it's set to private. I've found value in digitally keeping track of my books and having my kindle auto add to my list. I still don't set yearly goals, but I am enjoying it now that I am back. The clean slate feels good too.

It's an unpopular opinion for sure.

When I had a BookTube channel, I did an entire "Coffee Chat" about my reasons for deleting Goodreads, and it was one of my most viewed videos.

People were sandwiched between "that's ridiculous, it's a way to connect with other readers, you're missing out", and "I hate (either Goodreads or Storygraph)".

Source: Stock Photos

Here are my reasons for avoiding Goodreads:

1. Goodreads gave me anxiety. The interface of the website is claustrophobic. 
2. I despise advertisements. It's why I avoid Bookstagram and I PAY for YouTube premium. I will do most anything to avoid being manipulated all day by big corporations.
3. When I marked a book as "currently reading", no less than 2 people would say, "I read that... just WAIT until chapter 3" - or such other spoilery BS. 
4. The "pressure" to check if a bookish friend read a book I was considering. After seeing their hate review, even if I didn't want it to, it DID affect how I felt going into the book.

Here are my reasons for avoiding Storygraph:

1. With the exception (thank God) of the gross advertisements, Storygraph has the same "follow a friend" ... "comment on their choices" structure that I want to barf about
2. There are NO other reasons to avoid Storygraph. Great company. Wonderful bookish insights about your reading habits. 

What I do to keep track of my reading instead:

1. Paper
2. Pen
3. Good ol' memory
4. Stickers and maybe a highlighter or two
5. This blog. I will catalog most of what I read here. It's a diary of sorts and a place to organize my bookish thoughts 

I enjoyed the good old days. You know the ones that took place a mere 10+ years ago :) 

I used to enjoy going to the library, walking around, reading the back of a novel and deciding then and there to bring it home and read it!

I like browsing book stories and purchasing what called to me that time.

I didn't ever "log it" anywhere. I didn't check to see what others thought about it. I formulated my own opinions after I started reading it. 

I see the utility to keeping a record of what you read. Recording your thoughts about certain authors and novels, and of course I see the utility in sharing those thoughts.

THIS alone is the reason for the past few years I've gone through about 5 iterations of how to do so. BookTube channel. Lots of live streams for reading sprints and chatting about unpopular bookish topics. Bookstagram. A fancy blog and now this blog- where I'm staying forevermore :)

What makes me sad about bookish sharing

It's a sad shame when we realize that people don't talk about and share their love of the great works, and social media bookish corners of the internet are taken over by prize lists (no judgment) or YA fantasy (also no judgment). I'd just like to see an explosion of deep discussions on the GREAT works. The GREAT writers. There are a few channels I follow who do focus on this, but they are few and far between.

I think that a lot of greatness has come from the connections that social media can provide. Far more harm has come from them (my opinion), but I crave a more honest and deep connection to other readers, and I have had to accept that (for now) I won't get to experience that much. 

The things that people enjoy about the "connected feeling" that Goodreads and Storygraph provide, are not things that I enjoy. 

It doesn't feel socially connecting, it feels comparative and manipulative. 

I told you at the start this was an unpopular opinion. I've heard a zillion things about my theories and concepts, but they are true and valid to me. 

I'm aiming to read far less books, and I reread so many others that I can basically remember what I read. It's only when I go through phases of reading recommended novels or genre fiction that I "lose track" of what I've read.

I'm just a vinyl playing, analog kinda woman and I ain't ashamed of it.

I'll leave the digital spaces that foster bookish connectability to the cool kids. I'll just be thumbing through used copies of Proust on the outside looking in. And I don't mind it at all. 

Happy reading and analog tracking my slow living friends.