In Defense of Goodreads
A position I never expected to take, plus The Weekly What
My husband recently asked if I recognized a Goodreads competitor I had never heard of. He was served an ad and we both found it funny he knew of this app when I didn’t because I’m much, much more entangled in the bookish world than he. Who knows why he got it, targeted ads are often creepy. He did read a book last weekend for the first time in a while so it likely has something to do with how his online data reflected this analog activity.
This opening provided the chance to (once again) talk about how much Goodreads sucks and about competitors I like and use (such as Storygraph) lamenting my persistent inability to quit Goodreads, which boils down to something like I’ve been there for 15 years (!?!) and I like the community. These days I prefer to more actively track my reading on Storygraph, but Goodreads is still my go-to to bookmark and vet books I’m interested in and one of the places I regularly share reviews.
That said, Goodreads sucks. It’s sucks bad. It can and should be so much better than it is. I’d be surprised if there are any real users out there who think the platform is without serious faults. It’s sort of one of the original online platforms we’re all trapped within, though less sinister or harmful than later iterations of this phenomenon, like say, the absolute dumpster fire that is The Platform Formerly Known as Twitter.
After this conversation where I (once again) vented my Goodreads gripes I was soon after intrigued when it hit my radar that Anne Helen Petersen’s Culture Study podcast released an episode entitled How Did Goodreads Get So Bad?
Timely!
I went into the episode prepared to feel validated and commiserate on the sad reality of being a Goodreads user. And I was validated, we share many common frustrations, some of which are pervasive to any online community or forum since the dawn of the internet gathering place. Others are more specific to Goodreads such as its horribly, terribly, indefensibly outdated interface (my primary complaint), the opaque ownership of Amazon (reasonable), and the frustrating practice of review bombing.
Once we got all that out of the way I quite unexpectedly soured on the conversation. This is notable, truth be told, because I did not at all expect this conversation to yield any strong feelings. There are controversial topics in the book world, but I wouldn’t say acknowledging Goodreads shortcomings is one of them.
The podcast episode is a conversation between Culture Study host, writer, and journalist Anne Helen Petersen and guest Maris Kreizman, book critic, author, and podcast host. This episode is inspired by a December 2023 opinion piece Kreizman wrote for The New York Times: Let’s Rescue Book Lovers From This Online Hellscape. The article touches on some of the same points discussed in the podcast episode but doesn’t wade as deeply into the bits that made me prickly.
After much consideration and listening to the podcast episode twice I believe the fundamental problem is this is a discussion between two authors. Kreizman is an author and book critic and, sounds to me like, a very limited and careful user of Goodreads. Petersen is an author and does not use Goodreads.
I want to acknowledge being an author in a world where everyone has an opinion on everything and easy access to sharing those opinions must be incredibly challenging at times. I have the utmost respect for the blood, sweat, and tears authors sow into their work. To see one’s personal work sometimes disparaged with little thought or consideration must be incredibly hard to swallow and nearly unavoidable for those with an online presence as there is a somewhat inevitable overlap between authors and readers and their respective online communities, for better or worse.
The problem here is two authors generally criticizing a book recommendation website for readers. While they appear familiar enough with the site to catch the broad strokes they seem to lack understanding of the true culture and harbor an off-putting distaste for reader reviews more generally; Reader reviews being the purpose of Goodreads, and these same readers being the target audience for book sales.
They assigned outsized influence to negative elements like review bombing. Review bombing is very real and should be addressed by the platform, and also not something the vast majority of Goodreads 150 million+ users appreciate or participate in.
They appear to appreciate and place more value on critical reviews, and here I’m not speaking of negative reviews, I’m referencing professional book critics, previously the only voices with platforms and the ability to widely share their thoughts. Though they did note some limitations of this model and acknowledge the benefit of hearing from a wider audience it seemed that broader scope does not encompass all readers or at least not most of those on Goodreads.
It all came off as very elitist to me. And though I think some of the points made are elitist and out of touch, I also think they’re coming at this whole conversation from an author perspective, totally understandable, but maybe not the best POV to generally skewer Goodreads and its users.
Now, for the other half of the compliment sandwich (which they also deride) they do raise really interesting questions about the practice of reviewing and how it impacts one’s impression of a book, or the impression of others who consume the review. Whether reading with an eye towards crafting a review has an impact on one’s experience while reading (I think it can). But then they went on to praise Letterboxd and its one sentence review format and they lost me again.
I would love to dive into this general reviewing discussion rather than attack Goodreads!
For all of Goodreads frustrating shortcomings and for all the problems I have with the internet as a whole and its various platforms, which may or may not be actively destroying society, I do think it’s a good thing to hear from a broad range of voices. Every reader has valid opinions whether they are someone with a broad understanding of literature, like a professional critic, or a casual reader, largely the audience actually buying these books in the first place. We all bring something different to the conversation and I think that’s valuable. Engaging with art is the point of art, is it not?
Furthermore, I find Goodreads reviewers tend to write better, more thoughtful reader reviews than anywhere else on the internet. Which is why, as much as I’d sometimes like to, I just can’t escape Goodreads. While I view the internet generally as something of a digital Hellscape, I think Goodreads, for all its shortcomings, remains something of a haven where much of the community is driven by good faith interactions, something not to be taken for granted in the modern internet landscape.
Tell me:
Are you on Goodreads?
What do you think are the benefits/drawbacks of the platform?
How do you feel about book reviews generally? How are they beneficial/harmful to you?
Thoughts on book critic vs reader reviews?
If anyone has listened to this episode I would love to hear your thoughts!
Anything, let’s chat!
What I’m…
Reading
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. On my radar since it published in 2018, I waited way too long to read this. This is definitely a case of knowing I would love the book so being reluctant to actually read it (does anyone else do this? Or am I alone in my pathology?) As anticipated, I loved this book!
Bridge by Lauren Beukes. This book was weird and trippy and I liked it. About a woman moving through the multiverse in search of her recently deceased mother.
Last House by Jessica Shattuck. This publishes Tuesday 5/14. Wow, did I love this family saga spanning WWII past present day, but largely set in the mid 50s and late 60s reflecting changing values and turbulent times. I’m planning to post a full review to Instagram and my site on Tuesday.
Listening
Committed: On Meaning and Madwomen by Suzanne Scanlon. I’m still digesting this, but wow, I was really into this memoir! Written by a woman who was institutionalized for years in NYC due to mental illness as a college student in the 90s. A really thought provoking blend of womanhood, mental illness, and literature (think Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf).
The Ezra Klein Show: Watching the Protests from Israel. I deeply appreciated this discussion. Ezra Klein now has several really excellent, informative episodes on the Israel-Hamas war and related topics.
Watching
Baby Reindeer (Netflix). I actually watched this last week and I can’t believe I forgot to include it! Probably because I binged it way too quickly. A blend of black comedy, drama, and thriller about a struggling male comic who becomes entangled with a female stalker. Inspired by real events and written and performed by the man involved, this show is a wild ride and really quite layered.
The Idea of You (Prime). I know this Robinne Lee book is super popular, but I’ve never read it. It just never called to me. Prime served the movie up to me and I watched on a whim and… I was right. This story just isn’t for me. I found the movie fine, totally watchable, but probably not anything I needed. Interested to see what lovers of the book think of this adaptation.
Saturday Night Fever (Prime). The hair, the clothes, the vibe, the dancing?! Iconic. I think maybe we could solve a lot of modern problems by bringing back disco, I’m just saying.
Palm Royale (Apple). Love the characters, set designs, and costumes. The cast is stellar. I’m not sure I’m fully enthralled by the plot, but there’s enough here to enjoy. I think I have two episodes remaining.
Eating & Drinking
Chicken Fajitas IHO Cinco de Mayo
These Spicy Garlic Ramen Noodles were a new recipe - delicious and easy!
This Big Mac Casserole was also new and a huge hit. I loaded mine up with lots of lettuce and toppings and it was sort of like a salad. The flavor is on point.
Southwestern Salads - marinated grilled chicken, black beans, corn, avocado, tomatoes, crushed tortilla chips, over lettuce, with Simply Southwest Ranch
Links + Loves
I recently downloaded this Merlin Bird ID app and it’s so fun to identify backyard birds by their sounds. Yes, I’m forever an 80-year-old woman inside.
I am a huge advocate of reading aloud, especially to kids, especially older kids. Nearly every night we read aloud as a family, my kids are now 11 and 14; I can’t think of a better or more beneficial way to end the day. As someone who values and understands the benefits of reading aloud I really appreciate the exploration of the differences and advantages of reading aloud (this on top of the benefits of reading generally) in We’re All Reading Wrong (The Atlantic).
Is ‘The Idea of You’ Harry Styles Fan Fiction? The Answer is Complicated (NYT). I watched The Idea of You and absolutely interpreted it as lightly inspired by Harry Styles.
These are the best books of the millennium (so far) according to
The New York Times.The Pulitzer Prize winners were announced (Lit Hub). Seems like I need to read Night Watch after all and King: A Life has been on my TBR for way too long.
ICYMI
This week’s blog posts:
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I'm on Goodreads, Librarything and Storygraph and I use them all slightly differently.
As Goodreads was th OG, I initially moved my manual reading record on there and then tried to keep track of books I owned and wanted to read. I found Librarything much better for book cataloguing but haven't engaged in discussions on there much. The advent of Storygraph means i now use that to track my reading activity more actively as I love the data but I still use Goodreads and enjoy the community on there.
I think perhaps the issue with reviews is not the reviews themselves but people's ability or inclination to read them critically. Just because someone lambasts a book on Goodreads, that doesn't mean I won't read and enjoy it. We have to allow for different tastes and reading preferences and make our own decisions.
I haven’t listened to the podcast yet—I will now and I appreciate having your forewarning!! But I really appreciate your take and I am often frustrated by what feels like elitism from professional book critics and misunderstanding from authors about the online worlds of readers. Of course there’s a difference between professional criticism and reader reviews but there’s 1000% room for both!! And reader reviews are often more helpful for readers because, like you said, we’re talking to each other. We know our audience!