Looking for a way to keep track of what you’ve read? Want to find new books and get personalized recommendations? There’s an app for that! We now offer a Goodreads Workshop and we’ll show you how to make the most of this free app.
Here’s an outline of what you can do with Goodreads, and what you’ll learn if you drop in for our workshop!
What is Goodreads?
Goodreads is a free database of millions of books. You can receive book recommendations and read reviews by other readers. If you ever wish there was a Summer Reading Club for adults, you can do the yearly Goodreads challenge or join an online reading group/discussion group!
You’ll get the most out of Goodreads by creating an account for yourself. If you choose to share your account, you can see what your friends are reading and let them know what’s on your bookshelf. *This is optional.* You do not have to connect your Goodreads account to Google, Facebook, or any other platforms.
Goodreads is also useful without an account. If you want to see book reviews but you don’t want an account, type “book title goodreads” into your search engine. Example: “Da Vinci Code goodreads” will show you all reviews and star ratings for a book. You can also visit the link to the author’s Goodreads page.
Get Started with the App!
Go to your app store or Google Play store on your device and search for Goodreads. It’s free! You can create an account using your email address.
After you create your account and sign in, you will see the Reading Challenge screen.
You can create a reading goal for the rest of the year, or you can skip this step by pressing the button in the top right corner.
Option to link to Facebook
You can choose to link your Goodreads account to Facebook or invite friends by allowing Goodreads to access your email account. We recommend you skip this step and check out the privacy settings before sharing your information.
We also recommend selecting “Not Now” when you see the “Allow Notifications” pop up.
The next screen shows different genres of books. Choose your favourites and swipe up for more options. You can change these options later if you want!
Now it’s time to rate books. This is so that Goodreads can give you personalized book recommendations. You can skip this step if you want or come back to it later.
Rate books that you have already read.
Swipe left to see more options on the book rating screen. When you see a book you have read, give it a rating. This will also add the book to your “Read” shelf. If you see a book you want to read, press “want to read” and the book will be added to your “To Read” shelf. If you do not see any books you have read, or want to read, click the drop down next to “biography” (or a genre you chose) and pick a different genre.
Once you have rated 20 books, you will a menu appear at the bottom of the screen. The home button takes you to a feed of the most recent reviews posted on Goodreads.
Menu
Searching for Books
My Books Screen
You can search Goodreads for books using the book title, author, or ISBN. In the My Books screen, you will see the books you rated when you set up the app and any that you selected as “want to read.” You can also create shelves to organize your books. You can organize your bookshelves any way you want! Maybe you want a shelf for mystery books, or a shelf for your favourite books, or a shelf for books you want to read on your vacation, or a shelf for books that your friend Sharon recommended to you.
Scanning Books
You can scan books with your phone or device using the Goodreads app! Go to the Scan screen and use your camera to scan the barcode on the back of a book. This will link to the reviews and book information on Goodreads. This is great if you’re not sure about a book and want to check out some reviews before you buy it or check it out from the library!
And More!
The More icon contains a number of different options that will lead you to groups, your reading challenge, events around the globe, the option to add friends, settings, and your profile.
Keep in mind that Goodreads is a public site. Any books you rate, or reviews you write can be seen by others. You might want to choose a username that is different than your real name or use only your first name. Example: Maplebooks or just Malcolm.
Be sure to read the settings and choose the options that are right for you. It is also important to decide which emails you want to receive from Goodreads. For an in depth discussion of privacy settings, join our Goodreads Workshop on August 4!
If you have questions when using the app, explore the Help section. Here’s an example of a question:
If you cannot find the answer, you can contact the Help team. They respond quickly and efficiently.
Enjoy exploring Goodreads! Have fun making and organizing your bookshelves and discovering new books to love. Happy reading!