Previously published May 24. 2022
After the mass expansion of Goodreads, there has been an observable difference in the way teenagers have interacted with books. Due to features like yearly book goals, friend requests, discussion posts, status updates, and friend feeds, Goodreads has transformed reading into an interactive activity that’s shareable with others. In particular, the yearly reading challenges have been a popular feature that users participate in. At the start of each year, a reading goal can be set to encourage readers. Each person’s reading challenge can be viewed by their followers and friends, fueling friendly competition and letting others comment on their goals.
The image to the left depicts user @ava’s 2022 Reading Challenge of 40 books.The user @grinch comments on her reading goals, calling it “ambitious”. This interaction is a perfect example of the collaborative reading atmosphere that Goodreads provides. Allowing readers to upload their goals, current books, reading statuses, and comments, Goodreads reinvigorates reading into a more social and engaging activity.
Owned by our resident billionaire, Jeff Bezos, Goodreads is a website full of bugs and critters. Loading times are often drawn out, leading to a sense of impatience ingrained in our readers’ hearts. However, Goodreads also happens to be a breeding place for pretentiousness.
User @ava demonstrates a stunning ability of both classism and elitism. It’s hard to say whether @ava means this in a malicious, or simply envious way. It is leaning towards envy. Goodreads is a wonderful place to find Jeff Bezos’s poorly placed advertisements, as well. Here are some excellent, family-friendly books to read:
Samantha Heather Mackey feels like an outsider in her tiny, highly exclusive liberal arts college. She hates women so she despises a group of girls who call themselves the ‘bunnies’. She becomes a feminist after the bunnies draw her into the group because they find her boyfriends who will say heartpulling lines such as “Your beauty is complex and labyrinth like a sentence by Proust” (Awad 167). Filled with exploding bunnies, complex friendships, and a strange girl named Ava, Bunny is sure to be the next (out of 50) #27 book of the year.
Our second and last book recommendation of the year (because we don’t believe in the benefits of reading) is a light read. Crime and Punishment can be best described as a redemption drama, reminiscent of Geronimo Stilton with touches of the hit HBO Series Euphoria. Ranked the most chilling story of the nineteenth century, Crime and Punishment is a book filled with drawn out metaphors and (perhaps?) some sort of deep and controversial statement regarding morality at the end. For fans of Grey’s Anatomy, Judge Judy, and the occasional Napoleon Bonaparte loving participant, this book is sure to delight and draw out some silly giggles.
What may be more valuable than all the aesthetic set out and web design might be the simple motivation factor it provides to readers. Oftentimes, we observe that people feel more discouraged to read over time as they struggle to find books they like. In the new digital age, picking up a book is so much more effort than scrolling through Tik Tok or playing a video game. Being able to definitively record books, regardless of whether you enjoyed it or not, may push people to read more. Moreover, Goodreads is an excellent platform for book recommendations, as well as seeing what books are popular with other people of your age or gender.
Next time you feel no motivation to read books, consider getting Goodreads. It might just help 😉 or it might not, and that’s perfectly acceptable because we do not appreciate some of Jeff Bezos’ actions here at The Quill.
