Goodreads is a website that many people might recognize or have come across. Some may have accounts and regularly update their bookshelves, while others have accounts left dormant, telling themselves they'll return to reading someday.
For those unfamiliar, Goodreads is a platform where readers find books they want to read next. It features the ability to follow others' reading progress and track our own. Arguably, no other book-related platform has such a dense community as Goodreads. Beyond tracking, it offers everyone space to review books and uses these ratings as metrics to recommend future reads.
Founded in January 2007 by the couple Otis Chandler and Elizabeth Khuri Chandler, it arose from the challenge of finding the next book to read. At that time, the internet lacked diverse book databases, and mainstream media recommendations caused many worthy books to be overlooked.
Elizabeth shared in an interview that the idea began when she and Otis wanted to start a company together and spent time walking and discussing what to create.
“When we were dating, he (Otis) moved to San Francisco and was building social networks. He wanted to do something related to his passion—he loved reading books just like me. So he created a social space about books where people could recommend titles to friends. The idea was that if you searched for a book, the first reviews you'd see would be from friends, then from other readers.”
“A few weeks after he built the first version of the website, I went home to see what books were on my shelves to add to my profile. We created a scanning system so you could scan a book’s code to add it to your profile.”
Elizabeth explained that after launching the site, accounts grew to 700 users from friends and friends of friends, then gradually increased. Back then, the reading community was niche. Goodreads rose to prominence in 2011 as a hub for teens sharing genres ranging from fantasy to YA (Young Adult) novels, coinciding with digital reading or e-books.
At that time, Amazon was Goodreads’ main competitor for book recommendations online. Goodreads’ core goal was to develop a recommendation system better than Amazon’s, not just based on liked genres but on ratings and books read. For example, if you rated the sci-fi novel Dune five stars, it would recommend other classic sci-fi like Isaac Asimov’s Foundation. However, in 2013, with about 15 million users, Amazon acquired Goodreads. Though this sounded like a loss of independence, the two companies complemented each other well since Goodreads users could link to buy or preview books on Amazon’s online bookstore.
Lists of books and reading as if collecting points.
It’s undeniable that our daily lives are full of numbers, tracking outcomes and calculations. For example, in fitness, people focus on smartwatch numbers because they provide satisfying tangible results. Social media shows engagement numbers to indicate content quality. Similarly, Goodreads has shifted from a book recommendation platform to one for tracking our reading progress.
Originally, Goodreads featured book recommendations as mentioned, but also includes features like creating book lists. The default lists are Want to Read, Read, Reading, and recently Did-Not-Finish (DNF). Users can review and rate books from 1 to 5 stars. Reviews and ratings appear on the feeds of friends.
All these features let us track our reading as statistical data, which naturally fosters pride. Tracking stats can boost commitment, like tracking workouts motivates more exercise. The more we see numbers and results, the more we notice our own progress.
However, tracking results also has a hidden downside we might overlook, raising the question: are we doing this for ourselves or for others? The Goodreads community is falling into this trap. What once was a feed recommending good books has become a showcase of how many valuable books we’ve read. Combined with the trend of reading as a new form of charm, many get stuck being performative readers—using reading to craft an image of intelligence.
Content creators in Thailand and abroad produce reading-related content not just on how to read effectively but also how to read faster. Some Thai reading influencers even teach rapid reading techniques like skimming, especially skipping supposedly unimportant paragraphs, as if reading were about scoring points rather than appreciating what books offer us.
Why We Read: When Reviewing Creates Bias in Our Reading.
Nowadays, whenever we want to read something, we seek recommendations. This is evident in Reddit threads or book groups where people post questions like “I’m reading this book, what do you think?” “Books that changed my life, please recommend,” or “I don’t understand this book, can someone explain?” When choosing a book in a store and feeling unsure, we often search for reviews to help decide. In today’s time-sensitive age, readers don’t want to waste time trying or money on unreadable books.
The problem is that others’ reviews can shape our mindset even before we start reading. Our tastes differ in language use and story preferences. For example, we might plan to finish a book but dislike it after a few chapters. We wonder, “Is it because the book is bad or because I don’t understand it?” Checking Goodreads reviews to understand its flaws, upon finding others who share our view, we may prematurely judge and shelve it thinking, “This book might not suit me,” unaware it might be enjoyable and fitting if read fully.
Goodreads has many dedicated reviewers whose credibility stems from diverse reading, number of books read, and straightforward, detailed critiques. Users can follow reviewers mainly for trusted opinions on books. Yet, even the most praised reviewers can’t fully match individual tastes. Some treat reviewers as guidelines for good or bad books, leading to reading not from genuine desire but because someone they admire endorses it. This somewhat misses the true purpose of reading.
Listen carefully but read what you truly want.
If we carry everyone’s opinions, especially from people with different backgrounds, we’d be exhausted. We must listen carefully but stay true to ourselves. Reading is good but shouldn’t be viewed as scoring points that instantly make us better people. Checking others’ reviews is fine, but we must remember nothing pleases everyone. A book great for us might be disliked by others, and vice versa.
Books are written to convey how we relate to others’ experiences or reflect societal issues and how we respond. They help us understand the world and humanity better. Reading today isn’t meant to signal social status.
Therefore, Goodreads is a double-edged sword we must learn to use wisely. In this era of diverse information and opinions, we must firmly hold to our own thoughts. Otherwise, our lives might sway with others’ views without self-understanding, even though reading is best for self-reflection and learning.
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