Today is my final passion blog post for my English 137 Honors class. I am going to try something a little different. Instead of reviewing a book that I have read before, and trying to convince at least one blog reader to read a book for fun, I am going to talk about one of the best websites in the world. This website also has to do with books, so it does relate to my passion blog theme for this year.

How many of you have heard of Goodreads?

http://www.goodreads.com

There’s also an app.

“Goodreads is a free website for book lovers. Imagine it as a large library that you can wander through and see everyone’s bookshelves, their reviews, and their ratings. You can also post your own reviews and catalog what you have read, are currently reading, and plan to read in the future. Don’t stop there – join a discussion group, start a book club, contact an author, and even post your own writing.”

Once you make an account (or link it to your Facebook account), you start using this amazing service by selecting books that you have read. These books are added to your “read” bookshelf. You can then review and rate these books. Then, you add books you are in the middle of reading, and put these on your “currently-reading” shelf. Lastly, you can add books that you want to read to your “to-read” bookshelf. Additionally, you can add more shelves and categorize books in any other way that you want. Listing the books that you have read (and also rating and reviewing them) allows others to see what your opinion is on this book, and based on your highest rated books, Goodreads can actually recommend books to you. Also, keeping a to-read list is one of the most invaluable tools a book lover can have. I am able to keep track of what I have and have not read, and if a friend or enemy ever mentions a book that sounds good, I can add it to my list right away, before I forget the recommendation.

What is on my shelves?

Currently, I have 53 books on my to-reads shelf. And before you say that that is a lot, keep in mind that this is much less than I have had in the past. At one point, I had over one hundred books on my to-read list. Yeah. I have a problem with reading. But it is a good problem.

Some of my most highly rated books include:
– The Sherlock Holmes series (Arthur Conan Doyle)
– Sharp Objects (Gillian Flynn)
– The Chet and Bernie Series (Spencer Quinn)
– The Lunar Chronicles (Marissa Meyer)
– The Devil Wears Prada (Lauren Weisberger)
– I am Number Four (Pittacus Lore)
– Harry Potter (J. K. Rowling)
– Percy Jackson (Rick Riordan)
– Legend (Marie Lu)
– Everybody Sees the Ants (A. S. King)
– And more!!

Some of the books on my recommendation list:
– Hunting Lila (Sarah Alderson)
– Hold Me Closer, Necromancer (Lish McBride)
– Deathnote (Tsugumi Ohba)
– Boneshaker (Cherie Priest)
– My Fair Lazy (Jen Lancaster)
– Shadow and Bone (Leigh Barduco)
– Sweet Evil (Wendy Higgins)

Some of these books look pretty interesting…I might be increasing the length of my to-reads list today! Haha.

Goodreads is fantastic. It allows people to keep track of what they read and want to read, recommend books to friends, join or start literature discussion groups, and learn everything you need to know about a book. It is one of my favorite websites, and I recommend it to every book lover. And if you have a Goodreads profile, add me as a friend! I’m listed as Emma Clement.