Library Thing or Goodreads?

When it comes to a book cataloging site, I seem to be a follower. I created an account in Library Thing and was starting to get it up and going, when everyone around me seemed to be defecting to Goodreads. So I did what any red-blooded American will do... I followed along. I abandoned my Library Thing account and left it out there in cyberspace all by itself, probably feeling all lost and lonely. Then I created a new Goodreads account.

This Goodreads account has been fairly successful. I have added many of the books that I have read. I enjoy giving the book stars to indicate how much I liked the book. I have also written some reviews. Occasionally I read a book and have a particularly strong feeling about some aspect of the story. I enjoy describing these feelings in the review space. The really fun part is when someone responds to these reviews. For Great Books '09, I read a book that I did not care for at all. But all the reviews I read were the opposite of what I felt. So I wrote my less than glowing review and seemed to touch a nerve. Apparently, I missed the point of this particular book and some of my fellow readers felt compelled to point out just where my thinking went wrong. I loved that exchange. It was great fun, and well worth the price of admission.

One feature of Goodreads that I find helpful is the emails updating me with what my "friends" are reading. I did not have to read these emails too many times before I got a real taste of what my co-readers enjoy reading. This is always helplful when I am asked about a genre that may not be my specialty. I can be fairly certain of who nearby may be able to help. And, afterall, isn't that what we want out of all of this?

If you are interested, you can view my book lists here.