Like all social media Goodreads has good and bad things about it.... who am I kidding? Goodreads sucks! It's filled with trash books and trash reviews and is useless if you're trying to navigate the literary landscape in hopes of finding something that is actually good to read.
Many like to use it to say LOOK AT ME! LOOK HOW SMART AND WELL-READ I AM. I MADE MY READING GOAL OF 10K BOOKS. I AM INTERESTING!! It's also filled with low- self-esteem authors who sulk around arguing with readers who give them four stars.
Came across this in the Guardian: It’s totally unhinged’: is the book world turning against Goodreads? I would have to say Yes! And it's about time. Most authors don't have time to hang out online all day. They have bills to pay and really can't be bothered. And those who do hang out online all day should probably be avoided.
As for reviewers, I take reviews with a grain of salt because people are fucking crazy. Most reviews start off with an insanely long list of 'trigger warnings' followed by complete nonsense about feeling bad for giving a book 3 or 4 stars because everyone else liked it and blah blah blah... or those people who give deep, long, in-depth reviews of literary classics like Dracula. I don't even know what is going on with them. Who has that kind of time?
The article talks about review bombings, authors with mental health issues, and all the biggest scandals of the literary world. Spoiler, the lit world is filled with dorks so it's not that spicy, sadly. But if you need yet another reason to limit your social media use... author Courtney Maum is quoted in the article as stating "In the last couple of years, because there’s been so many dumpster fires on Goodreads, it’s pretty evident now to publishers that this isn’t a platform that they can trust 100%..... Whether it was stalkers hellbent on ‘review bombing’ them at every turn or their nemeses – jilted ex-lovers, whatever ... It’s totally unhinged."
Agree. Goodreads is a mess and I find it harder and harder to use it. When it comes to finding books I never find anything good there. I don't bother reading reviews because why? Who cares what people think? I usually only take the time to write reviews if I've been drinking or having a bad day or found an author I completely love (which is rare). However, giving thoughtless low ratings to books like the Bible is, if nothing else, petty fun to fill the minutes you're waiting for your coffee order.
