Goodreads

Goodreads is a social cataloging website for books that allows users to search a vast database, add titles to virtual shelves, rate and review books, and participate in discussions. Users create profiles, organize their reading with shelves such as to-read, currently-reading, and read, and track reading progress. The site also provides personalized recommendations based on users’ ratings and reviews and offers author pages, quotes, and user-generated lists.

Goodreads was founded by Otis Chandler and Elizabeth Khuri Chandler and launched in 2007. It grew into one of the largest book-related communities on the web. In 2013, Amazon acquired Goodreads for about $150 million, and it has operated as part of Amazon’s ecosystem since then.

Key features include social networking elements that allow members to follow friends, join groups, and participate in discussions; the site also hosts weekly giveaways for upcoming titles and maintains a system of user-created lists, known as Listopia. Metadata for each title is maintained by the database, including authors, publishers, publication dates, editions, and ISBNs, facilitating discovery and cataloging. The platform is accessible via web browsers and mobile apps.

Goodreads serves readers, authors, and publishers as a platform for discovery, engagement, and book promotion. As with any large online community, it has faced concerns about privacy, data sharing with its corporate owner, and changes to features or recommendations over time.