Move over Myspace: there's a new networking site in town and the nerds are finally taking over.
Goodreads.com is deceptively addictive. You can use it to keep track of all the books you've read, rate books, and write reviews. Then you can s
ee what your friends are reading, their top rated books, and their reviews. It's a great way to get reading ideas as well as be reminded of that weird novel you read 3 years ago and really liked.
You can also customize your "shelves", which is how your book lists are maintained. It starts you off with the standard shelves of "read", "currently reading", and "to read". You can add as many custom shelves as you want, like "graphic novels", "books I read in 1999", or "books that remind me of Sally" (because I know you still think about her).
You can also browse strangers and, even better, find people in your area who actually read, which is perfect for starting that book club you've been dreaming about.
From their press release: Goodreads' founder, Otis Chandler, says, "Somehow, reading books seems to have gotten a bad rap. People are working too hard to read and watching TV instead. But every once in awhile you run into a friend who tells you about this 'great new book I'm reading.' And suddenly you're very excited to try it. That's the kind of excitement that Goodreads is all about.
Also, something to be charmed by, when you send Goodreads a gushy email telling them how much you love the site, Otis himself actually writes you back. That's like calling up Apple customer service and getting Steve Jobs on the line. Thanks Otis!
