Android App of the Day: Goodreads
There’s nothing more satisfying than finishing a good book, but what happens if you don’t have any friends that share your same passion for reading? You’re left either wandering the isles of your local book store or squinting at what people are reading poolside. Reading should be a social activity and that’s exactly what the Goodreads app for Android has in mind with its mobile app. Goodreads offers an entire social network of book junkies just like you. With this app you can find user book reviews, discover new books based on category, and build your own growing to-read list.
Pros:
- Fun easy to use interface
- Great way to meet like-minded people with similar interests
- Search, rate, and review any book in our catalog of more than 12 million books
- See book reviews and updates from your friends, and comment on them
- Browse your shelves! Next time you are deciding what to read, your to-read list will be handy
- Add status updates and page number updates for books you are currently reading
- Use the barcode scanner to quickly scan all of your books onto your Goodreads shelve.
- Also use the scanner to quickly access book information while on the go
- Compare book prices
- Find your address book contacts or Facebook friends on Goodreads
Cons:
- Barcode scan freezes app sometimes
- Can not purchase books or e-books directly from the app
How it works:
- Download the app
- Sign in with your Goodreads account or create a new account with an email address
- Find friends by searching your address book, email contacts, or Facebook friends
- Dashboard provides key features including: updates, my books, search, explore, more
- Updates displays recent updates from your friends and recent reviews from other users
- To view, comment, or like a user review tap on the review preview to display the entire review
- My Books is where you can manage your profile, your book groups, and scan a book by its barcode
- Search allows you to find books by title, author, or isbn
- Explore allows you to find events near your location, recent reviews, explore books at random
- More allows you to change the app’s settings, here you can change the text size, and update types
Conclusion:
Goodreads is the ideal companion for anyone who is looking for a convenient and fun network of people who share the same passion for literature. The Goodreads community is so vast and extensive, you are bound to find a niche of readers just like you. With a few taps you can discover new books, read or create your own user reviews, and see what your friends are reading. I now have a place to share my personal thoughts and ask all of those lingering questions after finishing the last of the Hunger Games. Whether you’re into science fiction, young adult, chick-lit, or contemporary, the Goodreads app should be your next download before you pick up your next read.
Goodreads is available for free in the Google Play Store. Requires Android 1.5 and higher. Play Link
The review of this app needs updating after perhaps more use. After having the Goodreads App on my HTC One M9 for a few months, I noticed one glaring problem. After stumbling around wishing to update reading status (page number progress so far), I found it and haven’t been able to find it again. It seems many functions that are easy to find on the website require multiple taps to get to with the app. Drop down menus need more info—I dislike opening section after section and not finding what I am looking for.