BOOKS

If you're a bookworm, chances are that you use (or have at least heard of) Goodreads. Goodreads, a book-tracking platform, is widely used in the book community for its review and recommendation features. But, if you're tired of Goodreads' arguably outdated interface (and the fact that it's owned by Amazon), let me introduce you to an alternative: StoryGraph.

StoryGraph, a Black-owned app founded by Nadia Odunayo and Rob Frelow, describes itself as the "all-in-one platform for your bookish needs." It's available on both web browser and mobile apps (App Store and Google Play), and creating an account is 100% free. Though StoryGraph offers many of the same features as Goodreads, there are several aspects that set it apart and make it *super* useful for every bookworm.

Track your reading progress

If you've already been active on Goodreads for a while and are worried about making the switch, no worries. It only takes a few clicks to import *all* your Goodreads data into StoryGraph. (You won't lose any of your library or reading progress.) You'll be able to log all the books you've read before, keep a TBR list, tag books, create lists and much more. StoryGraph is also unique because it analyzes your reading data to tell you what moods, lengths and genres you like to read most.

Share your thoughts with reviews

With each book you read, you can answer a series of questions about the characters, plot, moods and content warnings to include in your public review, and you can see the statistics of what other users have said. As you're reading, you can also write private notes to yourself in your reading journal to record any initial thoughts and reactions. And, unlike Goodreads, you can rate books with half and quarter stars!

Get specific recommendations

Ever finish a *phenomenal* book and start searching for a similar one? With a "Browse similar books" feature, StoryGraph gives you book recommendations based on specific books, showing you what moods they have in common. There's also a survey you can take with specific questions to generate a list of book recs curated to *your* likes and dislikes. 

Be part of a community

thestorygraph.com

Like Goodreads, StoryGraph allows you to add your friends to see their reading activity. However, they also have a unique "Buddy read" feature where you can read a book at the same time with your friends and post live reactions to specific parts. Don't worry—comments are locked for others if they haven't reached that part of the book yet.

Join reading challenges

You can set a traditional reading goal for the year and watch your progress bar increase. StoryGraph also offers countless specific challenges with different categories (such as genre, author and literary awards) that you can participate in with others. You can even create your own public challenge and invite other users to join!

Craving book content? Check out these posts for more:
📚 The BookTok accounts we're obsessing over rn
📚 12 books you need to read in 2022
📚 We’ve gathered our *fave* feminist classics for your next read

What's on your TBR? Let us know on Instagram @glbestiebookclub!

All GIFs via GIPHY
Slider image: @stephbohrer

by Jinny Kim | 3/21/2022