My Bad Goodreads Ratings: The Poptimist Sucks at Goodreads

TL;DR

The speaker discusses how they rate books on Goodreads and their reasons for using the platform.

Transcript

So I've been thinking about how I rate books ever since I watched Kelly on whatkellyreads talk about it on her channel. I've been on Goodreads since 2011 and in that time I've read, rated and reviewed 254 books and I've written a review for every single one of them. It's something I enjoy doing and I think booktube is a natural extension of that. G... Read More

Key Insights

• 🫠 The speaker has been using Goodreads since 2011 and has read 254 books, providing a comprehensive rating and review for each one.
• 😒 They prefer to use a secret Pinterest board to monitor their TBR list instead of publicly sharing it on Goodreads.
• 🫠 The speaker primarily relies on recommendations, best of lists, and social proofs to choose which books to read.
• 🤩 They no longer give 2-star ratings and choose to DNF books they don't enjoy instead.
• 👣 The speaker values Goodreads as a platform for tracking their reading and engaging with the book community.
• 🤩 They contemplate the usefulness of star ratings and question if ratings even matter.
• 😷 The speaker acknowledges that their rating system may be unconventional, but asks how others rate books and utilize Goodreads.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why does the speaker use Goodreads to rate books?

The speaker enjoys using Goodreads to keep track of their reading and to engage with the book community by writing reviews for every book they read.

Q: How does the speaker monitor their TBR list?

The speaker uses a secret Pinterest board to monitor their TBR list, including the book title, who recommended it, and why they want to read it. They prefer not to publicly share their TBR list.

Q: How does the speaker determine which books to add to their TBR list?

The speaker relies on recommendations, best of lists from booktubers and literary publications, and social mentions to determine which books to add to their TBR list. They prioritize books that have multiple social proofs, even if they don't know what the book is about.

Q: Why does the speaker rarely give 2-star ratings?

The speaker no longer gives 2-star ratings because they now choose to DNF (did not finish) books they don't enjoy. They believe it's not worth their time to continue reading a book they're not enjoying.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The speaker has been using Goodreads since 2011 and has read, rated, and reviewed 254 books on the platform.

• They enjoy using Goodreads to keep track of their reading and to write reviews for every book they read.

• The speaker has a secret Pinterest board to monitor their TBR list and doesn't publicly share what books they plan to read.