A dreary afternoon. Rain patters against the windows. You’re inside getting cozy in your favorite recliner, about to open a new Goodreads tab.
Ahh. There’s nothing quite like it, is there?
When we dive into Goodreads, we get to explore exciting worlds brimming with possibilities. Exhilarating progress updates keep us glued to the page for hours on end. Colorful notification icons pop up and literally reshape our minds. Memorable characters come along in the comment section and captivate us with their vitriol and misogyny.
In fact, Goodreads helps us develop habits we’ll have with us for the rest of our lives. Like mindlessly checking Goodreads all the time and creating little book lists with the sole purpose of broadcasting our taste to everyone.
Yes, there’s something wonderfully addictive about plopping down in a comfy spot and being showy on the internet about how many books you’ve read. Sometimes Goodreads can be so engaging you can’t help but sit there, totally oblivious to the outside world, cyberbullying people about ’80s sci-fi novels, losing track of time.
The other day, I walked to the beach and opened a new Goodreads tab. I ended up spending all day in the sand, totally enthralled with a particularly long and nasty review of a novel that validated my preconceived opinion of the author. It was a powerful and rewarding experience—one I’ll likely revisit again and again.
I remember when I first discovered my love of Goodreads. It was a warm summer evening. A light breeze fluttered through the open window. Cicadas chirped in the trees outside. And there I was, perched on my sofa, review-bombing books that hadn’t been published yet, my mind transported into a thrilling world of likes and comments and engagement. I stayed up until 4:00 a.m., and as the morning sunlight streamed into my bedroom, I felt a profound sense of pleasure. Goodreads had become a lifelong obsession.
Another Goodreads experience that changed my life occurred during my first yearly reading challenge. I set out to read one hundred books, and as the months flew by, I learned so much about our world. But mostly, I learned how much dopamine the human brain can produce when you treat your most cherished hobby like another piece of gamified social media content—an important lesson only Goodreads can teach you.
To this day, you’ll often find me with my nose stuck in a Goodreads tab, my imagination blossoming with all sorts of new ideas about how I can performatively display that I am well-read.
So, what are you waiting for? Find a quiet place to zone out and immerse yourself in a fantastical universe dreamed up by some of our world’s most ruthless tech developers. Because spending more time with Goodreads is the only way we become better, more intelligent Goodreads users of the world.