Julie A. Wallace

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The Ultimate List of Goodreads Alternatives For 2023

When I introduced everyone to Bookshop in January, I was also learning about some alternatives to using Goodreads to track books for the year. I found a lot of alternatives and have tried a few; here is my takeaway.

What Is Goodreads?

Goodreads is arguably the world’s largest site “for readers and book recommendations.” It’s a social media site owned by Amazon that invites readers to record and recommend books. There’s an app, there are giveaways, groups – all the normal things you find with a social media site.

Throughout the year I track what I’m reading. And, like most of the world, I use Goodreads. I even post what I’ve read every month in my “mission” posts.

But the Goodreads website and app are both clunky. In fact, I recently learned that there have been little to no improvements since Amazon acquired the site. I’ve read about bullying issues in the groups and towards authors, and about people making up fake reviews. Don’t take my word for it, though; here are the articles I checked:

What I Look For In A Goodreads Alternative

There are several things I look for in a Goodreads alternative:

  • The most important thing I look for is easy of use. Is it easy, mindless, and super-simple to navigate?
  • Is there both an app and a website? The older I get the less I want to only have an app. I want both an app and a website so I can sit at my computer and do data entry or browser or whatever. But I love the on-the-go flexibility with an app.
  • Can I scan books directly from the app? Having to search or otherwise hand-key is a pain.
  • Can I import books from Goodreads into this new app? For me this is a must. There’s no way I’m scanning or hand-keying years of reading into a new app.
  • Is that app/website modern or clunky?
  • More than numbers and statistics, are there graphs that visually represent what I’ve read?

Goodreads Alternatives I’ve Used

LibraryThing

I found LibraryThing before I found Goodreads, and it remains my favorite. It is a clunky, too, but I love that it’s still majority held by the founder of the company. As far as I know at this time (March 2023) a small, tight team runs the whole site.

The Home page of Goodreads alternative LIbraryThing
The Home page of my LibraryThing account.

The LibraryThing Home page defaults to an overview of my world. In the center you see “Your Books” which tells me I have 849 books, have written 42 reviews, have 24 collections and have rated 291 different items.

To the left is a simple text menu of different options like recent news, my feed, and recommendations. Further down are things to discover like books, reviews, community (groups,) lists, and more.

There is also a menu at the top of the screen with plenty of options. Here’s the Zeitgeist which gives you stats for all of LibraryThing.

The Zeitgeist page of Goodreads alternative LibraryThing

There is also one place to view all of your books. There are several different views. Here is the view of all of the covers.

One view of my library in Goodreads alternative LibraryThing

And here’s a view of the some of the different tags on my books.

A list of tags and collections associated with my LibraryThing books

There’s even a “local” feature that highlights places near you. I even added a couple of the Little Free Libraries that I know about into Mount Pleasant into the local listings.

The local page on LibraryThing

I’ve been on LibraryThing for a very, very long time and as such, I’ll stay despite the clunkiness. I was there when they were using paid memberships and bought a lifetime membership. And I’m still there now that the site is 100% free.

The StoryGraph

The StoryGraph is (at least for me) a new kid on the block. It’s feisty, entrepreneurial driven, and loaded with cool graphics and statistics. Find me on The StoryGraph.

I LOVE these graphics. This is what I mean by a modern, easy-to-use Goodreads alternative. You can click on any “pie” slice to see the books that fall within the selected category. I love knowing that I read mostly informative, reflective, mysterious, lighthearted, and adventurous books.

A pie chart showing all books read and associated moods in Goodreads alternative The StoryGraph.

The vast majority of the books I read are medium paced.

A pie chart of book pace in The StoryGraph.

And my reading is split between fiction and nonfiction.

A pie chart of fiction vs nonfiction in The StoryGraph.

Look at the different genres!

A bar graph of genres from The StoryGraph.

There are more genres, by the way; the screenshot only shows the top genres.

So what have I learned from The StoryGraph? I love books that are medium-paced novels around 300 pages that are mystery, fantasy, historical, reference, self-help, science fiction, romance, contemporary, or memoir.

As much as I love the graphs, as of March 12, 2023, you can’t scan books into The StoryGraph app. And that’s why probably will not use this as much as LibraryThing.

The StoryGraph also has a strong community, reading challenges, and giveaways. There is a Plus version available, and the programming road map for the future of The StoryGraph is public.

Bookstagram, BookTok & Other Social Media Alternatives to Goodreads

Authors, readers, editors, and others associated and enamored with books and publishing are all over social media. The only issue I’ve had with this Goodreads alternative is that while people are really enthusiastic about books, they aren’t always enthusiastic about the kinds of books I like.

For example, when I first joined TikTok, people were super enthusiastic about A Court of Thorn and Roses by Sarah Maas. I got a copy, read, and was disappointed. I liked the premise, but really hated the blood and guts.

On the other hand, one of the first authors I followed on TikTok was Mary Robinette Kowal. I just enjoyed listening to her talk about her writing process. And then I read The Calculating Stars, fell in love with her writing, and quickly read through (and enthusiastically recommend) the whole series.

Even More Digital Goodreads Alternatives

There are a ton of other digital options if you want to skip or escape from Goodreads. Here are some others. Links are correct as of March 12, 2023.

Analog Goodreads Alternatives

Want to go old school? Here are some analog ways to track what you’re reading or find new books to read.

  • Book Clubs: I’ve never been in a book club; it’s a group activity and boy, I avoid those as much as possible. But I always seem to enjoy the books I buy that are designed for book clubs.
  • Bookstores: There’s just nothing like wandering around a bookstore in the analog world and seeing what catches your imagination.
  • Friends & Family: Exchange books, get recommendations.
  • Hotels: There are literary & book themed hotels.
  • Library: When’s the a last time you were in your local library?
  • Magazines: It’s been a hot minute or two since I read a magazine, but they’re still around.
  • Paper and Pen: If you keep a journal, it’s a great place to track what you’ve read and what you want to read. And it’s worked for millenia!
  • Subscription Boxes: There are a whole load of book and reader themed subscription boxes out there.
  • Thrift Stores: Wander into a thrift store and see what kind of random book you can find. It’s rarely today’s best sellers, but it might be a best seller from 20 years ago

Your Turn

How do you keep track of what you’ve read? What are your favorite Goodreads alternatives? Which one should I try next?

Year In Books 2023

One of my missions this year revolves around writing. And writing means books: writing the second draft of a book plus sharing the books I read through the year.

Yes, I’ve done the whole Good Reads annual reading challenges and I’ve shared Amazon links…but I felt something was missing from those.

Bookshop.org

And then I learned about Bookshop.org. This company “connects readers with independent booksellers all over the world. More specifically, they given over 80% of their profit margin to independent bookstores.

My local, independent bookstore is Sleepy Dog Books. The community-focused boutique bookstore opened in downtown Mount Pleasant last year. It’s been a pleasure to have a bookstore just a few blocks from my house.

Just before Christmas I walked in and asked for recommendations for gifts. The two recommendations ended up being some of my favorite books this year: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt and The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.

I’m A Bookshop Affiliate

Once I learned about Bookshop and realized that I could get books and support my local bookstore (and walk in the bookstore, too) I jumped at the chance to be a Bookshop Affiliate.

For you, that means if you click through one of the links below and finalize a purchase, I earn a small commission. My affiliate store is also linked to Sleepy Dog, so some of that purchase will also benefit Sleepy Dog. (I’m not quite sure how all that works, it’s my first year doing this.)

(Disclosure: All of the links to books are Bookshop.org affiliate links. If you click through the link and finalize a purchase, I earn a commission.)

Bookshop Advantages and Disadvantages

The most obvious advantage is that any purchase from Bookshop helps me and my local, independent bookstore a little bit. It also helps keep dollars away from Amazon, which I contribute to enough over the year!

The biggest disadvantage I’ve found so far is that Bookshop doesn’t have the depth that Amazon or even Barnes and Noble has. For example, because I published my poetry book through Amazon KDP, it’s not available at Bookshop; maybe I should do something about that, right?

If it’s an older or out-of-print book, you may not find it at Bookshop because they (so far) don’t deal in used books. In turn that means you’re buying a new book which can be pricey at times.

Still, I feel the opportunity to support local, independent bookstores far outweighs the extra cost – especially when I’d buy the darned books anyway. This year, I’ll look to Bookshop first!

Favorite Books of 2022

Felt Like Visiting An Old Friend, ie, Honorable Mentions for 2022

  • A Sunlit Weapon by Jacqueline Winspear. Sigh, the Maisie Dobbs mystery series is fantastic.
  • The Dressmaker’s Secret by Rosalie Ham (great if you loved the first book or movie)
  • The INFJ Writer by Lauren Sapala
  • The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti
  • The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna.

All Books Read in 2022

Your Turn

What’s in your to-read stack for 2023? I’ve already worked my way through one book and am starting on another. I’ve found another interesting website to help track books (and I already have Good Reads and Library Thing;) so I think I’ll work on a comparison of the three sites.

What are you currently reading? What do I need to read?

Mission 2022 February

In 2022, I’m combining lessons from the heart with some –cough cough – goals.

But I don’t like the word goals, so it’s a quest, a journey, a mission: that for which I am destined.

So how was January?

January’s Tarot Card

I did a tarot spread for the full year and January’s card was Magic Stream. The card reminded me that collective awareness can lead to great inspiration. It’s encouraged me to let it flow – and especially to not try to force inspiration to happen. I definitely was “hibernating” in January, hunkering down at home, just like many of the plants in my back yard.

My office looks out onto that snow-covered back yard of this property. When I look out that window, I think of all of the flowers that are sound asleep, with one day just like the other, awaiting the warmth of the spring sun.

The same is true for me. January was hibernating, hunkering down, with the days flowing into one another. And even in all the quiet that is January, I got stuff done.

Write 250 words a day, five days a week

The fact that I managed to schedule four posts tells you I wrote more than 250 words a day, five days a week. Unfortunately, most of those words were written in December 2021.

  • I’m having a hard time tracking and quantifying this goal. For example, if I don’t write in something that counts words, I don’t know how many words I wrote.
  • Which makes me think I need to tweak this mission a bit.
  • Perhaps 250 words a day five days a week on a specific project?
  • What should I do here? Any suggestions?

Revamp Wordstorm Casserole poetry book

Post twice a month on this website.

Year end goal is 24 posts. A monthly “mission” check in is 12 of those posts!

DeGoogle, deApple, deMicrosoft – embrace Linux!

  • Why? Because Google, Apple, and Microsoft all track your every move online. Google, for example,  “allows you to freely use their services so they can track you and sell your data to advertisers.”
  • Linus is an alternative operating system, like Windows. You can change your Windows computer to a Linux computer; I wouldn’t recommend trying that unless you’re super comfy with computers.
  • For example, I tried to transform a computer because I ran into a funky technical thing. Even after trying multiple registry edits and consulting a group online for help, I caved and bought a refurbished Dell computer loaded with Linux Mint Cinnamon. It was ready to go, out of the box, just like any Windows or Mac machine would be. I did this in October and then Rona came to visit. 🙁
  • In January I ran updates on that computer, and installed some software that I’m familiar with like the Brave browser and LibreOffice. I also started transferring my personal computer stuff onto this Linux machine.
  • In late 2021, I changed my personal email account to MailFence; Tutanota and ProtonMail are alternatives, too.
  • For searches, I recommend DuckDuckGo; I’ve been using it for at least a year now.
  • For browser alternatives to Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, I have been using Brave; alternatives are Vivalidi and Tor.

Have fun

  • It’s really too cold to think about having fun…my main task this month was to stay warm – lol. No, seriously, as I write this post, it’s 19 degrees Fahrenheit outside and the ground is snow covered. Brrrr.
  • I did try a bunch of new HelloFresh recipes. Did you know that you can get to the recipes even without receiving a box? You sure can. This month I tried Creamy Lemon Butter Chicken, Sun-Dried Tomato Spaghetti, and Ricotta Tomato Ravioli with Toasted Panko. I’m really looking forward to my next shipment of Pub-Style Shepherd’s Pie.
  • I bought myself some spiffy new shoes from Alegria and a new pair of Birkenstock slippers.
  • I had dinner at an actual restaurant. I hadn’t done that in…three months maybe?
  • I got a good bill of health from a dentist and a doctor. Doc says I need to lower my cholesterol – any tips?
  • I had two craniosacral massages. I get massages about every other week and LOVE them.

Big secret goal #1. 

  • While I wrote this month, I didn’t track the number of words and only some of those written words apply to big secret goal #1. Sigh.

Big secret goal #2.

  • This goal involves hiring pros. I have a document and Pinterest board ready to share with them.

What I’m Reading

On GoodReads, I have a 2022 Reading Challenge goal of at least 50 books. It’s only one month into the year and I’m ahead of schedule by two books, but then again, I read more in the winter than I do in the summer. Here’s what I’ve read so far:

  1. The Fire Night by Teresa Messineo
  2. Wither by Lauren DeStafano (Book 1 in The Chemical Garden series)
  3. Take the Long Path by Joan de Hamel
  4. The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant
  5. The Dressmaker’s Secret by Rosalie Ham
  6. D (A Tale of Two Worlds): A Novel by Michel Faber
  7. There are two ways to read The Crossing by Alex Landragin. I just finished The Baroness sequence of Crossings by Alex Landragin. I’ll read it cover-to-cover, then add it to GoodReads.

How About You?

How was your January? Did you already forget about your New Year’s resolutions? What big dreams and projects do you have for this year?

Processing Your Issues With Polarities, Triangles, and Squares

In the journey toward higher consciousness, you learn to work on yourself and your issues by processing. What are issues? And what the heck is processing?

You Have Issues

An issue is a vague term that can signify nearly anything that pushes your buttons. Things like this:

  • I can’t stop obsessing about…
  • Conspiracy theories are true (or not, depending on your stance.)
  • I hate my job, life, school…
  • Climate change is real (or is not – depending on your stance.)
  • I get angry when a driver cuts me off in traffic.
  • Politics drives me crazy.
  • Why do I argue so much with my spouse?
  • What has my self-talk sounded like over the last month?
  • Why do I always seem to get sick around Thanksgiving?

Years ago, processing took a long time, or maybe I couldn’t really tell when processing was finished.

I just knew that after thinking about some issue there would be a natural resting place or resolution where it felt like I was finished with the issue for the time being.

That’s not very helpful, is it?

What Is Processing?

Fortunately, Leslie Temple-Thurson offers an excellent definition of processing and some incredible techniques to help with processing in her book The Marriage of Spirit: Enlightened Living in Today’s World:

“Processing is a form of self-inquiry. The term to process means to examine and to inquire deeply into the nature of our conditioned and unbalanced egoic patterning with the intention of finding the truth. We process our consciousness in order to become clear and to find our wholeness.”

Page 23, The Marriage of spirit by Leslie temple-thurston

Essentially, you review the code inside of you and -through processing-replace that with new code.

Processing helps you find a sense of balance for the time being.

Of course, life and consciousness work in spiral patterns, so the issue you’ve worked to resolve today will most assuredly come into your life in the future.

Having processed the issue, though, you are better able to deal with the experience. Processing helps you become calmer and wiser human.

The Practice of Processing

That’s all fine, of course, but what does processing look like in practice? Let’s look at my real-life issue: I hate being told what I can and can’t do.

Like really really don’t like it. Anytime I’m told I’m not allowed to do something, my automatic reaction is WHY? What’s so wrong with? That’s not fair. It’s not right.

It’s a feeling in my gut, in my solar-plexus. This is the location of the solar plexus chakra, the seat of manifesting our personal power in the world.

In Sanskrit, the word for the solar plexus chakra is Manipura, and it’s represented by the element of fire. This area of the body is about being grounded in your power, setting the direction of your life, and holding your opinions and beliefs.

So when I am told I can’t do something, I interpret those words -whatever they are, and however they’re delivered- as a personal attack.

Fire and Anger

The words hit like a sucker punch to my gut. I feel helpless. I feel victimized. The wind is out of my sails and I am the Ancient Mariner, adrift with no wind, no water, and the albatross of anger around my neck.

And boy, am I angry.

It’s a self-righteous, firey, burning anger. It’s the kind of anger that makes me want to scream, “how could you!” in situations where such an emotional outburst would do nothing to move the situation forward, and would – no doubt – cause more damage anyway.

Using the techniques of polarity, triangles, and squares, I can move through these feelings and better recognize them the next time they appear in my life.

Of course it doesn’t quite stop the reaction, but it does slow it down, and make me far more aware of the fact that my reaction is waaaaaay out of proportion with the criticism. And being aware of how you are reacting is one of the names of the evolving higher consciousness game.

The Polarity Technique

I’m going to take a little longer to write out exactly how to do this first technique. And – just for fun and you’re enjoyment of peaking into some of my innermost thoughts – I’ll use an example of me being told I can’t do something… or that I have to do something a different way.

(I’m kind of a little angry just thinking about that kind of a situation, so clearly, there’s more processing for me to do with that.)

The basic steps for the polarity technique are:

  • Pick an experience
  • Write about the experience
  • Pick out important words and phrases
  • Make a list of those important words and phrases
  • Find the opposites
  • Offer it up with a prayer
  • Wait for grace.

After you’ve picked the experience to explore, write it down. Get detailed. .

Writing it out has the ability to take the sting and bite out of the experience; it releases the tension and allows your mind to look at the experience from many different angles.

An abbreviated version might look like this:

I can’t believe that insensitive tyrant stoops to such petty nonsense. It doesn’t do anybody any good if you insist on something that makes no damned sense, and then don’t stick around to help with the implementation. It’s so frustrating to have someone (who thinks they know how this should work) criticize just this one tiny thing, but then never bother to praise the 10,000 other things I do right every.single.day. I know I should calm down about this, and I know that this happens all the time, but seriously? I am so angry. I’m frustrated. There’s not a damn thing I can do to change this situation and I feel so powerless.

After you write that experience down, you may need to take a break before proceeding.

Find the important words and phrases that are repeated over and over in the writing. What’s the theme that comes to you from this experience?

Make a list of those important words and phrases. Go over and over this list and make it as comprehensive as you can. You might even use Thesaurus.com and find a whole host of other words that relate to the list of words you’re focusing on.

Or maybe you’re not as word geeky as I am – lol.

What are some of the key words and phrases from that (very short) rant?

  • can’t believe
  • insensitive
  • tyrant
  • stoop to
  • petty nonsense
  • makes no damned sense
  • stick around to help
  • it’s so frustrating
  • think they know how it should work
  • criticise this tiny thing
  • never bother to praise
  • I should calm down
  • angry
  • frustrated
  • powerless

In The Marriage of Spirit, Leslie Temple-Thurston writes that each word “…represents a vibratory frequency, which fills in the picture much more clearly. The more filled-in the picture is, the bigger the breakthrough you are going to have, and the more tangible the shift will be.”

The next step is to find the opposites for each word on your list.

  • can’t believe —– I believe
  • insensitive —- sensitive
  • tyrant —- benevolent leader
  • stoop to —- raise up
  • petty nonsense —- wisdom and understanding
  • makes no damned sense —- makes sense
  • never helps —- helpful
  • frustrating —- inspire
  • think they know how it should work —- practical experience
  • criticize this tiny thing —- compliment
  • no praise —- compliment or praise
  • I should calm down —- It’s OK to be agitated
  • Angry —- content
  • Frustrated —- fulfilled
  • Powerless —- capable and competent

When you’ve come up with the best list you can, and you’ve thoroughly looked at all of the opposites (really use that Thesaurus website and explore the different ways to express the words) — then you offer it up in prayer.

How you offer this prayer is entirely up to you. It doesn’t matter if you do this formally with a fancy ritual, or if you dance naked in the moonlight around a roaring campfire. Howl at the moon, burn the writing and the list, speak to the goddesses, or have a chat with Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, nature spirits, and your ancestors all at the same time. Totally up to you.

The important part is that you are sincere in your offering. Really put your heart and soul into the prayer. Aim for something like this:

Dear spirit, guides and ancestors, and all that gather to hear my words, my heart is heavy. I am weary of feeling so unbalanced. Please take these patterns in me and clear them. Do this so I may feel more lighthearted and am better able to be the best that I can be while I am here walking on this earth. I give thanks knowing that this will be done. Namaste. So be it. Amen.

adapted from p. 166 of The Marriage of Spirit

The final step in working with polarities is simply to wait (Temple-Thurston calls it waiting for grace) and writes:

When grace comes in, you may feel a shift in your physical body or in your subtle body. Or maybe you will have some emotions pass through. Or perhaps you will suddenly start getting insights. Or that night you might have significant dreams…”

Eventually, as you work at this, practicing polarities becomes natural. You’ll be criticized and feel angry, but think, “I am angry at these words, and I am also calm and competent. These words are not about me…” or something similar.

Some day, you may even be able to save writing the experience and the words and the opposites for more complex issues.

The Triangle Technique

Once you understand how to work with opposites, processing with triangles and squares is easier to understand. Here are the basic steps for triangles:

  • Choose a polarity
  • Write it on the baseline points of a triangle
  • Find the ascended balance and write it at the apex of the triangle
  • Offer it up in prayer, and ask for the ascended state to be instituted instead of the polarity.
  • Wait for grace.

The triangles work with what my primary meditation teacher might call The Law of Threes: for every pair of opposite there is a higher resolution or balance point. For example,

  • power and powerlessness resolve upward to surrender and humility.
  • Loss and gain resolve as neutrality.
  • Control and loss of control might resolve as detachment, surrender, and neutrality.
  • Victim and tyrant resolve as selflessness and forgiveness.

Temple-Thurston includes a list of ascended balance states — ie, the resolution of that tension between two opposites. Here are some:

  • Acceptance
  • Attunement
  • Balance
  • Compassion
  • Detachment
  • Equanimity
  • Forgiveness
  • Gratitude
  • Harmony
  • Humility
  • Joy
  • Patience
  • Tolerance
  • Trust
  • Unity
  • Wisdom

The Squares Technique

Squares are yet another way to work with issues that just never seem to go away.

  • Choose a polarity
  • Draw a large square. Divide the square into four smaller squares. In the upper two squares write: fear of (polarity 1) and desire to (polarity 1.) In the lower two squares write fear of polarity 2 and desire to polarity 2. See the image below for what it should look like.
  • Apply data — fill in the squares (and the edges around the squares and however much paper you need) with every possible way in which you know that desire or fear.
  • Offer the square up to spirit.
  • Wait for grace.

Temple-Thurston offers plenty of examples to explore in your life:

  • Dependent and Independent
  • Inferior and Superior
  • Approval and Disapproval
  • Lack and Abundance
  • Victim and Tyrant
  • Manipulative and Straight Forward

Try It Out

These three techniques have so many applications, and I’ve only begun to explore them. Truth be told, I’ve only glanced at the rest of the book because these techniques blew me away.

Learn more about the work of Leslie Temple-Thurston at CoreLight.

Download key chapters of The Marriage of Spirit

Buy The Marriage of Spirit at Amazon. (I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you click on a link and buy something (even if it’s not the particular book,) I receive a little compensation. I think I’ve made $5-10 over the years of blogging, probably because I’ve clicked on my links – lol.)