I Switched to The StoryGraph and You Should Too!
Posted on February 3, 2022
If you’re like me, you too are someone who loves tracking down the media you consume, whether it be books, music, movies, and more. It’s a great way to look back at the past content that you have engaged with, recall any memories associated with it, and also connect with other people who share similar interests.
For the longest time, Goodreads had always been the number one, go-to website for avid readers. It’s a simple interface that allows users to track, rate, and review books that they have read, while also maintaining reading goals for the year. Personally, I have always found the Goodreads interface clunky and unappealing. Based on my own experiences using Letterboxd, the social network for all things film, the fact that Goodreads doesn’t run as smoothly as that is a bit disappointing.
Recently, I have made the move over from Goodreads to The StoryGraph to record my reading history, and I couldn’t be happier with the change. The StoryGraph, founded and run by Nadia Odunayo and Rob Frelow, is a Black-owned, easy-to-use, and Amazon-free alternative to Goodreads. This website provides a crisp, easy-to-use interface that utilizes the user’s data to provide the most accurate results based on their reading history and preferences in order to recommend books, create charts, and more.
Image Credit: The StoryGraph
The StoryGraph gives power to the user. Providing the option to create tags that cater to your specific tastes, filter unwanted content, and create your own lists, this website allows you to have complete control over the type of stories that you want to see and be recommended.
As well, the website also allows reading to be social and fun. Similarly to Goodreads, Storygraph lets you find and follow friends and keep up with their reading activity, and also join community book groups.
Users can navigate the website through a plethora of different options. With the implementation of a current reading list, a to-read pile, reading statistics, and reading challenges, The StoryGraph offers everything a reader could ever want in a book tracking website. Users are even provided with the ability to mark a book as a ‘did-not-finish’!
Image Credit: The StoryGraph
The website also relies on crowd-sourcing from its users when categorizing a book: whether it be through mood, genre, pacing, potential content warnings, character diversity and more, the users get to have their own say on how they interpreted the book, which then impacts how the book is displayed and recommended to other users. The community reviews are meticulous, and as a result, provide the most accurate information about the book, from if the story is more character or plot-driven, if the characters are lovable or not, and more.
Image Credit: The StoryGraph
The rating system is definitely the biggest difference between The StoryGraph and Goodreads. Personally, I much prefer The StoryGraph’s system, as it provides more opportunities to be as accurate as possible, which is something that I value in a tracking website. Additionally, with the accumulation of one’s data entered, personalized recommendations are created that specifically cater to a user’s taste.
Genres such as contemporary literature, mystery, thriller, young adult, LGBTQ+, horror, and more are all offered, which further emphasizes The StoryGraphs ongoing encouragement to diversify one’s own reading catalogue.
The best part is, users have the option to import all of their data from Goodreads into StoryGraph, making the transition over completely seamless. I definitely would recommend The StoryGraph if you are also someone who loves to track and record the books that you read, and also want an alternative that isn’t owned and associated with Amazon.
StoryGraph is available as both a mobile app and on desktop. Happy reading everyone!
References: https://thestorygraph.com/
