Celebrating New Year is always exciting and fun. It’s that time of the year where we set resolutions like wanting to spend money carefully, getting fitter, learning photography and actually try to get them done. There’s one goal that is always in our list which is to either start reading books or to read more. Books are enjoyable, they’re a great way to improve our vocabulary, while some find reading to be a stress buster. Many of us set a goal to read 20 books a year. Although, for a first time reader it is difficult because you need to find an interesting book to start with, and then find time to read it. Some readers have a habit of tracking books by maintaining them in a book shelf, while some prefer using apps on their phones. There are several free apps like Book Tracker, LibraryThing, Bookout that lets you do this. The one that we recommend is Goodreads. The app is free, simple to use and has a user-friendly interface. Goodreads if used properly, can make reading a daily habit. It’s available at goodreads.com or using the app on your Android or iPhone.
Reading made better!
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Goodreads is a book recommendation service that helps you find books based on your interests. You can create your own book shelf and then categorize them into three different sections - books you have already read, the ones you are currently reading and the ones you want to read. Goodreads also lets you buy a copy of a book from online retailers. This could be a physical copy or a soft-copy for your phone or eBook reader. |
You can also share your current progress by marking a page number in a book that you have been reading. If you were to find a book and want to read it later, you can use the Goodreads app for Android and iOS to scan the barcode on the back cover of a book. This helps add a book to your shelf later. The barcode is an Industry-Standard Barcodes (ISBN) number.
Once you finish reading a book, you can rate and review it too. The ratings and reviews of the books can help other readers find the right book that best suits their interest and you in turn, can also refer to ratings and reviews by others.
Goodreads is convenient and interesting because it’s a social network of sorts. You can add friends and chat with them. Adding can be done through your contact lists on your phone book or Facebook. You can also manually look for them. The advantage of adding friends is they can suggest books for you and the other way around. You can also view their reading progress. We say, Goodreads is all about challenges.
To make reading a habit, it’s fun to challenge your friends to read books by setting a number of books you want to read. They can check it out by visiting your profile and then setting their own reading goals for the year. That's not all; there are several reader groups that you can join. The benefit of joining groups is that you can stay on new releases, chat with people of similar interests, etc.
Besides this, Goodreads compiles a list of most rated books by Goodreads users every year. Of course, you can add them to your book shelf too. Using Goodreads is even more fun if you own a Kindle. It is a neat little device that’s convenient to carry wherever you go. You can keep reading on long journeys to work and back, lazing on the couch or in bed before ending you day. You can practically carry your entire eBook collection and it’s a lot simpler than carrying physical books.
Compare Kindle E-readers
| All new Kindle | Kindle Paperwhite | Kindle Voyage | |
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| Price | Rs. 5,999* | Rs. 10,999* | Rs. 16,499* |
| Benefits | Resolution 167 ppi | High resolution (300 ppi) e-reader display | High resolution (300 ppi) e-reader display |
| Weight - 161 g | Weight - 205 g | Weight - 180 g | |
| Easy wireless connectivity for downloading books |
Easy wireless connectivity for downloading booksBuilt-in light for night readingAdjusts brightness automaticallyAccess, purchase and download books anytimeInstant translation feature for easy reading |
Easy wireless connectivity for downloading booksBuilt-in light for night readingAdjusts brightness automaticallyAccess, purchase and download books anytimeInstant translation feature for easy readingFeatures haptic feedback and page turn sensorsThin design and lightweight to carry |
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| Storage | 4GB (Holds thousands of books) | 4GB (Holds thousands of books) | 4GB (Holds thousands of books) |
| Battery | Weeks | Weeks | Weeks |
You can connect your Kindle with existing Amazon account, select and read books and Goodreads will do the rest. Your Goodreads account will automatically update books into your shelf once you finish reading them and also sync reading progress. Besides that, you can share snippets from books, add bookmarks and even continuing reading a book on your mobile, tablet or PC. Get a head start now, and you’ll soon find your way making progress on that book reading resolution for the year.
*Prices are subject to change. Please refer to the product page for availability and latest prices.
