Organize Your Reading: Goodreads vs Storygraph

So you're really doing it...you're reading to the point that you have to write down what you want to read and what you've already read so you don't forget.  Someone gave you a recommendation and you won't remember it in two minutes so you stow it in the notes in your phone, on a random piece of paper, or just beg yourself not to forget.  It's time for some organization! 

My favorite way to track my books is in an app on my phone.  I have a reading journal, but it's really more of a creative outlet and keepsake.  It's not realistic to carry an artistic journal around everyday.  I was a long time lover of Goodreads, but recently added Storygraph into the mix.  Now why in the world are you using two different platforms to track reading? I've been on Goodreads for over 10 years and have lots of books logged in there.  Well what's so good about Storygraph? I'm going to give you the good, the bad, and the ugly of these two apps so you can decide the best way to organize your books.

RATING AND REVIEW SYSTEM

GOODREADS: 

• whole point star ratings
• able to add dates of read and finished
• can write an open ended review

STORYGRAPH: 

• quarter point star ratings
• able to add dates of read and finished
• asks closed ended questions
• plot/character driven
• character development
• character diversity
• loveability of characters
• do we focus on the main character's flaws
• can write an open ended review

INFORMATION ABOUT THE NOVEL

GOODREADS: 

• title, author, order in series, number of pages, publication date
• publisher's description of the book
• average star rating and breakdown of star ratings (1-5)
• open ended reviews from the community
• other books in the series, other books by the author, and community lists that featured the book

STORYGRAPH: 

• title, author, order in series, number of pages, publication date
• tags other users have used to describe the book in their reviews: pace, genre, intensity
• publisher's description of the book
• community answers to close ended questions and self-written reviews
• average star rating
• content warnings

BOOKISH COMMUNITY

GOODREADS: 

• feed of your friends including their current reads and updates
• news and interviews created by Goodreads librarians
• book groups of every imaginable variety as a way to connect to other readers
• these are often run as book clubs and the group is able to add what book is being read at any given time
• books sorted by genre to help you find your next read
• personalized recommendations according to books on your shelves
• pre-made lists to help you find books similar to the ones you loved
• giveaways to win free books

STORYGRAPH: 

• feed of your friends including their current reads and updates
• ability to create buddy reads with other users
• giveaways to win free books

YEARLY READING CHALLENGE

GOODREADS: 

• number of books to read
• current progress in number of books and percentage

STORYGRAPH: 

• number of books to read
• current progress in number of books and percentage
• number of pages to read
• current progress in number of pages and percentage
• your reading trends for the year including moods, pace, page numbers, genres, and format
• graph depicting number of books and pages read during each month of the year
• graph depicting how many books were rated in each star rating

This analysis doesn't take a rocket scientist.  Storygraph clearly is the more in depth and engaging app to track your reading content on.  You just have to decide if that's the right choice for you.  If you are looking for a tool to track a basic rating and what you want to read...then goodreads is probably perfectly fine for you.  I personally really like Storygraph because I like that it tells my how my reading trends: am I reading long books? what moods have I been reading? am I having issues reading in the summer but excelling in the winter?  The analytic data in Storygraph is way more sophisticated than that of Goodreads, but it also takes twice as long to log a book once you're done reading it.

Where Goodreads has Storygraph beat is the longevity of the app and the bookish community it has created.  The longevity is a big game changer with Goodreads.  There's users that have been on it for 10+ years (myself included) and have reviews dating back that far.  Storygraph is a relatively new platform and still gaining traction with readers. Goodreads also makes it easy to connect with book clubs and similar readers through the groups function.  It also is incredibly easy to start and run your own group if you haven't found one that suits you.