Books Galore!

There are so many books in the world. It's difficult to choose just one. Earlier in the week, we talked about GoodReads and how it helps you find amazing books to read, but it can't choose what book you should read next. I currently have over 70 books on my GoodReads to-read list. Deciding which one to read, now that's a challenge.

Last week, I was mourning over the end of Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls Series. I needed to fill the void left by the end of the series and the only way to do that was to find another book, but which one? I wasn't sure if I was ready to read another series just yet so I narrowed my pool to finishing the half-read biography I started a few months ago, a novella, or a stand-alone--still a huge pool of books to choose from. 

Then I did something dangerous! *dramatic pause* I searched for Sara Shepard's Lying Game Series on Amazon.com. I really wanted to start reading this series, but again, I just wasn't sure if I could commit. Now for the dangerous part: I read the teaser chapters! *dun dun dun...* I was hooked! Then another dilemma struck! Even with Amazon Prime, I would have to wait two whole days for my books to arrive. I couldn't be book-less! Then I had to decide between the half-read biography and the only novella on my GoodReads list: Ally Carter's Double Crossed, which is a free e-book on Amazon. 

Okay, okay. It wasn't too big of a dilemma. I've been violently ill all week and I was in the mood to be swept up in a new, fictional world so I read Double Crossed until the first three books in the Lying Game Series arrived on my doorstep. 

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How do you choose what to read next? Tell me about it or share your book dilemma in the comments!

Tip of the Week: GoodReads

Tip of the Week: Sign up for GoodReads and discover your next favorite book. 

GoodReads allows the user to create lists of book they have read and books they want to read. It also allows them to create their own custom lists. In my case, I have an additional list titled, Books I own, but haven't read yet. This enables me to keep track of all the books I want to read, while not mixing the books I want to buy and the books I already own. 

GoodReads is a great place to find a book you'll love. One way GoodReads helps you find your next book is by analyzing the list of books you've read and the rating you gave it (based on 1-5 stars) and then it generates a list of books that may interest you. Also, there is an 'Explore' feature that leads you to  'Listopia' to find Best Young Adult Books, Books Set in Wales, Can't Wait Books of 2014, etc. You can also explore by genre, or by the most read books of the week, new releases of the year or month, books that have been reviewed recently by other users, and finally you can explore Books at Random if you're not sure what you'd like to read next. 

Once you find a book (or a plethora of books) you want to read, you can consult the GoodReads community to find out more about the book. GoodReads provides a profile on each book. One of the many helpful features is the cumulative rating. For instance, Ally Carter's Uncommon Criminals (the second book in the Heist Society Series) has 18,566 ratings and the average rating is 4.19 stars. Along with the cumulative rating, you can also read all of the individual reviews of the book by other members of the GoodReads community. The book profile also gives a detailed description of the book and a link to the authors page, where you can read a bio and discover other books written by the same author. 

GoodReads also lets users connect with other readers and join groups based on interests in certain books, topics, genres, etc. 

This is hardly a cumulative list of all the wonderful features GoodReads offers. Check it out and see for yourself!

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What are you reading this week? Tell me in the comments!