Best 4 Websites Like Goodreads

1. LibraryThing

(www.librarything.com)

LibraryThing is one of the largest Goodreads alternatives; as of the writing of this article, it had over 1.9 million users and over 95 million catalogued books. Like Shelfari, it allows you to contribute to information about a book or author, such as character names, plot summaries, awards won, and so on; it also supports “tagging”. With that said, LibraryThing draws information on books from over 700 libraries worldwide, including the American Library of Congress. So if a book exists, you’re bound to find something on it anyway.

Similar to Goodreads, LibraryThing offers plenty of support for buying or borrowing copies of books, or even reading free electronic versions. It also has an “Early Reviewer” program that allows you to win free copies of books in exchange for reviewing them.

One major drawback to LibraryThing is that it places a 200-book limit on your collection. You can eliminate this restriction with a $10 yearly subscription, or a $25 lifetime subscription.

2. Bookstr

(www.bookstr.com )

Bookstr is a website like Goodreads that was formerly a more professional-esque site known as The Reading Room. However, it has undergone a major overhaul and is now much more casual in nature, almost similar to BuzzFeed. It consists mainly of pop-style articles related to the literary world, fun quizzes that test your knowledge of books and language, author interviews, and book giveaways.

3. aNobii

(www.anobii.com)

The somewhat curious name of this book cataloging website comes from the scientific name of a common species of bookworm. It offers many of the same features as Goodreads, including being able to create and organize your own custom virtual bookshelves. You can base your bookshelves on books you have read, want to read, are your favorites, and so on.

You can also add personal or public notes to a book’s information, along with famous quotes, and even sometimes music and video accompaniments. And, of course, you can rate and review books, join groups and discussions about your favorite books/authors/genres, and get or give recommendations on new books to read.

Note that aNobii has very little support for purchasing, borrowing, or reading books (though it does have some trade functions). It is also more popular among Europeans than some of the other sites on this list.

4. Riffle

(www.rifflebooks.com)

This is a relatively new rival to Goodreads, and it takes a bit of a different approach. In contrast to the more text-heavy layout that Goodreads uses, Riffle focuses heavily on visual elements, not only in terms of book covers and images, but also in terms of the website’s overall design. Specifically, Riffle is designed to help people explore and discover books, with a heavy emphasis on connecting with and following the activity of other users.

In addition to the usual rate-and-review systems that Goodreads and other similar websites use, Riffle allows you to organize books based on which ones you’ve recommended, are reading now, or want to read. You can even create your own custom lists. You can also ask questions to other users, answer questions from them, or participate in groups and discussions. And, of course, Riffle also has support for purchasing books or reading (free) electronic copies.

Riffle has been compared primarily to Pinterest, so if you like those kinds of visual cataloguing websites, maybe Riffle will be just what you’re looking for.