The Good News about Goodreads by Kristin Patrick

For years I remained reluctant to commit to Goodreads for the same reason as many educators. I worried that if I couldn’t catalog all of the books that I experienced as an adult reader to date, why bother? I was too concerned with projecting a complete reading profile. Six years ago I convinced myself that it wasn’t necessary to recreate a diary of my past reading life. Goodreads would serve as an opportunity to enhance my future reading life and writing life.

Goodreads now serves as my version of a blog. Instead of providing concise summaries followed by critiques of literary merit, I write editorials of varying length co-mingled with passionate endorsements (and non-endorsements) of book titles. The commitment to record something, anything, for each book I read forces me to write for an online audience at least once a week. As a reader of approximately two hundred books read a year, I never run out of writing material. My Goodreads followers insist that they rely on my honest reviews and ratings to guide their book selections.

If your reading life is your life like it is for me, Goodreads can be a good solution for an educator’s commitment to write more.

Kristin meets her reading twin at Nerd Camp Michigan 2018. Kristin and Shari keep in touch through Goodreads.

Kristin Patrick is a Technology Integration Coach with Noblesville Schools. She is President of the Indiana State Literacy Association. Follow her on her on Twitter @krismarley12.