why i'm not rating my books in 2022 + moving to storygraph

popping in with some thoughts i've had for a while. love to hear what you think of this topic!
other videos from creators:
‪@SorcerersApprenticeReads‬
☞ • Why I Don't Rate Books
@ellethinks
☞ • Why I Don't Rate Books
an introspective blog post:
Ableism in Readers | When a book is rated low because the representation is not understood
☞ servillasspeaks.wordpress.com...
switching to storygraph videos:
‪@jack_in_the_books‬
☞ • why I'm moving to The ...
‪@thecozycommune‬
☞ • I SWITCHED to the STOR...
timestamps:
00:14 intro
5:17 it's (mostly) a popularity contest
7:25 rating books when you r not target audience
11:10 ratings change
14:13 ratings are subjective
17:50 why i switched to the storygraph
📺 last video:
ranking 2022 book releases
☞ • ranking 2022 book rele...
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find me elsewhere!
blog: www.thebooksbuzz.com/​
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twitter: @thebooksbuzz
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goodreads: / alexandria-ang
the storygraph: app.thestorygraph.com/profile...
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[@byebyechey4896]

this is full of interesting points about rating that i hadn’t considered! personally, the only reason that I track and rate the books i read is bc i have pretty severe memory loss problems so it’s nice to know for sure how i felt about a certain book after reading it, and bc i process things visually it’s a nice motivator to get me to read more when i can see my “books read” section fill up. i hadn’t even stopped to consider how it might be affecting the market/system as a whole; it’s always just been a way to keep track of things. thanks for sharing another perspective!!

[@sunflowersandstorms5608]

the only I haven't made the full switch (I currently use the two) is that Goodreads' design just works for me. Storygraph sometimes can feel a bit maze-like in my brain but I also very much like the half and quarter stars. I love that you talked about the DNF function but sadly we can't make it count to our reading goal (which I personally do because I spent energy on that book). Also, the booktok tables, in my opinion, shouldn't exist and should be fought against with libraries and bookstores showing unrated and underhyped books, to level the playing field at least a little. Sorry for the long comment.

[@alyxandriaang]

that's totally awesome and valid! did you know, while you can't add the DNFed books to your BOOK reading goal, you can add it to your page goal which is better than nothing ;) I agree with the booktok tables, especially bec we're seeing these backlisted popular titles that already sold so much in their day come back, only to steal marketing and love from underrated and more diverse books!

[@ferventfei]

oh i love discussion videos like this! i totally understand what you mean by feeling like its very limiting. ive been using both storygraph and goodreads and storygraph feels so much more free in my opinion and the interface makes it so that it's a lot more quiet. the only thing that is a downside that's out of their control is that there isn't as much users as goodreads, so the way the book is categorized can be inaccurate since it's based on readers. this video made me also want to rate books only when i really want to, because i also put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure that the rating i put will be permanent and thats usually not the case.

[@alyxandriaang]

that sounds like a lovely decision and it was kind of where I was going with this video. I'm hoping that in the next few years, storygraph will be just as popular as goodreads :)

[@edsebert]

I love rating my books just for personal organization, but I never used the rating system or reviews on GR as a reason for me to read or buy them, for me is about the story and if I'm interested or not.

[@GwendolynKensinger]

I use Goodreads and the Storygraph. I appreciate the giveaways hosted on GR. And how my books are filed away/ the layout but I like SG because finally a way to use 1/4 star etc. + being able to select content warnings. I really agreed about ratings changing over time. I do rarely go back and change my ratings from time to time but often not. Great discussion!

[@alyxandriaang]

thanks for watching! I do love me some GR giveaways... even though I've never won one in ten years 😂

[@emster12sov]

I've honestly been feeling the same way since I started reading a lot more in the pandemic. Goodreads definitely helped a lot and made it more fun for me to get back into reading but I'm going to try Storygraph for 2022 too.

[@alyxandriaang]

yayyy! can't wait to hear about how it goes. will definitely do an updated video.

[@kell_checks_in]

8:25 I disagree. I run into a lot of would-be memorists, and when you ask them what their memoir is about and why someone should read it you get blank stares. (Ask them how many memoirs or biographies they've read and that stare gets even more vacuous.) A lot of people write memoirs because they're famous or they're narcissists or both. A good memoir is as riveting as any novel or more so. A good memoir is much more about the events and people around the memoirist than that person themselves. The gold standard is of course Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes, which is his mother's story told through her children. His ego is non-existent in the work. He's there as one of the kids, as the camera eye, but he doesn't get in the way of his own story or anyone else's. There are also the issues of competency in writing. Just because someone's had an interesting life doesn't mean they can string words together. It is a skill that not everyone values or has studied. It's inappropriate to acknowledge when the memoirist is not using their tools well.

[@lovetrustandpixiedust]

You're a very kind and fair reviewer. I agree with you regarding Goodreads - they tend to promote the most hyped books, so already popular books become even more popular while other books languish in obscurity.

[@alyxandriaang]

Beautifully put ✨

[@ipshitajee]

Honestly you raised such an amazing discussion,I too believe that content warnings are nessasary as far as the physical copy goes the publishers should also consider adding them in the physical as well as the digital copy.

[@evieolive7646]

I've been using both since the middle of last year and honestly Storygraph feels a lot more chill and I hate how Goodreads tells me when my 'friends' add someone new as a 'friend', like good for you but it's clogging my timeline lol. I might fully switch over to Storygraph tbh, I'm just dumb and always struggle to find the bit where you click to write a review lol?? Love the video!! :)

[@alyxandriaang]

Omg yeah StoryGraph has a bit of a learning curve but one id gladly learn if it doesn’t mean supporting Amazon-owned goodreads

[@evieolive7646]

Definitely!! Any less money going to Bezos is better in my book

[@maeiscompletelyfine]

Congratulations on 9K! 🥰 🥳 cheers to another great reading year

[@alyxandriaang]

thank you so much!

[@LilRadRidingHood]

I totally agree with this video. And yeah I think especially once I started reading mostly books by authors of color, which generally don't get to be as popular, I started to only rate books on goodreads when I wanna give 5 stars to underappreciated books

[@alyxandriaang]

Gonna be starting that this year!!

[@starwolvie]

My main rating is about a 3. That means it's good! I hate how books have to be a 5 otherwise it's "bad". I've stopped rating books. I ask myself Would I read this again? Did I like the book? Would I buy it for my own collection? (If I hadn't bought it, or if I gave it away would I have to buy it again)...

[@alyxandriaang]

I know, it's so frustrating that it's been perceived that way. I'm with you though!

[@eglizmas]

loved hearing your thoughts! also you have a new subscriber

[@alyxandriaang]

Thanks for watching ❤️

[@tantan8910]

I don't like spicy books. It doesn't tell you that on books

[@supersnek5]

A lot of this sounds like you care way too much about what other people may potentially think. You're making a mountain over a molehile.

[@alyxandriaang]

just sharing my perspective! thanks for the input