Goodreads Help

[Rowan]

Okay ladies and gents, I need help with Goodreads. Whenever I first access the site, before logging into my account, I've noticed the recommendations that the site offers based on what we read. So I looked for my list of recommendations, but none of the categories is historical fiction. I have historical fiction that I've read listed, but all that comes up is fantasy, mystery and young adult. How do I get historical fiction recommendations?

:confused::confused::confused:

[Mythica]

If you have historical fiction as one of your shelves, it will show up under "Recommendations by Shelf" (there may be more than one page you have to scroll through). If you have historical fiction selected as one of your favorite genres, it will also show under "Recommendations by Genre". Note the little question mark in the top right corner of recommendations of genre - hover over it and it will say "Q: How can I customize this list? Customize by selecting your favorite genres" which then links to where you can do this.

[Misfit]

You might also try adding more shelves for your books, i.e. I'll shelve Gone With the Wind as historical fiction, but I'd also shelve it as Civil War. You can be creative as you want to be with those shelves. It is amusing seeing what gets recommended to me on my "no freaking way" and "Harriet loved it" shelves :p

There is also the function to make any shelf "eclusive" like read, to read currently reading are. I've added DNF and abandoned as I want them on my shelves, but there aren't really *read* either. Hope that makes sense.

[Brenna]

[QUOTE=There is also the function to make any shelf "eclusive" like read, to read currently reading are. I've added DNF and abandoned as I want them on my shelves, but there aren't really *read* either. Hope that makes sense.[/QUOTE]

How? I went looking and couldn't find that since there are several books I actually haven't read but I've watched the movie or wall banged but I had to put them as read! I only do the basics on goodreads as I can't actually figure out how or who to follow as far as reviews go, if I should friend everybody that friends me, etc.

[Misfit]

See the attacked image. Go to edit your bookshelves, and you'll see the option to make something exclusive, which means you can't combine it with another exclusive shelf like read, to read, etc.

Hmmm, I see some new options there. I hadn't see the sticky one before.

[Brenna]

Ok usually when I have a book listed as currently reading, I can put the page number I'm on. Now with Crown in Candlelight, I can only put the percentage. Anyone know why? I have no freaking idea what percentage of the book I've read! Thanks.

[Misfit]

Ok usually when I have a book listed as currently reading, I can put the page number I'm on. Now with Crown in Candlelight, I can only put the percentage. Anyone know why? I have no freaking idea what percentage of the book I've read! Thanks.

On your update field, hover over the % and you can click to change it to pages. I prefer having a % option on ebooks, but want a page update for the dead tree versions.

[Brenna]

Thank you! Yes, for the Kindle reads, I'm ok with the % because unless I hit a thousand buttons, I can't see what page I'm on!

[Mythica]

The percentage usually shows when you've shelved the ebook/Kindle edition so check to be sure you haven't shelved the ebook/Kindle edition if you actually have a print edition. And vice versa - if you're reading an ebook/Kindle book and the update on Goodreads is showing page numbers instead of percentages, you may have shelved a print edition instead.

Unless you don't care which edition you've shelved!

Thank you! Yes, for the Kindle reads, I'm ok with the % because unless I hit a thousand buttons, I can't see what page I'm on!

If the Kindle book has page numbers, you need only press the menu button (on non-Touch) or tap the top part of the screen (on Touch) and the page number should appear at the bottom of the screen. If the Kindle book does not have page numbers though, then yeah, it's annoying to try to find them from a print edition.

[Brenna]

Actually I had the hardcover version highlighted so I'm not sure why it switched back to %. Good to know though! Thank you.

[Brenna]

I received an e-mail from Goodreads letting me know I will be getting a book for "first reads." Not sure what that means exactly and they expect me to review this book. Yikes. Do they know I don't write reviews? How did I get this book exactly?

[boswellbaxter]

I received an e-mail from Goodreads letting me know I will be getting a book for "first reads." Not sure what that means exactly and they expect me to review this book. Yikes. Do they know I don't write reviews? How did I get this book exactly?

Did you enter some sort of drawing for the book?

[Misfit]

You must have entered a give away at some point. Don't worry, the world won't cave in and they won't kick you out if you don't review it. The most harm that could come is if you don't review your "first reads" wins it counts against your chances of winning more.

Doesn't really matter in the long run, most of my friends (and myself) were winning a lot for about a year or so. Then it dried up. There's been some speculation that a lot of sock accounts seem to win a lot and that folks are setting up those accounts to help their winning chances. I flat out don't enter any more.

[lauragill]

I received an e-mail from Goodreads letting me know I will be getting a book for "first reads." Not sure what that means exactly and they expect me to review this book. Yikes. Do they know I don't write reviews? How did I get this book exactly?

You may have been entered in a drawing without your even knowing it, simply because you posted a comment somewhere.

[Brenna]

Hmmm there is a possibility that I did enter a Goodreads giveaway-but I didn't know there were strings attached. I didn't realize there were people that actually check up on those kind of things-is that someone's job-check if someone wrote a review?

Well I'll give it a whirl, but does a paragraph count as an adequate review?

At least it looks a bit interesting-Commedia Della Morte-it's number 25 in a series so it should be good right?

[Mythica]

You may have been entered in a drawing without your even knowing it, simply because you posted a comment somewhere.

I don't think it works that way on Goodreads - as far as I know, first reads giveaways can only be entered by specifically signing up and providing your address first. Every time I enter a giveaway, I have to select an address to enter with.

Hmmm there is a possibility that I did enter a Goodreads giveaway-but I didn't know there were strings attached. I didn't realize there were people that actually check up on those kind of things-is that someone's job-check if someone wrote a review?

No, I'm sure it's automated with some kind of bot.

Well I'll give it a whirl, but does a paragraph count as an adequate review?

Yes, there are no rules on how long it has to be. My first giveaway review was pretty short (all of six sentences in total) and I won a second time after that so I was not excluded due to a short review. These are the term and conditions:


Terms & Conditions
If more people are interested in a book than there are copies available, we will pick the winners at our discretion. The factors that go into our algorithm are: randomness, site activity, genre of books on your shelves, current phase of the moon, and more.
No purchase necessary. Only one entry is allowed per household. You must be 13 or older and a legal resident of one of the countries this giveaway is listed for.
The publisher or author, not Goodreads, is responsible for shipment of books to winners. To list a book, the publisher or author has already agreed never to send you anything except the book in question.
You are not required to review the book if you win a copy. However, we encourage you do to so, as it's the reason the publishers are giving us free books in the first place. People who review the books are also more likely to win more advance copies in the future.
By accepting an advance copy and posting a review, you grant Goodreads and the publisher an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, fully paid, worldwide license to use, copy, perform, display, and distribute your review.
In compliance with FTC guidelines, please disclose in your review that you received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

And btw, you are also not required to write a positive review. It can be as negative as you like. These are the two I've won and reviewed so far if you interested:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/178150519
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/277380590

[Brenna]

So THE book arrived today-way quicker than I was expecting. I read the cover-certainly not my cup of tea so it may sit there until I finish with Daughter of York.