StoryGraph: Why I Love it So Much

I recently started using StoryGraph to track my reading and I absolutely love it.

I wanted to share some of the reasons why, so that other readers and bloggers (who may be feeling a certain way about Goodreads) will know that there are better options out there and StoryGraph is one of them.

What is The StoryGraph?

StoryGraph just launched this year, so if you haven’t heard about it yet don’t worry! The only reason I was familiar with the name is because so many bloggers were beta testing it last fall.

StoryGraph helps you track your reading and choose books based on mood, topic, or theme (paraphrased from The StoryGraph homepage). You can search for books by mood (such as reflective, lighthearted, mysterious, etc.) which is one of my favorite features.

First Impressions

Initially, I didn’t think I would sign up for StoryGraph. The “graph” part of it is what had me wary, because I don’t fastidiously track my reading beyond the number of books I read each year, and I didn’t think I needed in-depth book recommendations. I figured it was more for “serious” readers who are numbers-driven and not for me.

However, I wanted an alternative to Goodreads and StoryGraph was the first one that came to mind.

StoryGraph is a breath of fresh air compared to Goodreads.

Whereas Goodreads is stuck in the 90s when it comes to website interface, StoryGraph is clean, modern, and so easy to navigate. I was sold based on the homepage alone, but good news, it gets better!

I was easily able to export my Goodreads data and upload it to my StoryGraph as part of the account sign-up process. The export took less than half an hour, so all of my data from Goodreads was readily available in no time, including my current reads and all my bookshelves. The only difference is that now it actually looks nice and clean!

The biggest difference between StoryGraph and Goodreads, which is what StoryGraph is known for, is how much more detailed the review section is for each book. Whereas Goodreads only lets you choose a star-rating and type a review into a text box, StoryGraph allows you to choose from so many other criteria to rate the book, such as whether the story is character-driven or plot-driven, if the characters are diverse, and what words you’d use to describe the mood of the story overall.

Recommendations

As you can tell, I have had a really great experience with StoryGraph so far.

I would highly recommend StoryGraph to anyone who has used Goodreads and desperately wanted it to be something more than it is.

If you want to track your books, you can do it. If you want very specific book recommendations, you can get them. If you want more data on the types of books you currently read and a breakdown in visual format of what that looks like, it’s provided.

I cannot sing its praises enough.

My only issue is that WordPress does not have an icon for me to add my StoryGraph account to the widget section on the bottom of my posts. I am hopeful that will change in the future.

Do you use StoryGraph? Tell me about your experience with it in the comments below!