Not long ago, I reviewed Karen Lenfestey’s Book, “What Happiness Looks Like.” Karen’s back! Yay! And she has something to say about goodreads. There’s a pot of coffee on. I’ll pour some.  Have a seat, Karen. The post is yours.

Are you happiest when you’re sipping coffee and reading a great book? Do you feel let down when you turn the last page because you don’t know what to read next? I can relate. That’s why I love goodreads.com.

First, let me confess that I’m not quick to try new things. I don’t text, I don’t have an iPad and I don’t quite get Twitter. But I liked goodreads from the start.

In case you’re not aware, goodreads costs nothing and has over 6 million members. Once I joined, I took a quick survey where I ranked books I’d read on a scale of 1 to 5. Then I added my favorite novels to my profile. It was that simple.

Goodreads now helps me keep track of authors I’ve read and books I’d like to read when I have the chance. The best part is getting recommendations. Based on my preferred genres, goodreads generates a list of books I’d probably enjoy.

Another way to find new authors is by reading your friends’ reviews. I prefer women’s fiction, but when a friend said a Linwood Barclay novel was “Absolutely one of the best books I’ve read this year!”, I couldn’t resist. I immediately found and started reading one of Barclay’s books. Soon I was drawn in by how he takes ordinary people and throws their lives into total disarray. I devoured the novel like it was an all-you-can-eat buffet, then longed to read another. Thanks to goodreads, I discovered the thrill of suspense.

Unfortunately, not many people I see on a day-to-day basis read the same genres that I do. If you’re like me and you want to chat with like-minded individuals, goodreads has on-line discussion groups for most interests: urban fantasy, young adult, literary fiction, romance, etc. If they don’t have the topic you’re looking for, you’re welcome to start your own discussion. There are even on-line book clubs. You can also join a Q & A group with authors such as Sue Grafton and James Patterson. Want to test your literary knowledge? Click “Explore” and take a trivia quiz. While you’re exploring, you can sign up to win free autographed books.

Overall, I don’t see a downside to joining this community. So pour yourself a cup of coffee and help yourself to some good reads.

Karen Lenfestey, a Midwest Writer’s Fellowship winner, loves to read and write women’s fiction. Visit her website at http://karensnovels.weebly.com & enter to win a free copy of her latest release, “What Happiness Looks Like.”

You can check out and review Karen’s Books on Goodreads. Read my review of What Happiness Looks Like from an earlier post.