Mock Newbery 2026 discussion

News has come out that Amazon purchased Goodreads. How do you feel about this?

Ambivalent. I actually like shopping at Amazon - it is like a guilty pleasure. I can avoid crowds; I can look for reviews on items I am interested in; and no one pressures me to make a decision right away. I can leave something in my shopping bag for weeks until I decide.

On the other hand, I hate big companies buying up smaller ones. I liked Goodread's independence. I am very sorry to see that independence or even the perception of independence to have to be subject to wary and cautious observation.

It worries me.

I just hope the format doesn't change too much. Though a quick link from a book on Goodreads to Amazon for purchase could be convenient.

I just wonder what Amazon gets out of this acquisition?

The answer is easy. Amazon gets a wealth of consumer data. What people are reading, what they like, everything! Our whole reading histories are on here and now Amazon has access to that to develop their marketing strategies according to what they think are our "preferences." It's kind of a privacy issue to me, because when I signed up for goodreads I never agreed to Amazon having that kind of access to my information. That's the think that bothers me about this.

I do not feel good about it. Amazon has used books as a loss-leader and I try not to support them in any way. I am looking for an alternative to Goodreads. I will miss the discussions here.

Anyone know anything about Library Thing?

LauraW wrote: "Anyone know anything about Library Thing?"

Amazon owns 40% of LibraryThing. Amazon also owns Shelfari. :/

I use both Goodreads and Libraything (the former for books I read and the latter for books I own). The owner mentions in this thread http://www.librarything.com/topic/152033 that the amazon stake (which they gained when they bought AbeBooks) is less than 40%. They've had several new posts lately to introduce the site to possible new members. Here's one of the most recent: http://www.librarything.com/blogs/lib...

I've already noticed some changes. I got an email saying "Since you liked The Fault in Our Stars you might also like Looking for Alaska Purchase it today!" and it had a link to Amazon.

I got that, too. Sigh.

You would think they would have something that at least looks at your Previously Read books to see if you've already read "Looking for Alaska"

We don't have a bookstore besides BN so I buy most of my books from Amazon. I also have a Kindle. I prefer to keep these entities separated though. So will keep my eyes open for negative changes.

I feel as if so many social and online retail places have our data already that is becoming harder and harder to be a private citizen. It's pretty scary and you see the "Big Brother" aspects in Amazon and if you do any searching online, in Google. Let's not leave out Facebook and any site that allows you to use a social media site to log in. Our data is already being used, unfortunately. We are luckily aware of Amazon and can work to protect ourselves while FB changes so quickly it's hard to figure out how to stay protected.

In the words of Mad-Eye Moody "constant vigilance" is needed! Constant vigilance!

I don't mind. Jeff Bezos had a brilliant idea when he started Amazon and now he is villainized - yet Mark Zuckerberg is lauded for founding Facebook -why? And I bet the Goodreads people made a nice little sum when they sold Goodreads - this makes them savvy, not hateful. I'm staying right here on GR and I'll ignore any emails or book recs that don't interest me!

Jennifer wrote: "I don't mind. Jeff Bezos had a brilliant idea when he started Amazon and now he is villainized - yet Mark Zuckerberg is lauded for founding Facebook -why? And I bet the Goodreads people made a ni..."

I agree! GoodReads is awesome; everything I've put on here is public anyway so I never considered any of it to be private information.

Kristen wrote: "News has come out that Amazon purchased Goodreads. How do you feel about this?"

I'm confused. Don't they already own Shelfari? Or is that someone else. We have a new local bookstore in our town and they are thriving....I am still going to use Goodreads, but I'll do my buying in my own town.

Goodreads absorbed Shelfari I thought? I remember my "shelves" being transferred.....

I have gotten more than one "suggestion" about books like this. I have laughed at the suggestion "since you liked xxx you might also like yyyy" and I laugh when I haven't read their posted xxx yet.

Is XXX by Mel Odom?

It will be interesting to see what happens with our ratings and information. I often find the recommendations on Amazon.com terrible. Maybe the GoodReads purchase will help them fill that gap. Remains to be seen. Wouldn't it be interesting if these used groups like this to increase their stock of Newbery worthy titles?

Margaret wrote: "It will be interesting to see what happens with our ratings and information. I often find the recommendations on Amazon.com terrible. Maybe the GoodReads purchase will help them fill that gap. R..."


that would be terrific! More power to us!

It's not surprising. Is there a firm/company/business that ISN'T owned by a larger company, or at least is part of a group of companies? Having said that, I can't really get too negative about the acquistion, since I shop regularly at Amazon. I do appreciate their discounts, free shipping option, etc. I particularly like reading customer reviews. Granted, some of the "reviews" may be by people personally involved in the production/writing of the item, but overall, I can get a good sense of what the public thinking is on this book/movie, etc. As was mentioned in another post within this group, what people SHOULD be reading is not necessarily what they ARE reading (or watching). I am all for literary awards and recognizing quality literature, but at the same time, I need to feel the public's pulse as well, and in addition to what I hear at my librarian's desk, Amazon fills the bill nicely.

John Yingling