Maya (She/her)Dec 21, 2020
Moritz Heiber

Looks like Amazon is retiring the Goodreads API, which just another step towards basically abandoning Goodreads and folding it into some other Amazon service I guess: https://joealcorn.co.uk/blog/2020/goodreads-retiring-API

My advice? Get off Goodreads while you still can (ie export your content) and move over to StoryGraph: https://beta.thestorygraph.com

A black-owned startup finally developing a viable alternative to Goodreads. Fuck yeah!

(Why not LibraryThings? Because, guess what.. it’s also owned by Amazon!)

Goodreads plans to retire API access, disables existing API keys | Joe's website

Goodreads has quietly deprecated their public API, and disabled existing API keys without warning.

Dec 13, 2020 at 1:28pmWeb
Show threadMoritz HeiberDec 13, 2020

Also, here’s a fairly recent review: https://wanderinglynn.com/2020/09/17/my-review-of-the-storygraph-beta/

It couldn’t be more positive.

They’re launching a subscription service early 2021 (I’m an early bird subscriber already), so if you want to retain viable alternatives to established conglomerates you know what to do!

My Review of The StoryGraph (Beta)

Show threaded(1) conferenceDec 13, 2020

@mwlucas Amused that searching TheStoryGraph.com for your titles suggests that _Absolute FreeBSD_ is "informative, slow-paced" while _Absolute OpenBSD_ is "informative, fast-paced".

https://beta.thestorygraph.com/authors/f2cfedaf-8e8a-4d7e-a7ce-f36933f303b2

Michael W. Lucas | The StoryGraph Beta

Show threadalt for @[email protected]Dec 13, 2020
@ed1conf okay, that IS funny.
Show threaded(1) conferenceDec 13, 2020

@mwlucas Had trouble figuring out what "fast-paced" meant in this context.

"Looking for a light beach read? Absolute OpenBSD has you covered."

"A real action-packed nail-biter, couldn't put down."

Show threadJosh GrosseDec 13, 2020

@ed1conf @mwlucas

"I couldn't put it down for years.... Damn tube of superglue."

Show threadDana Rose Ross Dec 13, 2020
@moritzheiber there's also Bookwyrm which is self-hosted and is part of the Fediverse! https://github.com/mouse-reeve/bookwyrm
GitHub - bookwyrm-social/bookwyrm: Social reading and reviewing, decentralized with ActivityPub

Social reading and reviewing, decentralized with ActivityPub - GitHub - bookwyrm-social/bookwyrm: Social reading and reviewing, decentralized with ActivityPub

Show threadMoritz HeiberDec 13, 2020

@nakedambition I like the idea of a federated alternative, but last I checked Bookwyrm was barely usable, let along federated properly .. ?

Maybe StoryGraph could consider adding ActivityPub support instead 😊

Show threadQDec 13, 2020
@moritzheiber there's also readng.co. storygraph is the best alternative I've found so far. i recommend it, but it has yet to completely replace goodreads for me, tbh
Show threadjumsDec 14, 2020

@moritzheiber there always will be an api at https://api.inventaire.io :)

[disclaimer: i work for @inventaire]

Inventaire API

Inventaire HTTP API documentation

Show threadpinkDec 14, 2020
@moritzheiber oh man, I have a ton of friends and “stuff” on goodreads. I liked it being independent:/
Show threadMoritz HeiberDec 14, 2020
@pink I mean, I don’t know when you started using it, but it hasn’t been “independent” since 2013 (when Amazon bought it)
Show threadLuke Chadwick 🧑‍💻Dec 14, 2020
@moritzheiber also https://openlibrary.org and https://readng.co
Welcome to Open Library | Open Library

Open Library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Read, borrow, and discover more than 3M books for free.

Show threadKévinDec 15, 2020
@moritzheiber I did not realise Goodreads was a Scamazon property. Thanks for posting this, I just moved everything over to The Storygraph
Show threadShayna [vey/vem/they/them]Dec 21, 2020
@moritzheiber I had no idea Amazon owned Goodreads! Thanks for all of this info -- checking out your suggestion now, and it looks so good (plus, I love that we can import from Goodreads to make the switch easier!).
Show threadAniDec 21, 2020
@moritzheiber I switched to StoryGraph just in the past two weeks and I LOVE IT. From an #accessibility point of view alone, it's fucking amazing. So much easier to use and navigate 😍
Show threadSoh Kam YungDec 22, 2020

@moritzheiber I'm looking for a site to put up my thought and reviews on books I've read, rather than looking for a recommendation site (I have way too many to-be-read books).

A bonus would be a site that can cross-reference reviews and notes on short stories too. Short stories can appear in multiple places (on-line, fiction magazines, anthologies, collections, etc.). So, a note I make about story X that I read in collection Y and later appears in book Z gets the note too.

Show threadKaz 🏳️‍⚧️Dec 22, 2020
@moritzheiber thank you for sharing!! Have been wanting to move off goodreads for awhile :)) storygraph here I come!!
Show threadChris is.Dec 22, 2020
@moritzheiber Can you confirm that "Owned by Amazon"? Wikipedia suggests that there's a partial stake, but not a controlling one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LibraryThing#Ownership
LibraryThing - Wikipedia