I like the idea of "inside the book" discussions - how many times have I been reading (quietly, to myself, by myself) and felt so moved by a section of a book, a passage, a chapter, that I've wanted to immediately discuss it with someone! Sometimes, if I know it's a book a friend has also read, I may do just that - copy/paste a section of the text into a text message, as I almost exclusively read ebooks these days, often just on my Android phone through the Kindle app. I can absolutely see the appeal of reading as a more social activity; however I'm a (sometimes antisocial) introvert who highly values time to myself, and quiet time. I like that books are a way to be alone, but are engaging, that they shut out the outside world (if the book is a good one). I've always loved losing myself in books, since I've been able to read. So do I want this, my most beloved of "alone time" activities, to become another occasion in which I have to interact with people (exhausting!)? For this reason, I do like the somewhat static environment of Goodreads. I love Goodreads for tracking what I've read and whether or not I liked it. After reading, I'll often read others' reviews to see how other people felt about a book. If there's a point that is left ambiguous or is just unclear to me, I like the questions and discussions on Goodreads. But I'm a lurker, not a poster. I've never taken part in a discussion on Goodreads. This "Thing" may have been enough of a gentle nudge to make me take more of an active role in my reading - instead of just quietly swooning/raging/dropping-my-jaw to myself, perhaps the next time a book moves me, I'll post about it, see what like(or unlike)-minded people have to say.
Professionally, well, I'm a librarian. I like to talk books, to share what I've loved, and hoped others feel the same. I still remember, when I was in a school, having happy kids come back into the library after reading a book I'd recommended. "Miss Hough," (these were days pre-marriage) "this book was SOOOOOOOO good!" - nothing made me happier. Kids love sharing their opinions with each other, and as we're constantly being told, kids are "digital natives" and as such, I can see the appeal of live Tweeting reading, sharing thoughts and helping one another understand what they're reading.
Rereading what I've written so far, I'm seeing a paradox of "yes, social reading," "no, it's my quiet time!" in my thoughts, but maybe that's ok. Some books need to be talked about, are better shared, need some brainstorming to really get to the root of their meanings; and some don't. Sometimes when I'm reading an ebook, there will be sections highlighted that a previous reader has selected (because nearly all of my books come from libraries) - I love to see what has caught another reader's attention.
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