Where My Book Nerds At?

Let’s Talk Book-Tracking Apps (and Hot Bookmark Action)

I feel like we need to get into this, because I’m about to start dropping book reviews—and I wanna know where you hang out. Goodreads? StoryGraph? Scribbled notes in the margins of your soul? Wherever you’re rating, raving, and rage-quitting books, I wanna be there too.

Because if we’re gonna spiral about fictional characters together, we need to get our systems straight.

I’m not the type to log a book before chapter one—I usually forget to add it until I’m three chapters from the end and already emotionally compromised. But I do keep track of what I’ve read, and I’m absolutely that person who wants to know how many pages I’ve cried over this year. There’s something deeply satisfying (read: borderline obsessive) about tracking every book we read, rating it, tagging it “emotional gut-punch,” and then aggressively scrolling for our next literary fix like the dopamine-hungry word goblins we are. So let’s talk platforms, tools, and a little bookish gear while we’re at it.

So let’s break down the best book-tracking platforms out there—and then I’ll hit you with some seriously underrated bookish gear from the shop that your reading nook needs. Yes, needs.

📚 Goodreads: The Overcrowded, Slightly Janky OG

We all started here. Goodreads is like that old hoodie you still wear even though it’s ugly and smells a little weird—it’s familiar, it works, and everyone else is there, too. The interface is a crime against design, but it does let you:

• Track your yearly reading challenge like your life depends on it
• Stalk author updates like a professional
• Get peer pressured by people reading 200 books a year (rude)

If you want pure utility and a thriving base of fellow TBR-hoarders, Goodreads is still the default.

🔥 BookBub: Free Books = Instant Regret (and Zero Shelf Space)

While we’re here, have you signed up for BookBub yet? Because you should. It’s basically a daily email of free and cheap eBooks tailored to your tastes. Think: “Oh cool, I do want twelve paranormal romcoms today.” You’ll never read them all, but your digital hoarder heart will be so full. I don't use their social platform, I'm just there for the emails.

Seriously, go sign up. Just know you’re about to become that person with 900 unread books on your Kindle. Welcome to the club.

📊 StoryGraph: For Data Nerds and Vibe Checkers

Okay, this is where things get sexy. StoryGraph is the anti-Goodreads. It’s clean, it’s smart, it tracks your reading moods (moody books forever), and it’s not owned by Amazon, so you don’t have to make a deal with the devil just to log your favorite novellas.

✨ Cool features:

• Personalized recs based on your actual taste
• Graphs, charts, and enough data to make a librarian weep
• Tags like “fast-paced,” “diverse,” and “makes you want to scream into the void”

Catch me over there as HerbaceousRiot, over-analyzing my reading stats like it’s a full-time job.

📱 Fable: Book Club Chaos, But Make It Social

Fable is trying to be the cool kid in the reading app world. You can join book clubs, chat while you read, and even track what TV shows you’re binging (if you're into that). It’s part Goodreads, part Instagram, part “who let this app have so many notifications?”

If you want a more interactive reading experience—or just need another app to ignore—Fable’s worth a peek. I’m still deciding if it’s too much or just the right kind of chaotic energy.

🔖 Bookish Merch That Slaps

Now for the good stuff: gear for people who are entirely Too Into Books™.

• Mini Bookmarks – These little guys are made from smooth, sturdy 16pt FSC-certified paper and ready to tag your current read like a pro. They’re 2" x 3.5", AKA adorable and functional AF.

• Journals – Log your books, rate your reads, scream about your OTPs in privacy.

• Tees & Mugs – Bookish, bold, and just the right amount of unhinged. If your wardrobe doesn’t say “I read to escape late-stage capitalism,” what are we even doing?

Basically: if your idea of self-care involves blanket forts, hot tea, and a six-hour reading binge, I’ve got merch for you.

So… Where You At?

Let’s get unhinged about books together. Whether you’re stalking your stats on StoryGraph, stuck in Goodreads jail, or poking around Fable trying to make friends, I want in.

Add me, tag me, scream about your favorite reads—I’m here for all of it.
And grab some gear while you’re at it. Reading might be a solitary hobby, but we can still look good doing it.