In the last week of 2020, I decided to export my Goodreads data to display it on my personal website. This post is about what I did and how.
Sometimes I feel a bit obtuse and unimaginative when it comes to how to use the web. Saw this idea of building a personal library on your own site rather than Goodreads and had a DUH moment. I’ve started tracking reads on here but I like the visual format of Goodreads, and seeing all the covers stacking up in one place. Never occurred to me to replicate that aspect of Goodreads in addition to simply my notes and reviews.
Can’t give myself too hard a time, I’m still opening my mind to the possibilities as I dabble in the Indie Web. There’s no race here, I’m doing this for fun and personal satisfaction (plus supporting a movement for good and living by my values). Also, it’s a pandemic and the president just attempted a coup, I’ve got things jamming up my inventive energies these days 🤷♀️
Of the examples, I particularly like how Dave Rupert displays his read list. I’d also like to use it to show genres and diversity, which I’ve been tracking.
I know nothing about databases so I’m not sure I’m capable of cobbling together anything that looks like this without a lot of manual work, because I’m also not sure I have time or patience to learn, at least right now 😉 But maybe something to keep in the back of my mind.
