Pump up your summer reading list with Goodreads.

 Photo credit: Liam Quin

Well, it’s time to buck the ranking system my dear readers. Goodreads is here to help you overcome your fear of data with their newly searchable bookshelves, virtually stocked by over 2.2 million bookish members.

 

Sound overwhelming? Start by taking a look at Goodreads' most popular books, based on average reader rating and number of ratings. Obviously Harry Potter and company are there, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find Shel Silverstein and even good old Will Shakespeare. Pry your eyes away from the best sellers for a second and you may just be inspired to try someone else's old favorites, or to re-read one of your own.

 

When you're feeling more adventurous, hop over to the brand new, browsable area of the site where users can search the most popular books by year and month. The lists are compiled by tracking the number of people who have added each book to their shelves, either as Read, To-Read, or Currently Reading.

 

For example, the most popular book from April 2009 is Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, one of my top picks for this summer. In the top 10 from 1980: Superfudge (yeah Judy Blume!) The Bourne Identity (just as popular without Matt Damon’s biceps) and Clan of the Cave Bear (totally remember mom reading that one). It's endlessly entertaining, looking up the best reads from the year you were born or checking out what grandma was sneaking home from the library during the Great Depression.

 

But that's not all. You can even look into the future to see what upcoming releases have readers chomping at the bit. And if searching stats isn’t your cup of tea, there’s hope for you passive book seekers: simply sign up to follow friends, favorite authors, and the snarkiest reviewers, Twitter style. They’ll spoon feed you recommendations, so you really have no excuse. Now reapply your SPF and get reading.