Mental Sampler 34
A few weeks ago, I peered down into my Yeti and noticed the burnished patina on the bottom of my tea cup. It wouldn’t come off the stainless steel, no matter how much I scrubbed. Internet to the rescue.
I dropped about eight denture cleaner tabs into the bottom of the cup and added boiling (not just hot) water. I let it sit for a few minutes, then spilled it out and scrubbed. It took a few rounds, but the Yeti looks unused at this point. The metal sparkles. And the tea tastes better. Win-win.
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The dek for this article about Goodreads says it perfectly: “It’s glitchy. It’s mean. It’s a mess. It’s my favorite website on the internet.” It’s the only social media site where I scroll back to see where I left off because I don’t want to miss anyone’s reading update. It’s like a book club that never ends, accessible 24/7.
I learn more about other people than I do from other social media sites. I’m not just talking about what they’re reading; it’s how they talk about the books.
I know there are other, better book communities out there. But I still like Goodreads, not just for the critical mass of people and opinions.
4 comments
I’d forgotten about the denture cleaner trick… I have used baking soda to clean the stains on my mugs/cups (not a Yeti, just regular cups/mugs), with varying degrees of success, but some stains are more set/stubborn than others. I should give that a try!
I use both Goodreads & StoryGraph. I was able to port all my data & reviews from Goodreads over to StoryGraph, and whenever I read a new book, it takes me just a few seconds more to log it on StoryGraph, and copy my GR review over there. I have more friends on Goodreads, but both sites have features I like. I love to hear about what people are reading, and how they liked different books (or didn’t!).
What is your opinion about the Under Seige controversy and the censorship of negative reviews (but only for Trump, not Harris) on Goodreads?
I am probably going to delete Goodreads and move to Storygraph
Automatic Dishwasher detergent will do the same thing. Put into cup or coffee pot/ ea kettle and add hot water. With the glass carafes, you can watch the brown stuff flake right off.
For me, first and foremost, it is simply a list of books I have read. I ignore almost all reviews of books except those of my friends. I have a very small group of friends on Goodreads, people I know who largely enjoy similar books to me. If I’m researching a book, I look at the four star and two star reviews, but largely prefer to go from reviews in journals/websites/media I trust and respect.