I've recently found myself exploring options other than Goodreads for tracking books I want to read and have read. While I do enjoy some of the features the Goodreads app on my phone has, mainly being able to scan a barcode and have it added to my "To Read" list, I really don't visit bookstores nearly as much as I used to, and instead rely on algorithms and reviews on book sites to tell me what my next read should be. To be truthful, my primary reason for moving away from Goodreads is the fact that it's Amazon-owned. As I already give them enough of my data, any little action I can do to take back some control of my reading habits is a good reason to switch.

So I've signed up with StoryGraph, and I have downloaded Book Tracker and Reading List on my iPad and phone. After some consideration, I opted to pay for Reading List, and hope to make good use of its "pro" features such as iCloud syncing (I currently do most of my reading on my iPad), statistics, and I can share it with the wife if she desires. She recently purchased Book Tracker, so it might make for an interesting comparison. Though she does 95% of her reading via Audible books, so not sure how that'll go.

I also purchased a refurbished Kobo Forma eReader, as another way to remove myself from Amazon's greedy tendrils. The Forma has another draw for me over the Kindle I currently have: physical buttons. The Forma has buttons on the side for page turning, AND it can rotate the screen, so I can hold it with my left or right hand and click the buttons with out too much effort. I never really enjoyed having a touch screen to turn pages, because, well, I would often touch the screen and turn pages. I am a klutz so it happened often. And, most importantly, it accesses Libby, the app I use to access my Library. Which is why I don't visit bookstores nearly as often any longer. I love my library! And the other two I have cards for as well. If you don't have at least ONE library card, you really should take a look. They're so much more than books nowadays.

For most of my adult years, I've leaned towards Sci-Fi and Fantasy for my genre of choice when it comes to books. I love the imaginative worlds brought forth to light, the science and the magic of it all. And I'm all for being creative when it comes to naming characters, but I always scowl a bit when an author tries to get a bit too clever when coming up with a name.

I'm currently reading A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon. My Kindle says I'm 61% of the way through the book and I'm thouroughly enjoying it. And while Ms. Shannon has given names to most of her characters that are acceptable and easy to grasp the sound of, there's one here that basically has me stumped: Jrhanyam.

I looked at that and read it as "Junior Han Yam" and now it's stuck in my head that way. I like unique names, but I like unique, pronounceable names, please and thank you.