Amazon swallowed up book enthusiast site Goodreads last week, raising concerns about the monolithic e-tailer’s ongoing monopolisation of the publishing industry.
For those of us not counted amongst Goodreads’ 16 million users, the site enjoys the distinction of being the Internet’s premiere social media platform for book lovers. Members join up, befriend others and share reviews and comments about books. It’s basically Facebook for the literary minded, with one very important distinction. If a friend of yours on the site recommends a book, or the site recommends you a book, you’ll have the option to ‘Get a copy’.