Hi Dave. I see that you’re a fellow book reader and Goodreads enthusiast! I’m wondering if you can help me: I started reading a book and it’s just awful. I want to just remove it from my currently reading list and move on to the next title. No review, no star rating, I just want it gone. Is that possible?
I’ve always been an avid reader; I even volunteered at the local public library when I was in high school. It was fun but more importantly I got to borrow and read all the hot new titles before they got on the shelves! With the glut of other media content available nowadays, I tend to be about a book-a-week person, typically consuming two titles simultaneously; one in audio book format while I drive, and another that I read, either in print or on my much used Kindle device.
Goodreads is a great addition to the mix because it lets me track what I read and share my thoughts on each title with fellow bookaholics. I try to be pretty consistent with my reviews, offering up a completely subjective star rating and 2-3 paragraph review that answer the question of whether I thought it was a fun read. You can find me on Goodreads as Dave Taylor (where you can also learn that most of the books I’ve written are on Goodreads too, as it happens).
Over hundreds of titles I too have occasionally encountered a book that’s just not my cup of tea, that I realize I’ve read before, or that moves into a theme or topic that I dislike. Sometimes I’ll just give it a poor review that reflects my general opinion of the title, but other times I just want it to vanish from my Currently Reading list. The latter is doable, but it’s a bit tricky. Let’s have a look…
CURRENTLY READING ON GOODREADS
I’m currently reading two books: Ancient Tales and Folklore of Japan and When The Moon Hits Your Eye. The latter is great fun, but the former? Well…
As you can see, they’re both listed on the left side in my Currently Reading area, complete with covers and info on the authors. Note also that John Scalzi is a Goodreads Author so gets a tiny icon next to his name. I can easily add a book with the ingeniously labeled “Add a book” link, but there’s no “remove a book”.
A click on “Update progress” definitely doesn’t reveal what I seek:
Clicking “Cancel” here just closes the window, it doesn’t remove the book from Currently Reading.
HOW TO FIND THE REMOVE BOOK LINK
Instead, if I click on the book cover from the home page, Goodreads shows me a detailed information page about the title:
3.45 isn’t a very good rating, so it appears I might not be alone in finding this title a bit dull and unengaging.
To proceed from here, I’ll click on the tiny “Edit my activity” link on the lower left. Yes, it’s subtle.
Interestingly, it’s brought me to a page where I can review the title and even check the “Hide entire review because of spoilers” (a feature I wish people used diligently to avoid ruining books with their reviews!). Still no helpful link, right? But if you scroll down…
Did you spot it? All the way on the very bottom there’s a link for “Remove from my books“.
CLICK ON REMOVE FROM MY BOOKS
No surprise, click on that to remove the book from your Currently Reading queue. It’ll pop up a confirmation window:
A click on “OK” and it’s a done deal. You’ll see a fleeting confirmation if you watch closely:
That’s it. Mission accomplished. Now read some of your friend’s reviews on Goodreads to find your next good read. 🙂
Pro Tip: I’ve written dozens of books! You can find me on Goodreads and even find my books, for that matter. Check ’em out!