Werner’s Comments (group member since Feb 10, 2014)

Werner’s comments from the Easley Library Bookworms group.

In a new development that apparently just started on Tuesday afternoon, in any new discussion thread that you create in any group, the "Notify me" box no longer works. Even if you check it properly, the program will uncheck it after you close the window. (This was reported to me by a fellow moderator whose information I know to be trustworthy; but I also confirmed it by creating a test thread. :-( ) It appears that (at least so far) older threads are not affected yet.

I have not reported this to the Goodreads management as an accidental glitch that they might wish to correct; but at this point, I have no reason to believe that it actually is one. It seems to be the latest in a series of unannounced policy changes, all of which underscore the reality that, in order to stay abreast of all developments in your groups, it's very important to check the group home page regularly, or at least to frequently click the "speech bubbles" icon on the Goodreads toolbar.

The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral (1991) by British author Robert Westall is a common read this month in another group, and I'm joining in. I'd previously read and liked this author's short story "The Haunting of Chas McGill" (which appears in Favorite Ghost Stories); so when my Goodreads friend Bionic Jean made me aware of this book last year, my interest in reading it was piqued.

Barb and I have now begun the fourth and final book of the Sheriff Bride series, Sheriff Bride Rob's Story, this one written by Joi Copeland. (All of these are short books, a bit over 100 pages each.) Although I was intrigued by the premise of the series, in my estimation both the actual writing and the production of the books themselves is amateurish. But Barb enjoys them more than I do; so I'm enjoying her pleasure in the reads. :-)

I put the anthology Golden Age Detective Stories, edited by Otto Penzler, on my "being read intermittently" shelf earlier this year; but since I read only a couple of pages then (long story!) I didn't mention it here. Now, however, I'm dipping into it seriously before starting a common read in another group on Oct. 1; and after that, I plan to get back to it later this year, while I wait for an interlibrary loan book.

Bess Streeter Aldrich (1881-1954) is an author whose work, until now, I hadn't read before; but I was inspired to finally read her best-known novel, A Lantern in Her Hand, because of the 1995 movie version, A Mother's Gift, which I really like. As is often the case, the movie actually doesn't follow the book very closely; but as my review (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ) shows, I loved the book even though it's quite different from the film.

One more tip (again, from a Goodreads friend, and shared with her permission), this one dealing with how Goodreads calculates the time when you were "last active" on this site"

"There is another site glitch that is affecting the personal profile status of its members. This glitch is in the area where it states when you joined GR and when you were last active on the website. Those of you who actively log on and off every time you visit the site, shouldn't be affected by this. Those of you who use the App or who stay logged in on the website itself, without ever signing back out when you leave the site, will see this issue.

Those who are affected- It is only showing the last date that you actively log on. So even though you have been consistently on the website, your last active status may show that you were last active back in September, October, November, or even further back; depending on when you last actively signed into/out of your account. This began back in June-Aug of 2024. As some members are showing they were last active back in June, even though they've been on the website consistently since June. To avoid this affecting your accurate account status, moving forward, just log in and out of your GR accounts every time you visit the site. This will reset your status for you and keep it up to date as long as you're logging in and logging out. This will also cut down the likely hood of your accounts being hacked as well.

This is also true for Moderators. As on the groups you moderate, after (60) days of not being active on the site, it will show your last active date of logging into GR on your group's homepage next to your profile picture. Which will in fact affect if your members think you're currently active on the website or not.

Below, I'm passing on another tip (also from a fellow Goodreader, and shared by permission) dealing with the Goodreads phone app, and how you can, if you want to, access the Goodreads desktop version from your phone instead. (A caveat: I'm not familiar with the app from personal experience, though I've often been told, by people who are, that it's less functional than the desktop version.)

"If you are using the Goodreads App, then don't.
The App makes it very difficult to navigate groups and communication on here, among other things. If you are on your phone, uninstall the App first. Then go to the Goodreads website and log in directly onto the site by phone. After you log in scroll to the very bottom of the page to ensure that you are on the desktop version and not the mobile version. Once you do this, you will be able to navigate this site as if you are working at your desk or your laptop.

If you are not currently using the App, still check to make sure that you are on the desktop version and not mobile version when logged in. Once you switch to desktop, it will stay that way every time you log in and out. If you are currently on the desktop version, then you will only see the option "Mobile Version" if this is the case then don't change anything because it means you're already using the desktop version. If you see "Desktop version, click on it. This will then put you on the desktop version.

If you follow these steps correctly then you will be able to see all things on this site as if you were on your laptop or PC.

Save the Goodreads website as a shortcut to your home screen on your phone. This way you'll always have quick access to the website and log on and off as if you were still using the App."

Here are some tips for coping with the gutting, last year, of Goodreads' former notification system (from another Goodreader, but shared with permission):

To receive notifications on your reviews:
After writing and posting your review, place a comment in your comment section, then click the notify me box before posting your comment. It is the only way you will receive notifications when someone leaves a comment on your reviews.

To receive notifications on your own status updates:
Once you post a status update, immediately go to your profile page. Locate your status update. Click "See Status". Once there, click the notify me box and then place a comment on your own status. This will ensure you will receive notifications if someone leaves a comment on your status updates. Same thing goes for when you post pictures on your profiles or in your group's photo section.

To be able to follow updates on a friend's review or status update:
You will need to like their status updates or reviews from your updates feed page first, and also post your initial comment to their status and reviews from your updates feed page as well. This is the only way that the notify me box on their postings will stay checked, and to ensure you get regular updates on their postings whenever they or someone else leaves a comment there.

To stay updated on group posts:
Sometimes your notifications will not come through. This is not going to be corrected by GR. No matter how many times you adjust your settings for groups. To make sure you are up to date on all group happenings you will simply need to make sure you are reading all group emails sent to you by your moderators.

You will also need to begin to make an effort to go directly to your groups' homepage(s) whenever you are on the platform. From the homepage, click on the discussion board link. This will show you every group section's new post and thread in that group. Simply click on the red numbers of the threads that you are following. You will see every new post in that specific thread.

Unfortunately, the notify me box is no longer working on Polls. Only the creator of that poll will see when you comment. You are no longer able to get a notification after you post a comment on a poll and check the notify me box. Once you leave the poll page, that box becomes un-checked. There is no work-around for this. If you want to stay informed on comments on polls, or videos posted in your groups, you will manually have to go to that poll yourself, in order to view them.

Make sure that you also are logging in and out on whatever device you use, every time, when logging into GR. This is the only way that GR will track your profile activity properly and keep you up to date on your most recent activity.

These steps are the only way you will continue to make sure that you are an active and informed member of your groups and this community platform as a whole.

Years ago, I watched and really liked the 1995 movie A Mother's Gift (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113859/ ), starring the under-appreciated actress Nancy McKeon; and ever since then, I've wanted to read the novel it's based on, A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich. I've finally gotten a chance to work it into my reading schedule while I'm waiting for an October group read, so I started on it this past Friday.

Herman Melville's 1855 novella Benito Cereno is virtually impossible to discuss seriously unless you've read the denouement; but most of the read is purposely shrouded in mystery as to what's really going on, and that's absolutely essential to the effect the author wants. So, much of my review (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ) is necessarily masked by spoiler tags.

Herman Melville's 1855 novella Benito Cereno is virtually impossible to discuss seriously unless you've read the denouement; but most of the read is purposely shrouded in mystery as to what's really going on, and that's absolutely essential to the effect the author wants. So, much of my review (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ) is necessarily masked by spoiler tags.

The novella Benito Cereno by Herman Melville, published serially in 1855, is currently a common read in another group I'm part of; I'm joining in, and started reading it yesterday. (I'm reading it from the 1969 collection Great Short Works of Herman Melville, edited by Warner Berthoff.) This will be the third longish fiction work by Melville that I've read (I've also read and appreciated his short story "Bartleby the Scrivener"), but he's a writer whose work I've wanted to read more of for some time.

My Goodreads author friend Liane Zane kindly sent me a paperback ARC of her latest supernatural fiction/paranormal romance novel, Helsing: Demon Slayer, which arrived on the same day I finished reading my preceding book; so I was able to start it immediately! It's meant to be the opening book of The Dragon's Paladins, a spin-off series from her earlier trilogy, The Elioud Legacy.

Although I read Francine River's historical novel Redeeming Love in 2023, And the Shofar Blew (which I finished yesterday) was my first experience of her contemporary general fiction. My review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ; both of her novels that I've read so far earned five stars from me. (This one is likely to be my favorite read of 2025.)

Even though I posted my review of Nobel Laureate Sigrid Undset's great trilogy Kristen Lavransdatter years ago, until tonight I'd never reviewed her equally stellar tetralogy The Master of Hestviken. I've now rectified that omission, and my review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... . Both series are set in medieval Norway, and both are major contributions to the world's literature, of the 20th century and of all centuries.

Even though I posted my review of Nobel Laureate Sigrid Undset's great trilogy Kristen Lavransdatter years ago, until tonight I'd never reviewed her equally stellar tetralogy The Master of Hestviken. I've now rectified that omission, and my review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... . Both series are set in medieval Norway, and both are major contributions to the world's literature, of the 20th century and of all centuries.

Another group I'm in is doing a common read of And the Shofar Blew (2003) by Francine Rivers during the month of August, and I'll be taking part. But since I'll be out of town visiting family from Aug. 1-5 (and I don't take my personal reading along with me on vacations, where the object is to spend time interacting with people I don't often see), I went ahead and started on it a bit early, so as to keep up better.

This: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... is the link to my four-star review of Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë, which I wrote for the most part last night (when I was tired and in a bit of a hurry), but added some important information to just now. Though I'd previously read novels by both of her better-known sisters, Anne was a new writer to me. I was glad to make her acquaintance, and don't find her the inferior member of the trio by any means!

Although I've read novels by both Charlotte and Emily Bronte, Anne is the only one of the three sisters whose work (until today) I hadn't sampled. So, to remedy that neglect, today I started reading her first novel, Agnes Grey (1847). The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (which is on my to-read shelf) is generally regarded as the superior of the two; but at present, I want a shorter read, and wanted to "save the best for last." :-)

Earlier today, Barb and I started reading the latest installment of the Barks and Beans Cafe' mystery series by Heather Day Gilbert, Knight Brew, which will bring us up to date with the series. Since I've read nine of them so far, I've mentioned these books frequently on this thread. :-) This particular one is set against the backdrop of a Renaissance Fair taking place in our series setting, Lewisburg, West Virginia.