Samantha Hanson, LPC, ATR, Clini-Coach®

Archives June 2025

📚 Which Book Tracking App Is Right for You? A Comparison of Goodreads, Bookmory, Fable & StoryGraph

If you’re an avid reader—or even someone trying to get back into the habit—keeping track of your books can be both motivating and rewarding. But with so many book tracking apps out there, how do you know which one fits your style?

✍️ My Experience Using These Apps

While reviewing each of these apps, I also spent time personally using them—and here are a few thoughts based on that hands-on experience:

✅ Book Tracking Capabilities

All four apps let you create collections, shelves, or categories like “Want to Read,” “Currently Reading,” and “Finished.” Most also allow you to track “Did Not Finish”—either through a dedicated option or by creating a custom shelf or collection. If you’re the kind of reader who jumps between books or abandons some along the way (no judgment!), this is super helpful.

📲 Fable

  • This one was the most challenging to import my reading list into—I lost about half of my titles during the process.
  • I also had trouble finding some ebooks and was not able to manually add books, which was frustrating.
  • Books had to be manually re-added to collections and shelves after import.
  • But it’s not all bad—Fable includes a referral system so you can share with friends and earn credits toward ebooks.
    🔗 Join Fable with my referral link

📚 Goodreads

  • Goodreads makes it easy to share your bookshelf with others.
  • You can invite friends to connect or simply show them what you’re reading.
    🔗 Check out my Goodreads bookshelf

📈 The StoryGraph

  • No shareable invite link (yet), but you can add friends manually and import from Goodreads.
  • Surprisingly, the import was fast and accurate—it even auto-shelved most of my books correctly, which saved a ton of time.
  • I loved the reading challenge options—you can track books, pages, or hours read.
  • There’s a short survey to help tailor book recommendations based on your mood, pace, and genre preferences.
  • While it may miss more obscure or “outlier” books, it does allow you to submit edits or add missing book info.
  • You can also choose to support the app financially for bonus features—knowing it’s independent from Amazon makes this a worthwhile consideration.

💡 Final Takeaway

Each app has its strengths, quirks, and user base. If you’re looking for clean tracking and deep insights, StoryGraph stands out. If you’re craving community and reviews, Goodreads is still the go-to. For group reads and discussions, Fable might be your fit—just prepare for a little more manual setup. And for a more reflective, personal journaling experience, Bookmory shines quietly in the background.

Whatever your reading goals are—be it staying organized, finding community, or simply remembering what you read—there’s an app that can meet you where you are.

As far as a general comparison, keep reading below!

📖 Goodreads

Best for: Readers who want a large community and don’t mind a more traditional interface.

Pros:

  • Massive database of books with detailed metadata.
  • Easy to track your reading history, rate and review books.
  • Annual Reading Challenge is popular for motivation.
  • Large, active community with author Q&As and group discussions.

Cons:

  • Owned by Amazon; limited updates over the years.
  • Outdated user interface and clunky navigation.
  • Limited data visualization or in-depth stats.

Good for: Readers who want a well-established platform with tons of reviews and basic tracking tools.

🧠 Bookmory

Best for: Readers who want to track reading habits, notes, and quotes more than engage socially.

Pros:

  • Clean, minimalist design.
  • Note-taking and quote-saving features built in.
  • Tracks your reading time and provides graphs.
  • More of a reading journal than a social platform.

Cons:

  • Less about discovering new books or community sharing.
  • Limited library compared to others—you may need to manually enter books.

Good for: Reflective readers who love journaling, stats, and reading insights over social interaction.

💬 Fable

Best for: Social readers who want to discuss books in private groups or public circles.

Pros:

  • Emphasis on book clubs, group chats, and shared reading experiences.
  • Curated book lists by authors and influencers.
  • Beautiful user interface and intuitive navigation.
  • Guided reading features with suggested pacing and discussion prompts.

Cons:

  • Less robust tracking tools than StoryGraph or Goodreads.
  • Smaller community and library, though growing.

Good for: Readers who love book clubs, group reads, and rich, interactive discussion.

📊 The StoryGraph

Best for: Data-loving readers and mood-based reading planners.

Pros:

  • Clean, modern interface with detailed analytics (pages read, pacing, mood, genre).
  • Personalized recommendations based on your reading habits.
  • Allows half-star ratings and content warnings.
  • Independent and not affiliated with Amazon.

Cons:

  • Smaller community, fewer reviews per book.
  • Occasional gaps in book availability, especially international titles.

Good for: Readers who want a more mindful and data-driven approach to reading—and value ethical platforms.

🧭 Final Thoughts: Which One Is Right for You?

  • Choose Goodreads if you want a widely used platform with tons of reviews and don’t mind the dated look.
  • Try Bookmory if you want to track personal reading habits, jot down quotes, and use your app more like a diary.
  • Use Fable if book clubs and discussion are what motivate you most.
  • Go with StoryGraph if you’re into detailed stats, mood tracking, and personalized recommendations.

Every reader’s journey is different. The best app is the one that helps you feel more connected to your reading goals—whether that’s building community, gaining insight, or simply remembering what you read.

Using Creative Writing as a Therapeutic Tool for Self-Exploration

Art Is More Than What We See

Art is not only visual in the traditional sense—it lives in metaphor, movement, music, writing, drama, and the countless ways we express what’s inside us. It’s how we make meaning when words aren’t enough, or when we need to say something that’s too big, too complex, or too tender for everyday language.

Creative expression can be a powerful way to process emotions, find clarity, and release pressure—especially during times of stress, boredom, or emotional overwhelm.

Here are some creative prompts and practices you can turn to when you’re feeling stuck, heavy, or just need a new way to connect with yourself.

🖋️ Writing as a Creative Healing Practice: Rewriting Your Story from the Inside Out

Writing, like art or music, is a powerful creative form of expression—and often, a deeply healing one. Whether through poetry, journaling, or storytelling, the act of putting your thoughts into words can uncover hidden emotions, bring clarity to your experiences, and gently guide you toward healing and growth.

When life feels overwhelming and emotions are hard to name, writing can become the safe space where your inner world is finally allowed to speak.

💭 Writing to Understand What You’re Feeling

Emotions are rarely simple. We often carry tension, sadness, fear, or frustration without knowing exactly why. Creative writing gives those feelings a voice.

Sometimes, writing a poem about your grief or creating a short story with a character who embodies your anxiety helps you step outside the emotion just enough to understand it. In that space, insight is born.

Try this prompt:
Write a letter from your anxiety to you. What is it trying to protect you from? What does it fear?
Now write a letter back. What do you want anxiety to understand about you?

These kinds of exercises offer surprising clarity. You’re not just venting—you’re listening and reflecting.

📖 Rewriting Your Story Through Narrative Therapy

Narrative therapy helps us explore the stories we tell about ourselves—stories shaped by past experiences, trauma, family, culture, and more. These stories can be limiting or empowering, depending on how we hold them.

In this approach, you are the author. That means even if earlier chapters were filled with hardship, you have the power to revise how you understand those events and how they’ve shaped who you are today.

“Let’s revisit the chapter where things fell apart. What strengths did you use to get through it? What parts of you survived?”

Integrating DBT skills, like mindfulness, distress tolerance, and emotion regulation, helps you stay present and grounded while doing this deep emotional work. It’s a powerful combination: rewriting your story while developing the tools to live it with more self-awareness and self-compassion.

🌩️ Symbolic Thinking: Giving Shape to Emotions

When emotions feel too big or too blurry to describe directly, symbolic thinking can help. Imagine your anxiety as a tangled ball of string, your grief as a stormy sea, or your inner critic as a shadow following you around.

Giving emotions a visual or metaphorical form makes them easier to observe, understand, and eventually reframe.

This is where CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) tools come in. Once you’ve given your feeling a symbol, you can challenge and shift the narrative:

  • If your anxiety is a storm cloud, what would happen if it started to pass?
  • If your shame is a mask, what lies beneath it?

Creating symbolic distance allows you to gently change the way you relate to difficult emotions.

📓 Journaling: A Tool for Self-Discovery and Regulation

Journaling is a bridge between your thoughts, feelings, and patterns. When done intentionally—especially with DBT-inspired check-ins on emotional intensity or triggers—it becomes a powerful tool for emotional regulation.

Over time, your journal becomes more than just a collection of entries—it becomes a reflection of your growth. You’ll start to notice recurring themes, shifts in perspective, and the quiet evidence of your resilience.

“I’ve been here before. And I made it through.”

✨ You Are the Storyteller

Creative writing is not just about crafting beautiful sentences. It’s about reclaiming your voice. It’s about making sense of things that once felt senseless. Whether you’re writing poems in the margins, reflecting through journal entries, or rewriting the painful parts of your past with compassion and strength, you are engaging in a sacred act of healing.

And with therapeutic tools like narrative therapy, DBT, CBT, and symbolic thinking, that healing becomes even more intentional.

You are the storyteller. The next chapter is yours to write.

The Evolution of Communication Platforms: From MySpace to TikTok

“You can never understand one language until you understand at least two”

by Geoffrey Willans

With today’s technology, communication feels both easier and more complex than ever. The start of 2025 brought some unexpected shifts, including the announcement that the popular app TikTok might be leaving us. For many, this wasn’t just a minor inconvenience—it felt like a significant loss. TikTok wasn’t just a “silly app.” It became a unique space to communicate, share, learn, and connect.

TikTok functioned as a living, breathing diary—a platform where you could respond to others, share publicly or privately, vent, or grow a business. There’s nothing quite like it, and its potential absence reminds me of the rise and fall of other platforms I’ve lived through.

I started with MySpace in high school (remember Tom in his white T-shirt?), learning how to customize profiles with music, journal entries, and a “Top 8” friends list. Then there were quieter platforms like private blogs or forums where you could write and comment with friends. Facebook took over in college, introducing a new way to connect, network, and share life updates. LinkedIn became the professional space to showcase achievements and connect with professors and potential employers, evolving into a place for posts, articles, and business networking.

Then came Instagram and Snapchat, offering visual and ephemeral communication, and eventually Musical.ly, which transformed into TikTok. TikTok stood out by allowing for visual blogs, real-time responses, and a chance to connect deeply through creativity.

I used TikTok not only for fun but also for work. It became a tool to learn, understand trends clients were talking about, and even help discern fact from opinion in session discussions. It was also a place to decompress, share interests, and grow. Even though I wasn’t great at editing or creating, TikTok made it accessible and enjoyable.

When the ban hit for those 12 hours, it made me pause and think about the future of online communication. How will we adapt if TikTok leaves for good? It’s a reminder to take care of ourselves in times of transition. Here are a few ideas:

  • Make a list of other ways to connect and communicate with friends and communities.
  • Follow your favorite creators on other apps.
  • Download those recipes, tips, or videos you want to keep!
  • Explore “old-school” methods of communication—like writing letters. There’s something genuinely special about sending and receiving mail.

The way we communicate online will keep evolving, but we’ll find ways to stay connected, just as we always have. What’s your favorite way to communicate online? What platforms have shaped your journey? Let’s talk about it!

What are your biggest challenges?

Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict

– William Ellery Channing. 

We all face challenges, and sometimes it’s important to reflect on what they are and how we deal with them. For me, one of my biggest struggles is doing what I want to do when I want to do it. I’ll try to start a task, but quickly become overwhelmed by the number of steps involved or find myself unable to figure out where to begin. Sometimes, I start a task and then see another task that catches my attention, so I float to that one, and then another, because everything feels interconnected. By the end of the day, I’ve worked on several things, but nothing is completely done. Add adulting stress to the mix, with piles of things to do (also known as “doom piles”), and those small piles feel like mountains.

Back in 2022, I was meeting with a new personal provider to change my anxiety medications, who suggested I didn’t have anxiety, but rather ADD. Since then, I’ve experimented with stimulants, which worked for a while before losing their effectiveness. I’ve also tried other medications that didn’t help much. While I’ve been focusing on other areas of my health, I plan to address it again.

Most of the time, I manage to function fairly well, but I can come off as scattered and disorganized. It’s a struggle that’s relatable to many, but unfortunately, it has caused me to lose some potential clients, which I completely understand. To manage better, I’ve been getting help with organization and delegating work tasks where possible to reduce my mental workload.

I’ve also found support in groups with other providers who face similar challenges. A recurring comment I hear is, “Well, you’re a therapist, you should know how to fix this. Don’t you get training?” Yes, I’ve taken some trainings, and I have worksheets that help with prioritizing and organizing. These tools were ingrained in me during my school years, when I was labeled as lazy and misunderstood—told to function like everyone else. But when the brain is wired differently, and stress, trauma, and other experiences continue to reshape it, those worksheets and learned behaviors only go so far. We are human too, despite our training. While I’m actively learning how to help myself and receiving support from others, it’s a process. There’s no quick fix. And that’s okay.