Amazon-owned Goodreads has added a Kindle Preview feature that allows members in the U.S. to "sample the story before committing to the whole book." Clicking on the "Open Preview" button on the book page reveals a sample inside Goodreads of any title that has a Kindle edition, using the Kindle Cloud Reader. Members can also "add the title to your Goodreads 'Want to Read' shelf. If you're ready to buy, there's a link to purchase it on Amazon, or you can use the links on the book page to other online retailers."
The Digital Reader noted that the feature "is based on close integration with the Kindle Store... and it's only available to Goodreads members in the U.S., so it won't do GR's majority non-U.S. membership much good. But I would not be too concerned about the restrictions; Goodreads regularly launches new features as U.S.-only before releasing them internationally. I suspect that limiting access is part of their beta test methodology."
