How to Discover Your Next Favorite Book

Guide Note: Looking for a good read? Well, the internet is here to help you find that next page-turner.

How to Discover Your Next Favorite Book will walk you through the online resources available to readers looking for the next addition to their personal libraries.

Introduction

  • What should you read next? A pulpy crime novel or a hefty philosophical tome? Something breezy for the beach or a life-altering polemic? If you're overwhelmed by the choices out there and don't know what to read next, the internet can help. There are dozens of free online resources that can help you pinpoint what should go next on your literary agenda. This guide will introduce you to a few of them.

Use Online Resources to Find Your Next Read

  • If you're looking for something to read recreationally and don't know where to start, the internet can help. There are several online resources that will generate reading suggestions for you based on your tastes, interests and previous book purchases.

Amazon

  • Every product page on Amazon includes a "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" section. If you enjoyed one book and are looking for something similar to read, this can be a good place to start.
http://www.amazon.com/
Amazon contains a wide selection of books.


What Should I Read Next?

  • Enter in the title and author of a book you like, and What Should I Read Next? will tell you exactly what it says it will—what you should read next. The site's suggestions are pulled from a database of over 32,000 real readers' suggestions.
http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/
What Should I Read Next? offers suggestions.


LibraryThing

  • LibraryThing is a social networking and cataloging service for the bookish. The site allows you to list all the books in your personal library and connect with members with similar interests. You can discover new reads by exploring other members' pages or by searching the tags people create to catalog their books.
http://www.librarything.com/
LibraryThing: social networking and cataloging.


Goodreads

  • Goodreads is similar to LibraryThing except the emphasis is less on cataloging your library and more on recommending "good reads" to friends and other Goodreads members. Members list, rate and review books as they read them. You can explore other members' profiles for highly-rated books or use the "Explore" option to see which books are popular across the entire system.
http://www.goodreads.com/
Goodreads lets you know what other readers thought.


Read Book Review Periodicals and Blogs

  • Another great online resource for book recommendations are the reviews offered by major newspapers, weekly periodicals and blogs. The following sites are great places to start looking for that new hefty tome that will change your life (or the trashy read that will make it more bearable):

Browse Specialty Retailers and Publishers

  • If you're looking for something a little more off-the-beaten path, you can also find new books through specialty retailers, publishers' sites and authors' personal webpages. The following sites offer a few alternatives to going the Amazon route:

Art Books

Comic Books

Other Specialty Retailers
http://www.darkhorse.com/
Dark Horse Comics - a specialty retailer.


Download Free eBooks

  • eBooks refer to books offered in a downloadable digital format. Some sites like Amazon offer books in an eBook format that is only readable with the Amazon Kindle eBook reader. Other sites, however, offer eBooks that can be downloaded for free, read without a proprietary reader and printed out like a regular book. You can find free eBooks via the following sites:
  • Some authors, particularly digitally-savvy bloggers, offer their readers free, downloadable eBooks to enjoy:
https://www.wowio.com/index.asp
Find ebooks, for free, on Wowio.


Find Books in the Public Domain

  • Many classic books are now in the public domain—meaning that they are free to use, reproduce, distribute and remix. These books include everything from the work of Mark Twain and Sigmund Freud to dancing and etiquette instruction manuals from the late 19th century. You can find these books online at one of many public domain search engines and online libraries.
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
Project Gutenberg has many public domain classics.

Digital Libraries

  • Some libraries have been digitizing part or all of their collections and making them available online to users from around the world. These collections include everything from full-length texts to historical documents, photographs and letters. Every collection is different so take the time to poke around a few different sites. You never know what you'll find.

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Have any great tips on How to Discover Your Next Favorite Book? Post your thoughts to the discussion board or email them to Julia: Julia at mahalo dot com.