Things I Like - Books

How do you decide what to read next? You can always go to the book store and wander around, reading the backs of books on the display tables to find something of interest. You can get recommendations from friends and family. My good friend Kristen has directed me to several books that I’ve really enjoyed and Trey occasionally sends something my way that I actually like. Or you can use one of the following sites to help you find something:

http://www.gnod.net/ Use the Literature Map on this site to find authors you might like based on an author you know you like. Once you’ve entered a name, the map will show you other authors that readers of your author also liked – the closer two names appear, the more likely you will like both of them. The Gnod site also uses this search engine for music and movies.

http://www.thisonenext.com/search This site is very simple – enter a book title and author and it will display a list of books that you might enjoy with a link to Amazon for a book summary and reviews. I like this site because it has a UK bias which means authors / books that may not be well known in the US are included here. The site can also be used for music and movies.

http://www.whichbook.net/ This is a UK-based, books only site with an interesting search function. You can select up to 4 filters describing the type of book you want to read (happy vs. sad, easy vs. demanding, safe vs. disturbing, etc.). The search results are listed in order of best match and include brief excerpts, reader comments and lists of 'parallel' options. Once again, the UK location brings a new perspective.