Finding Books

I know that we all have a to-read list that’s way too long, and if you’re like me, piles of books sitting around that you haven’t yet read – piles that never seem to shrink. But sometimes, all of us, even me with my huge piles of books and daily access to a library, don’t know what to read next. Maybe we’re bored by the same old authors and genres, or maybe we love them and want to find more like them. Could just be that we’re in the mood for some science fiction or romance or a biography or a mystery and don’t know where to start. Luckily, there are tons of great free resources out there for bookworms. I know that I won’t possibly list everything useful that’s out there, so please feel free to share your favorites!

Your Local Librarian! They deal with books every day – the read reviews, order books, read books themselves, and know what other patrons read and like. Ask them for help! They will surely have some recommendations.
Novelist – If your library has a subscription to this online database, use it! Unfortunately, our library system had to discontinue our subscription due to the cost and underuse, but I think it’s a really fantastic tool for readers.
GoodReads – A place where you can keep track of what you read, read and write reviews, and get recommendations from other readers. You can follow other readers, and they can follow what you read. You can follow me there! https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/17550974-watchingthewords
Shelfari – Another place where you can keep track of your reading, read reviews, and share recommendations. This is where I keep track of everything I read, even if I never review it. I just like their interface better than others. You can follow me here too! http://www.shelfari.com/watchingthewords
LibraryThing – And yet another site that does many of the same things as Shelfari and Good Reads. Unfortunately, I no longer keep an active account on their site since I found the interface to be a bit too clunky for my tastes, but there is tons of information available on this site.
The Reader’s Advisor Online – Search based on your reading preferences for a selection of applicable titles. Clicking on one of the titles will give you a brief description of the book. The ability to refine your search is really nice on this site and can give you very specific recommendations.
Book Reporter – A site with tons of reviews and information about upcoming releases. They also have contests and we all need to win more books! 😉
BookPage – You may have seen this magazine in your local public library, but their website has even more reviews, interviews, and contests! You can also sign up for emails.
Overbooked – Lists of starred reviews as well as “if you like…” lists by author, genre, themes, literary devices and more!
What’s Next – This site gives users a simple interface for finding the in-order list of books by an author or in a series.
All Readers – The search possibilities on this site are significant. You can narrow down your search to very specific books that you like or browse through lists by genre broad categories.
YA Series – A site for getting a list of the books in a young adult series, in order.
Fantastic Fiction – A site for getting the list of books published by any particular author and getting the ordered list of books in any specific series.