How to Find Your Next Favourite Read

How does one find their next favorite book?

Whether you want to branch out and try a new genre or find your next genre favorite, this advice should be for you!

Step One

Make a list of your all time favorite reads (whether on paper or a mental one it doesn’t matter). These are the books that you’d give a 10 out of 10 in a heartbeat and tell anyone who’d listen about them. You may notice certain patterns. Perhaps you like multiple books from the same author or perhaps you seem to enjoy a very specific genre such as paranormal romance or thrilling science fiction. Once you have an idea of what you like, you’ll be able to find something similar by searching bookshelves around it. This is a tedious way, but for someone who has time on their hands it’s rather obvious.

Step Two

For someone who doesn’t have a large bookstore nearby or much time on their hands, there is the web option. Usually when searching for a book on a webstore such as Amazon or your favorite bookstore online à la Barnes and Nobles or Waterstones, there will be recommendations on a product page. Simply look up a favorite book and check out the recommendations. Click on covers that take your fancy and read their reviews left by customers who have read them. Many a times I’ve found a good book by clicking through these recommendations and their recommendations and so on and so forth. Also, take some time to review and rate your favorites and maybe least favorites. There more action, the more recommendations. Consider making a wish list to keep track of the books you discover and are interested in purchasing.

Step Three

Join a website dedicated to book reviews and recommendations. My personal favorite is Goodreads. Here, you can rate books you’ve already read to create a ‘read’ bookshelf as well as create a ‘to read’ bookshelf, which I use to create a queue of books I plan on reading. This site has a lot to offer. It provides a lot more written reviews than webstores and group discussions of people interested in the same genres. Members are always keen to recommend a book or recommend avoiding one. You are bound to find a recommendation through this site! It can’t not happen, I tell you! The more books you rate, the more recommendations. It’s that simple. In many ways Goodreads is similar to how Amazon runs with its five-star ratings and ability to members to create lists of books that they love, hate, or highly anticipate. For the book lover, it can’t be missed.

If Goodreads somehow doesn’t tickle your fancy, don’t miss out on YourNextRead, TheBookExplorer, or FlashlightWorthyBooks. Find your next book by typing in a current favorite, searching your favorite genre, or by searching through other people’s favorite book lists, respectively.

Step Four

And last, but not least, is by reading actual book reviews. These may come from the thousands of blogs like 

mine or from newspapers or academic reviews. By reading through some reviews of your favorite books or one you’ve been interested in, you not only gain another perspective of a book, but a possible recommendation. Those who write reviews also tend to compare works to one another. Perhaps the reviewer recommends a read instead of the book they are reviewing.

Happy Reading!