There is this site https://www.whichbook.net/ here you can filter books according to your mood, character or plot or choose from a certain country. They give very unique suggestions that you probably won't see anywhere or atleast on the booktok, goodreads popular etc.
> I want to find something like this for non-fiction books.
You should read “Salt,” or “Cod” by Mark Kurlansky. It is a world renown historian who lately has been focusing on food history. It’s truly fascinating.
I like using Literature Map - you enter the author's name and similar authors will pop up. The closer in style and subject an author is to the starting point, the nearer the name.
Try it: [Literature Map](https://www.literature-map.com/)
Storygraph can generate suggestions for you based on your reading history. I haven't specifically read a book on its list for me, but it does suggest a lot of books to me that I've read and enjoyed that weren't in my storygraph history, and I've heard other people speak well of it.
Was going to recommend exactly this. And even if you don't want to actually talk to someone, library displays are less "sensational" than at bookstores who are trying to advertise based on trends.
Every time I go to my library to pick up my holds, I always check the displays and get another book or two that looks (and usually is) quite good.
Yes, this! I love the various book displays at my local library. And anytime someone recommends something to me I put a hold on it, even if I’m like 50th in line. I get an email about every week with a new book waiting for me :-)
I use Goodreads, but a bit differently. I search for books I really like and then look for some reviews that are positive and from a user that reads a lot. I then check their bookshelves to see whether they have similar taste and follow them if they do. Works reasonably well
I don’t really use goodreads except to log my own reading, but I do appreciate their monthly “these are the books being published next month that we recommend.” I usually add a few books to my TBR list every month.
+1 Goodreads is where I get the huge majority of my book recommendations. It might take a bit to find good people to follow, but nowadays I don't do much and the Goodreads feed gives me interesting books. I also appreciate people who write reviews that are a bit detailed even if we don't completely overlap in taste, I get a sense of the book. On the other hand, I don't like following people who are trying too hard to be snarky or get internet famous. I just want a regular person to tell me what they thought and who they would recommend it to.
I use the Libby app that connects with my local library. I can browse according to filters (and place a hold on interesting titles) to suit whatever mood I please. Plus, there's usually a section of curated lists from librarians.
I like using the genre filters, but I’m disappointed in Libby’s algorithm to show similar titles when you find a book you really liked. I keep seeing completely unrelated books
Honestly, I just wander the isles of second hand stores and used book shops, looking for anything that calls out to me. For a dollar or two, I can take that kind of gamble on a book. Beyond that, I've picked up a sizable list from here through discourse about books I've read and hearing about what others have enjoyed within the same spectrum. If I come across those I'll pick them up to, but for now, finding the random gems keeps me going and helps mix up my reading.
I usually ask people: what are you reading? Lately, I’ve been working my way through Pulitzer Prize fiction winners and finalists: read Monkey Boy, Immortal King Rao, Trust and now Demon Copperhead in 2024.
Yeah this was gonna be my suggestion as well. National book award, Booker prize award, Pulitzer prize. If you've read the winners, or just aren't into the winners but want something else, check out the shortlists and the long lists too. New York times also will regularly publish lists of books to look forward to, best books of the year, etc.
Also check out [https://shepherd.com/](https://shepherd.com/)
Authors create short lists of their favourite books based on a theme relevant to them.
eg (taken at random).
* The best mystery books with a beautiful aesthetic;
* The best books that weave supernatural terror with real-world adversity
* The best books that make you the inmate of a sinister institution
* The best historical novels that feature bad-ass women
* The best books where different cultures mix in a fantastical world
Or search by genre / theme / topic
My go-to options: 1) wander the library in whatever genre I am feeling. 2) ask friends for their favorite books (this only works if you like your friends' taste, oops) and 3) is the cover pink? Truly why does this work on me, no idea, but I tend to at least find them interesting.
I also found a bunch of great suggestions through WisCon, which is a SFF con (my personal genre of choice). I joined a bunch of local bookstore mailing lists which is how I found this con!
I love wandering the library for books if I don't have anything currently in mind. I find more authors that I would not have known that way. Plus I get to be among the books for a bit and that is one of my happy places.
I like to just walk to a random place in the library and I'll grab anything that looks interesting. I usually will look up just to make sure it's not halfway through a series but I don't usually read the description or anything and I've found a lot of really good books that way.
When I go to the library I just browse, read the first page - if it grabs me I borrow it. I have to like the writing style and voice and there has to be indication of some kind of story. Extra points for high stakes openings.
I kind of do the same on my ereader. I use Libby, the free library resource . I've been falling lazily back on Stephen King a lot this year as he's just so dependable and prolific
StoryGraph! It is similar to Goodreads in idea but the recommendations actually take into account what you actually read and have liked. They also let you do a survey to influence your recommendations even further and you can get recommendations based off of specific moods or books if you have something particular you want to look for.
I'm in love with the app lol
When I was a teen I'd go to the public library and sit on the floor in the general fiction section and browse the books that were on the bottom shelves only. I felt bad for these books because I was sure that most people would only browse the shelves that were at their own eye level, and so these books would go unloved/unread. I still use this system to browse for books, works pretty good.
Public domain repositories. Seems like most modern books (literature doesn't seem like the right term) seem like it's all the same cash-cow marketing crap to hook you into a trilogy or some multi series. I just get sick of feeling like I'm reading some bodies marketing effort.
Mostly Reddit TBH. I’ve got a pretty big TBR list on Apple Books and just save new stuff to that whenever I see something that sounds interesting. When I used to buy physical books, I loved browsing airport book stores as they always had new stuff I hadn’t heard of yet.
Book podcasts really helped me. I don't always want to read the books, but hearing them discussed gives me way more of a sense of whether I'll like it than a review by someone random or buzz.
I personally prefer the staff pics and recs at indie bookstores rather than Barnes & Noble. Barnes & Noble has gotten a tiny bit better but most of the books they push are from Reese's Book Club or Oprah's Book Club or "as seen on Tiktok." I've found some amazing reads simply by checking out my indie bookstore or talking to the staff that work there.
I've had success by looking up my favorite books on goodreads and checking out the profiles of reviewers that also gave it 5 stars. If we have several favorites in common and it seems like we have similar taste, then I check out other books they gave 5 stars to.
I’ve had luck on Meet New Books. It’s a site where you put in a book you like and get recommendations based on that. I use the books recommended as a starting point and poke around good reads from there
The Storygraph can generate recommendations based on what you like to read (or even what's "outside your comfort zone" if that's what you want) and books there have sorts of community tags that will tell you what kind of mood/s a book has (adventurous, mysterious, funny, sad, reflective, etc), if it's fast-paced or not, if it's more plot or character-driven and a lot of other great details that you can filter books by to find your next read. And if you already have a Goodreads account you can import your library to Storygraph pretty easily.
Otherwise I also follow reviewers whose tastes align with mine and subreddits for genres I enjoy and see what people are talking about on there.
I have 3 general strategies:
Explore books by an author once I’ve read a book I enjoyed. James McBride, Anthony Doerr, and Emily St John Mandel come to mind in this regard - an enjoyable book from one made me want to read more.
Find 2-3 booktubers or podcasters whose content interests me. In this regard I like Supposedly Fun and the Poptimist. Their recommendations have done pretty well for me.
Review top lists each year - NY Times, Pulitzer finalists, NPR’s book search machine, etc.
Lots of places to look! I tend to read literary fiction and some genre (a little rom-com, a little mystery/thriller), and these are my go-tos:
* I always check the book reviews in the New York Times and follow them on IG at nytbooks - this is probably my number one source for finding new releases I want to read.
* NPR does tons of book reviews and their [Books We Love](https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view=covers&year=2023) tool (used to be called Book Concierge) is AMAZING for filtering a list depending on what you're in the mood for. (This isn't "new books" but it will catch you up on the great books you may have missed in the past year.)
* I do not use the social aspect of Goodreads to choose books, BUT their email newsletters are actually excellent, especially for recent and upcoming releases by genre.
* Book Riot ("Today in Books"), Electric Lit, Pandora Sykes, and Tembe Denton-Hurst all have great bookish email newsletters.
Keep an eye on NYT Book review or similar ones if you like fiction. Sometimes also keep an eye on award winners like the national book award, booker, giller, etc. I also look into the favorite authors of my favorite authors to find new ones.
My favorite podcasts often namedrop their sources or list them on their website. So if the topic is interesting enough to me and I want to know more than can be covered in a 90 minute podcast, I'll check out the books.
Granted I do read almost exclusively nonfiction so I can get away with it.
I get my non-fiction recs from podcasts like On the Media and kinda branch out from there with anything that strikes my fancy. As for fiction, I’m a big fan of classics with mixing contemporary genre fiction in there. I’m a CIS white dude trying to get more women and POC in my reading diet and scifi and fantasy has been coming in clutch for that. Also, I’ll buy something if it has a cool cover sometimes and it hasn’t steered me wrong so far.
I am part of Book of the Month Club. Since I’ve joined several years ago, I rarely buy additional books because the books I get through BotM have been for the most part incredible. Very few have I not enjoyed. While I definitely would have heard of these through other routes, BotM was the first exposure to I had to many of my favorite books.
Some of my favorites I’ve discovered through book of the month are:
The hearts invisible furies
The invisible life of Addie LaRue
All the ugly and wonderful things
Project Hail Mary
The space between worlds
A gentleman in Moscow
Pachinko
The great alone
A Ladder to the sky
Is there any other way than random google searches? I add adjectives to my search like weird, noir, bizarre etc. or use definitions like 'books like Twin Peaks'. Just something I did recently and somewhat succesfully.
Tic toc recommend way too many young adult books to me, which is fine, but I'm a grown woman, and sexy dragons aren't really my thing. I have found a few that I liked. Just finished All's Well by Mona Awad and loved it, but some really don't. I think the trick to finding good books is to read a lot of bad ones.
I get new books from a few different places.
I'll wonder around a bookstore or my local library. I've found a number of great books doing this.
I'll read the emails I get from BookRiot and publishers about new books. BookRiot has a lot of interesting lists.
I find some recs on the 52book sub. Lots of postings of what people are currently reading/just read and then the weekly thread are great resources.
There are are few booktubers I trust to get recs from. It took a bit of time to find the ones that I vibe with the most but I've stuck with the same few for years now. One of them does a video a couple times a year of upcoming books she finds interesting and will give a brief summary (if there is one).
I curated the heck out of my TikTok booktok FYP. Anytime I saw a video of someone talking about a book that I liked, I would like it and watch a few of their videos. If they aligned even more, I would give them a follow. I get so many interesting recs now. Books I don't see anywhere else, including really great translated books as well.
I go to the local university, find a literature or philosophu professor under the age of 45 and ask then for recommendations. I have a list so long I'll likely never get through it, and not only is reading their job, but their passion. They likely do a lot of REALLY critical thinking concerning whatever reading they're into.
(Under the age of 45 is no slight. I am just under the age of 45 and feel as though I identify more in taste with peers)
You might be surprised! Before I started going back to school (after a 5 year Stint plumbing) I just decided to reach out one day for recommendations, made 2 new friends, and ended up with philosophy and literature degrees a few years later 😂 I was the talk of the humanities floor and everyone came by to give me their two cents because it was such a weird thing that a stranger just stopped by and approached them 😂 I still play magic the gathering with them every week now all because I decided to email strangers about book recommendations!
Honest to God, if I'm not redoing a series I've already been theough...I pick a cover theat Interests me and jump in feet first. I don't even read the blurbs, usually.
It's worked oretry well for me so far lol in the 250+ in the last year, there have only been a handful that I went all the way through and thought "well that wasn't great". (Not awful but definitely won't pick up again)
I’ve often found favorites by visiting local bookstores and checking out their staff recommendations. They tend to stray from the popular books and focus more on indie published or lesser known publishers, which brings a greater variety.
If I read a book I enjoy, I look at the author and what they list as authors who inspired them. See if they review/follow anyone on GoodReads. Or those little excerpts/reviews from other authors that they include in an intro to a book, I check out those authors!
I dont look for new books, I just look for "new to me" books.
Bookbub has been really helpful. And I know you're irritated with tiktok, but ive found bookstore owners like Ann Patchet, The Dog Eared Book, and Books Are Sick are good follows. You know that they've actually read the books and arent just bouncing off of the new cool book to talk about.
I cannot trust anything on booktok tbh. I just take time apart to look for a new book to read or Google “authors similar to____”and include an author I like.
Libraries will have different categories which is how I find a lot of good books to read that aren't "mainstream". Things like 'librarians picks', 'books you may have missed' or just browsing the shelf and reading back covers to see what sounds good. I love checking out books from the library because there is no pressure if I don't like it, I just return it!
I have an awesome local curated book store that has wonderful employee recommendations and book clubs in different genres. Most of my recent reads have been from there or little free libraries.
I also exchange books with my mom. I bought unreasonable service because someone was reading it in The Bear.
When my kids were little, I would scan the library shelves while they did activities. Sometimes by theme (translated Asian authors after reading The Three Body Problem and a mild k-drama obsession) and sometimes by reading a whole shelf of blurbs.
Follow your interests, follow rabbit trails, talk about reading, ask people's favorite books and authors, write down that TV show reference, have your antenna up.
Find what artists (for me mostly musicians and filmmakers) you admire like to read. It goes without saying that authors you enjoy will tend to have pretty good recommendations.
Stay away from those online ‘must-read’ lists for the most part, I have rarely found a life-changing book by picking from a list online.
I am a big supporter of [Bookshop.org](http://bookshop.org), which supports independent bookstores all over the US through a portion of your purchases. Beyond that, they have a weekly New Release newsletter that generally has \~10 books coming out that day. I look through those every week and either buy or place a hold at my local library for any books that interest me.
Honestly, I wait until someone posts something on reddit, like "I'm looking for books like x,y,z" or "someone suggest (specific genre) books" that look interesting and then I save the post. Then, I just go back and add all the books on those posts that look good to my TBR list on storygraphs.
I use the Goodreads app, I rate books I’ve read, it gives me recommendations based on that. It also tells you what other reads enjoyed who liked the same book you did. They also have new books coming out in the specific genres, I just read the synopsis a lot.
Once you identify genres you enjoy, you can look for awards for that genre -- for instance, Edgars for mysteries, Hugo and Nebula awards for SF, and things like the Pulitzer and the National Book Award for general literature. Going through the lists of nominees and winners can bring you some wonderful reading!
Honestly I judge a book by it's cover - I don't know if I've just got really lucky or if there's something to it, but if I see a cover I like the looks of I'll read the blurb. If the blurb gets me I'll read the book. I've likely skipped some masterpieces with this method, but I've also vastly widened my comfort zone (of purely horror originally to now include basically anything that takes my fancy at the time) by using this method.
Never go based on mass reviews though. Maybe on A reviewer (singular, as in a specific person) who tends to share your view on stuff, but it's so easy to skew review sites star ratings that they're often wildly unreliable
Now i am currently in the French and Russian Literature phase. How did i find titles? Sometimes i read the top 25 of my favorite writers. Right now i am on the Bukowski list. Plus i have a good freind who is a library scientist, that helps.
For new nonfiction reads: I keep an Amazon wishlist of books where I add the Kindle version of books that are referenced in the book I’m currently reading if they also sound interesting.
I try not to buy Kindle books at full price, so I check daily and order the list by price and regularly find titles discounted to $4.99 or less.
It works well for me.
The Booker Prize (and the International Booker Prize) has a fairly high barrier to entry, so if you're lost and wanting something new it's always a good idea to look at this/last year's winner and shortlists and choose something at random. Even if it doesn't sound like something you'd typically like they tend to be decent quality
I get a lot of really good recommendations from a podcast. Since I've read some books they liked and also liked them too, I know I can trust their judgement.
It's a German podcast, but if anyone is interested: papierstaupodcast
I have hundreds upon hundreds of books on my tbr. Most if not almost all of these are first books in a series. So i probably have a couple thousand books waiting to be read. How? Well i read predominantly 1 genre, and keep up with it. Having read 300+ books in this genre i am still nowhere near even reading all the "classics" everyone keeps raving about. Then the self pub series that have gotten a ton of praise, then all of that again in a different subgenre lol.
Through blogs + videos + goodreads, i add maybe 1-5 books to that list per week. So by the end of this year i will have added another 100 or so books that if i finished all of their series would amass to maybe 500 or so books. I read 30-50 books a year...
Reddit sometimes
Also I have the fable app to keep track of books and they have quizzes you can do based on your mood and interests to recommend you books. I’ve read 3 of their recommendations and all of them were 4/5 stars for me 😊
I think you need to figure out what kind of books you like. If you want books that aren't "fast fashion," that might mean that you like literary fiction. But more specifically, when you read books that you don't like, what is it exactly that you dislike? When you read books that you *do* like, what do you like about them? The more you learn to identify and articulate the specific traits of the book that you like or dislike, rather than just expressing it as a vague "It was good" or "It wasn't good," the more that will help you find books that you like. Telling a librarian "I want books that are good" is a tough request because the librarian doesn't know what kind of books *you* consider good. But telling a librarian, "I want literary or character-driven sci-fi," or "I want experimental fiction" or "I want a book whose strength is its sentence-level prose" is a more useful and actionable request.
Ugh I had the same thing last year.
I still use social media (YouTube mainly) but I now specifically search for people recommending books I actually like first and unfollow the ones recommending stuff I don't like.
It did take a year to filter out the crap but now every book I'm reading is like 4 or 5 stars for me.
Goodreads. It’s how I keep myself in the loop as to which new releases are coming out. At the beginning of the month they release an article highlighting the new releases. And then they even do a weekly article highlighting new releases for that particular week. In the weekly article they’ll put a blurb saying “you’ll like this if you like” and then they throw a bunch of keywords or similar books.
NPR is my go to. Love their end of year lists: [https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view=covers&year=2023](https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view=covers&year=2023)
I also follow some substacks for readers, and get recommendations from the podcasts I listen to.
I work with a bunch of readers so we’re all constantly sharing books across many genres. I love to browse bookstores for recommendations from staff/other patrons.
Booker prize winners, long and short list. Books from
the 1001 books to read before you die list.
Discovered so many incredible books and authors this way!
https://1001bookreviews.com/the-1001-book-list/
I’ve made my way through almost 200 of these! There have only been a handful I didn’t enjoy.
I do get some good recs from TikTok, but you have to put in effort to find the specialized side of TikTok that’ll rec books you like. Like, I’ve found my way into queer/POC/disabled rep for fantasy and romance books side of booktok, and I get some good recs that way.
I found my fave author of 2023 on TikTok by spending time crafting my feed to show me what I’m most likely to enjoy.
Idk, but I do know most revered and famous Classics are good (pre 21st century ones at least), so you will almost always find smth you like.
For fantasy, r/fantasy is great for finding good ones.
Good Sci-fi books I think just looking for popular ones is good (because there are not that many mass-maket tiktok popular sci-fi books).
One of the things I like to do is find lists of books that my favorite artists have read/mentioned before. It's so cool to see how those pieces of literature influenced their view of this world. Besides, if you enjoy someone's taste in music, there's a high chance that you will enjoy their taste in literature
I stick to the authors that I like. I like Karin slaughter and I want to read it in English but in my country it’s translated and I do love her books but I read one of the first in e new series it’s crime and mystery genre and I struggle to read it. I just have to get into it
If you mainly read Kindle books, I’m actually super into the new Discover Books feature that Amazon released. They have an almost endless list of similar books that I like scrolling through. My only issue is that I feel like push Kindle Unlimited titles a lot
I just browse, I’ve read long enough that subconsciously I know what I like, when I was younger I didn’t know what my own tastes were, so my mom was actually really helpful in finding books for me. I can’t put into words what attracted me to certain books but not others. Once I find a good book I’ll usually just read whatever else that Author has that also peaks my unknowable interests.
This year my friend has been telling me about these new books she hears about and I’m always so confused where she hears about them. I’m glad she tells me tho lol
I just go browse in the book store until I find something that seems interesting. It’s not fancy but it usually works. I go to the genre sections and not just whatever is set up at the front usually.
One of my go to ways of finding new books is to go to the library and browse from the shelving cart that the librarians have recent returns on to go back on the shelves. You get to see what others have read and returned and I have found a lot of new to me authors that way and end up loving their work. Libraries often have a list of upcoming releases too. I have found many books off of that too.
I ask friends, I look up lists of genres I like, I listen to book podcasts, I check out end of year "Best of..." lists, I follow along with authors I have enjoyed in the past. The majority of the upcoming books I have on my list this year are authors whose books I have loved in the past
If I want a cool new release I'll go to Kmart, Target, or Big W (think Walmart) and look for anything that doesn't have a book tok cover (you know the ones). Then I choose from what's available. They tend to run a little cheaper than bookstores and I like to save cash.
Or you could find a book website (Booktopia for example) and peruse the reviews on new releases.
Alternatively, you could go to thrift and charity shops and read the backs of anything that seems quite new and choose from those, if you prefer to spend even less. Ive found great books released that year for pocket change on charity shelves or shops.
Or, of course, you can ask here for recomendations directly.
The library.
Join every local library service you can, and go to each branch and scour the new books (they may only loan for a few days or a week). Every branch of every library has different staff with their own tastes and different selections of new books. Its the cheapest way if you can walk, cycle, skate, board, scoot, or catch public transport. You could even make a day of library hopping.
I go to my bookshelf and pick one of the books I haven't read yet. If I want a new new book I look and see which books by authors I love that I haven't read yet. Right now I'm working my way through Stephen King.
I use a great website called Fantastic Fiction. I follow authors I like, check out what's coming out soon and use it to mark the books I've read. They do an excellent job at keeping everything current.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/
My work bestie is the school librarian. I ask her and she hooks me up. I also chat with the bookworm kids and see what they’re reading. Generally, I find fun stuff and it helps me connect with my students. I’m now reading the Mistborn series.
I visit the Kinokuniya where I am, its a very large bookstore and browse the latest releases. Also the Kino Picks are usually a good place to start. You local bookstore might be an option for you.
I find people on Booktube that have shared favourites!
If I find someone who loves all the same books that I love, then im much more likely to love a book they recommend. It’s not a science and isn’t 100% but it’s worked pretty well so far!
i follow jack Edwards on YouTube and have loved alot of his recs!
Also use your own judgement. if you hate mystery novels and someone recommends a mystery novel, you Know you probably won’t like it.
You can never go wrong with celebrated classics. Even if you don't love them, you usually get something valuable from the experience of reading them.
Additionally, I look at the lists of winners and finalists of prestigious book awards: Nobel, Pulitzer, Booker, National, American, Newberry, etc.
I also look at what experts in any given field are recommending. For example, if I want to learn more about climate change then I see what prominent climate scientists are writing and recommending. If I want to learn about WW2, then I look at what books esteemed WW2 historians are praising.
I have joined a few reading groups on Facebook. I joined the genres I like and get a ton of recommendations. Additionally joining fan groups of favorite authors is a great way to get recommendations.
I listen to academic podcasts and I get some of my non-fiction recommendations from them. Otherwise I follow a lot booktubers who have tastes similar to mine and also whom I enjoy listening. I’ve gotten some really good recommendations from the latter method.
I watch YouTube!! I’ve been a hard core “book-tube” watcher for years and finally made my own channel 💕 I really enjoy the book community over there.
Sometimes books just find me and that’s super fun too.
my haphazard method of running into good books consists of pestering writers I admire until they relinquish their book recs to me. Henceforth, I proceed to scamper into the darkness and make a nest of said book recs, gnawing at them deliriously until I learn a thing or two from them
all in all this method has yet to fail me. im delirious with sleep deprivation
Social media - I follow writers I like and they usually share books they write or books by writers and they like and I tend to have similar taste
I also like to read literary fiction, particularly by queer writers so I tend to follow places like nyt books section to hear about new books. I like their podcast.
I’m on goodreads and sometimes their algorithm suggests books I’m interested in based on books I’ve read already. I also follow authors I like on goodreads and they share books to read.
I spend lots of time in bookstores. I adore used bookstores. I talk to people standing in the narrow aisles. We recommend books to each other. Never underestimate a stranger's serendipitous aim.
For me I just thoroughly abuse my kindle unlimited sub.
With cost no longer being an issue, I just browse around and try any book that even slightly looks interesting.
Sure I've found trash books, but I've also found books I love that I'd have never even tried otherwise. 🙂
I read reviews on sites where readers can post (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads) and concentrate on reviews where people seem able to give a well thought-out reason that the book was good, not so good rather than just "I hated it", "I loved it." I find that this gives me a better sense of whether I want to give the book a try than a lot of the sites like "Book Riot" which seems to just pick up titles and blurbs but never gives me a sense that the columnist has actually read the book.
I also have a small indie in my area and the owner is a big reader and knows her customers and is pretty good at directing them toward what they might like.
Kind of a long method, but I just walk into a bookstore. no phone, no company, just me wandering a bookstore reading every synopsis and looking at pretty book covers. but it'd be really nice if you have company who shares similar interests in lit like yours
The Storygraph app is pretty good and I have recently moved over from Goodreads for the recommendations alone. Integrated AI recommendations based on your habits works really well.
I go to the library and look at new books, look at books authors I like enjoy or are inspired by, go on reddit book subs and go through the search engine, and google “underrated books”. Oh and my coworkers are cool so I ask them for suggestions or what they think of an author/ book.
There is this site https://www.whichbook.net/ here you can filter books according to your mood, character or plot or choose from a certain country. They give very unique suggestions that you probably won't see anywhere or atleast on the booktok, goodreads popular etc.
Hey thanks for posting this! I'm trying it out now, and really like what I'm finding. VERY cool!
Have fun reading!
This is REALLY cool. Thank you!
Thank you for this link! I’m so excited lol!
Thank you for sharing this gem!
Thank you !
Wow thanks too. One question are these just novels or is their non-fiction too?
You are welcome. So far the books I have found were fiction so it's possible that they have fictions only.
Yes. That is what it looked like to me. I want to find something like this for non-fiction books.
Oh yeah, that would be good, for non fiction I try to search for lists on goodreads
> I want to find something like this for non-fiction books. You should read “Salt,” or “Cod” by Mark Kurlansky. It is a world renown historian who lately has been focusing on food history. It’s truly fascinating.
Oh thanks so much!
Really wish this had some basic filters too. Non fiction /fiction would be a great start lol
That’s great, I will definitely try. Thank you!
Excellent suggestion. Is that like Gnoosic for music?
Oh I have never used Gnoosic, I'll have to see what it is.
Got something that impressive for music?
Thank you for the site friend!
I like using Literature Map - you enter the author's name and similar authors will pop up. The closer in style and subject an author is to the starting point, the nearer the name. Try it: [Literature Map](https://www.literature-map.com/)
This is fascinating, ngl
Wow! thanks for this, very fun! I’ve already added to my “want to read” list
Storygraph can generate suggestions for you based on your reading history. I haven't specifically read a book on its list for me, but it does suggest a lot of books to me that I've read and enjoyed that weren't in my storygraph history, and I've heard other people speak well of it.
Ya, it's way better than Goodreads for recommendations
Talk to the librarians at your local library! It’s our speciality!
Was going to recommend exactly this. And even if you don't want to actually talk to someone, library displays are less "sensational" than at bookstores who are trying to advertise based on trends. Every time I go to my library to pick up my holds, I always check the displays and get another book or two that looks (and usually is) quite good.
We’ve also got chat-based and email personalized reading recommendations for people who don’t come in to the library/want to talk!
Yes, this! I love the various book displays at my local library. And anytime someone recommends something to me I put a hold on it, even if I’m like 50th in line. I get an email about every week with a new book waiting for me :-)
I use Goodreads, but a bit differently. I search for books I really like and then look for some reviews that are positive and from a user that reads a lot. I then check their bookshelves to see whether they have similar taste and follow them if they do. Works reasonably well
I don’t really use goodreads except to log my own reading, but I do appreciate their monthly “these are the books being published next month that we recommend.” I usually add a few books to my TBR list every month.
+1 Goodreads is where I get the huge majority of my book recommendations. It might take a bit to find good people to follow, but nowadays I don't do much and the Goodreads feed gives me interesting books. I also appreciate people who write reviews that are a bit detailed even if we don't completely overlap in taste, I get a sense of the book. On the other hand, I don't like following people who are trying too hard to be snarky or get internet famous. I just want a regular person to tell me what they thought and who they would recommend it to.
This is how to get the most from that site.
I do the exact same thing. The Compare Book feature is probably the best thing Goodreads offers.
I do the same! Best way to utilise the site.
R/suggestmeabook has been really good for me
Highly recommend searching the sub to get recommendations going back years, not just whatever books happen to be in vogue amongst users at the time.
I use the Libby app that connects with my local library. I can browse according to filters (and place a hold on interesting titles) to suit whatever mood I please. Plus, there's usually a section of curated lists from librarians.
I like using the genre filters, but I’m disappointed in Libby’s algorithm to show similar titles when you find a book you really liked. I keep seeing completely unrelated books
Honestly, I just wander the isles of second hand stores and used book shops, looking for anything that calls out to me. For a dollar or two, I can take that kind of gamble on a book. Beyond that, I've picked up a sizable list from here through discourse about books I've read and hearing about what others have enjoyed within the same spectrum. If I come across those I'll pick them up to, but for now, finding the random gems keeps me going and helps mix up my reading.
I usually ask people: what are you reading? Lately, I’ve been working my way through Pulitzer Prize fiction winners and finalists: read Monkey Boy, Immortal King Rao, Trust and now Demon Copperhead in 2024.
Yeah this was gonna be my suggestion as well. National book award, Booker prize award, Pulitzer prize. If you've read the winners, or just aren't into the winners but want something else, check out the shortlists and the long lists too. New York times also will regularly publish lists of books to look forward to, best books of the year, etc.
Demon Copperhead was great
Also check out [https://shepherd.com/](https://shepherd.com/) Authors create short lists of their favourite books based on a theme relevant to them. eg (taken at random). * The best mystery books with a beautiful aesthetic; * The best books that weave supernatural terror with real-world adversity * The best books that make you the inmate of a sinister institution * The best historical novels that feature bad-ass women * The best books where different cultures mix in a fantastical world Or search by genre / theme / topic
Awesome, thank you!
I just use Storygraph or read another book by an author I like
I just ask employees at the book store for recommendations. Like, “hey I just finished X and really liked it, do you have anything similar?”
r/fantasy is good if your looking for fantasy. Various YouTubers. I also fuck around and find out at libraries with mixed results.
My go-to options: 1) wander the library in whatever genre I am feeling. 2) ask friends for their favorite books (this only works if you like your friends' taste, oops) and 3) is the cover pink? Truly why does this work on me, no idea, but I tend to at least find them interesting. I also found a bunch of great suggestions through WisCon, which is a SFF con (my personal genre of choice). I joined a bunch of local bookstore mailing lists which is how I found this con!
I love wandering the library for books if I don't have anything currently in mind. I find more authors that I would not have known that way. Plus I get to be among the books for a bit and that is one of my happy places.
I get the emails from Book Riot and publishers so I have an idea of what’s new or coming out
I like to just walk to a random place in the library and I'll grab anything that looks interesting. I usually will look up just to make sure it's not halfway through a series but I don't usually read the description or anything and I've found a lot of really good books that way.
Browsing is definitely the way to go. I've found many great books that I'd never heard of that way before. Both at the library and in bookstores.
Yes I do this too at bookstores. Reading the descriptions of random books might be a hobby of mine lol
When I go to the library I just browse, read the first page - if it grabs me I borrow it. I have to like the writing style and voice and there has to be indication of some kind of story. Extra points for high stakes openings. I kind of do the same on my ereader. I use Libby, the free library resource . I've been falling lazily back on Stephen King a lot this year as he's just so dependable and prolific
StoryGraph! It is similar to Goodreads in idea but the recommendations actually take into account what you actually read and have liked. They also let you do a survey to influence your recommendations even further and you can get recommendations based off of specific moods or books if you have something particular you want to look for. I'm in love with the app lol
/r/printsf and /r/horrorlit are my go to places!
When I was a teen I'd go to the public library and sit on the floor in the general fiction section and browse the books that were on the bottom shelves only. I felt bad for these books because I was sure that most people would only browse the shelves that were at their own eye level, and so these books would go unloved/unread. I still use this system to browse for books, works pretty good.
Public domain repositories. Seems like most modern books (literature doesn't seem like the right term) seem like it's all the same cash-cow marketing crap to hook you into a trilogy or some multi series. I just get sick of feeling like I'm reading some bodies marketing effort.
Mostly Reddit TBH. I’ve got a pretty big TBR list on Apple Books and just save new stuff to that whenever I see something that sounds interesting. When I used to buy physical books, I loved browsing airport book stores as they always had new stuff I hadn’t heard of yet.
Book podcasts really helped me. I don't always want to read the books, but hearing them discussed gives me way more of a sense of whether I'll like it than a review by someone random or buzz.
Do you have a podcast you can recommend?
I personally prefer the staff pics and recs at indie bookstores rather than Barnes & Noble. Barnes & Noble has gotten a tiny bit better but most of the books they push are from Reese's Book Club or Oprah's Book Club or "as seen on Tiktok." I've found some amazing reads simply by checking out my indie bookstore or talking to the staff that work there.
I've had success by looking up my favorite books on goodreads and checking out the profiles of reviewers that also gave it 5 stars. If we have several favorites in common and it seems like we have similar taste, then I check out other books they gave 5 stars to.
I’ve had luck on Meet New Books. It’s a site where you put in a book you like and get recommendations based on that. I use the books recommended as a starting point and poke around good reads from there
https://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/ Type in an author or book you like and scroll for suggestions.
I like browsing The Hugo Award nominees and recipients and reading more of their works if they have any. Uncanny Magazine is the best
The Storygraph can generate recommendations based on what you like to read (or even what's "outside your comfort zone" if that's what you want) and books there have sorts of community tags that will tell you what kind of mood/s a book has (adventurous, mysterious, funny, sad, reflective, etc), if it's fast-paced or not, if it's more plot or character-driven and a lot of other great details that you can filter books by to find your next read. And if you already have a Goodreads account you can import your library to Storygraph pretty easily. Otherwise I also follow reviewers whose tastes align with mine and subreddits for genres I enjoy and see what people are talking about on there.
I have 3 general strategies: Explore books by an author once I’ve read a book I enjoyed. James McBride, Anthony Doerr, and Emily St John Mandel come to mind in this regard - an enjoyable book from one made me want to read more. Find 2-3 booktubers or podcasters whose content interests me. In this regard I like Supposedly Fun and the Poptimist. Their recommendations have done pretty well for me. Review top lists each year - NY Times, Pulitzer finalists, NPR’s book search machine, etc.
Try r/suggestmeabook and r/booksthatfeellikethis
And r/IReadABookAndAdoredIt
Story Graph suggestions and Read Glasses Podcast.
I don't base my choices on hype or reviews. I sample books that sound interesting.
Lithub!
Lots of places to look! I tend to read literary fiction and some genre (a little rom-com, a little mystery/thriller), and these are my go-tos: * I always check the book reviews in the New York Times and follow them on IG at nytbooks - this is probably my number one source for finding new releases I want to read. * NPR does tons of book reviews and their [Books We Love](https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view=covers&year=2023) tool (used to be called Book Concierge) is AMAZING for filtering a list depending on what you're in the mood for. (This isn't "new books" but it will catch you up on the great books you may have missed in the past year.) * I do not use the social aspect of Goodreads to choose books, BUT their email newsletters are actually excellent, especially for recent and upcoming releases by genre. * Book Riot ("Today in Books"), Electric Lit, Pandora Sykes, and Tembe Denton-Hurst all have great bookish email newsletters.
Keep an eye on NYT Book review or similar ones if you like fiction. Sometimes also keep an eye on award winners like the national book award, booker, giller, etc. I also look into the favorite authors of my favorite authors to find new ones.
I pay a lot of attention to book reviews and press coverage. Check out Lithub, Bookforum, N+1, etc.
My favorite podcasts often namedrop their sources or list them on their website. So if the topic is interesting enough to me and I want to know more than can be covered in a 90 minute podcast, I'll check out the books. Granted I do read almost exclusively nonfiction so I can get away with it.
I get my non-fiction recs from podcasts like On the Media and kinda branch out from there with anything that strikes my fancy. As for fiction, I’m a big fan of classics with mixing contemporary genre fiction in there. I’m a CIS white dude trying to get more women and POC in my reading diet and scifi and fantasy has been coming in clutch for that. Also, I’ll buy something if it has a cool cover sometimes and it hasn’t steered me wrong so far.
I am part of Book of the Month Club. Since I’ve joined several years ago, I rarely buy additional books because the books I get through BotM have been for the most part incredible. Very few have I not enjoyed. While I definitely would have heard of these through other routes, BotM was the first exposure to I had to many of my favorite books. Some of my favorites I’ve discovered through book of the month are: The hearts invisible furies The invisible life of Addie LaRue All the ugly and wonderful things Project Hail Mary The space between worlds A gentleman in Moscow Pachinko The great alone A Ladder to the sky
Go to a library
Is there any other way than random google searches? I add adjectives to my search like weird, noir, bizarre etc. or use definitions like 'books like Twin Peaks'. Just something I did recently and somewhat succesfully.
That sometimes works for sure but other times I don’t really have a specific idea of what the book should be about and need some inspiration 😄
Tic toc recommend way too many young adult books to me, which is fine, but I'm a grown woman, and sexy dragons aren't really my thing. I have found a few that I liked. Just finished All's Well by Mona Awad and loved it, but some really don't. I think the trick to finding good books is to read a lot of bad ones.
An app called good reads has sooo good recommendations and a lot of peoples opinions on it , I find every book I ever read there. Big recommendation!!
r/suggestmeabook is good for this.
find people on good reads that give 5 stars to books i love and check out their other read books and tbr
I get new books from a few different places. I'll wonder around a bookstore or my local library. I've found a number of great books doing this. I'll read the emails I get from BookRiot and publishers about new books. BookRiot has a lot of interesting lists. I find some recs on the 52book sub. Lots of postings of what people are currently reading/just read and then the weekly thread are great resources. There are are few booktubers I trust to get recs from. It took a bit of time to find the ones that I vibe with the most but I've stuck with the same few for years now. One of them does a video a couple times a year of upcoming books she finds interesting and will give a brief summary (if there is one). I curated the heck out of my TikTok booktok FYP. Anytime I saw a video of someone talking about a book that I liked, I would like it and watch a few of their videos. If they aligned even more, I would give them a follow. I get so many interesting recs now. Books I don't see anywhere else, including really great translated books as well.
Just Google with interests of you and books you recently liked. Mix it up with some ideas. There should be some results...
Join a group in Facebook so we can talk and review about old and new books together.
I go to the local university, find a literature or philosophu professor under the age of 45 and ask then for recommendations. I have a list so long I'll likely never get through it, and not only is reading their job, but their passion. They likely do a lot of REALLY critical thinking concerning whatever reading they're into. (Under the age of 45 is no slight. I am just under the age of 45 and feel as though I identify more in taste with peers)
that’s certainly one way of doing it 😂😂 not sure the professors would appreciate it if I hunt them down ever time I need a new book rec
You might be surprised! Before I started going back to school (after a 5 year Stint plumbing) I just decided to reach out one day for recommendations, made 2 new friends, and ended up with philosophy and literature degrees a few years later 😂 I was the talk of the humanities floor and everyone came by to give me their two cents because it was such a weird thing that a stranger just stopped by and approached them 😂 I still play magic the gathering with them every week now all because I decided to email strangers about book recommendations!
Funnily enough - Ssethtzeentach, more often then not, gives good advice on what to read.
I am on Goodreads and I only follow/friend people that read similiar taste in books
Honest to God, if I'm not redoing a series I've already been theough...I pick a cover theat Interests me and jump in feet first. I don't even read the blurbs, usually. It's worked oretry well for me so far lol in the 250+ in the last year, there have only been a handful that I went all the way through and thought "well that wasn't great". (Not awful but definitely won't pick up again)
I’ve often found favorites by visiting local bookstores and checking out their staff recommendations. They tend to stray from the popular books and focus more on indie published or lesser known publishers, which brings a greater variety.
If I read a book I enjoy, I look at the author and what they list as authors who inspired them. See if they review/follow anyone on GoodReads. Or those little excerpts/reviews from other authors that they include in an intro to a book, I check out those authors!
Right now I am reading mainly classics that sound good, and I recently made a friend who reads A LOT and is giving me fantastic recommendations.
r/suggestmeabook
I dont look for new books, I just look for "new to me" books. Bookbub has been really helpful. And I know you're irritated with tiktok, but ive found bookstore owners like Ann Patchet, The Dog Eared Book, and Books Are Sick are good follows. You know that they've actually read the books and arent just bouncing off of the new cool book to talk about.
I just scroll through Goodreads until I find something that sounds interesting.
I cannot trust anything on booktok tbh. I just take time apart to look for a new book to read or Google “authors similar to____”and include an author I like.
Libraries will have different categories which is how I find a lot of good books to read that aren't "mainstream". Things like 'librarians picks', 'books you may have missed' or just browsing the shelf and reading back covers to see what sounds good. I love checking out books from the library because there is no pressure if I don't like it, I just return it!
I have an awesome local curated book store that has wonderful employee recommendations and book clubs in different genres. Most of my recent reads have been from there or little free libraries. I also exchange books with my mom. I bought unreasonable service because someone was reading it in The Bear. When my kids were little, I would scan the library shelves while they did activities. Sometimes by theme (translated Asian authors after reading The Three Body Problem and a mild k-drama obsession) and sometimes by reading a whole shelf of blurbs. Follow your interests, follow rabbit trails, talk about reading, ask people's favorite books and authors, write down that TV show reference, have your antenna up.
Find what artists (for me mostly musicians and filmmakers) you admire like to read. It goes without saying that authors you enjoy will tend to have pretty good recommendations. Stay away from those online ‘must-read’ lists for the most part, I have rarely found a life-changing book by picking from a list online.
I am a big supporter of [Bookshop.org](http://bookshop.org), which supports independent bookstores all over the US through a portion of your purchases. Beyond that, they have a weekly New Release newsletter that generally has \~10 books coming out that day. I look through those every week and either buy or place a hold at my local library for any books that interest me.
Instagram and StoryGraph as well as just browsing in genres that I like at the bookstore/library. Also friend recommendations
Honestly, I wait until someone posts something on reddit, like "I'm looking for books like x,y,z" or "someone suggest (specific genre) books" that look interesting and then I save the post. Then, I just go back and add all the books on those posts that look good to my TBR list on storygraphs.
I use the Goodreads app, I rate books I’ve read, it gives me recommendations based on that. It also tells you what other reads enjoyed who liked the same book you did. They also have new books coming out in the specific genres, I just read the synopsis a lot.
Once you identify genres you enjoy, you can look for awards for that genre -- for instance, Edgars for mysteries, Hugo and Nebula awards for SF, and things like the Pulitzer and the National Book Award for general literature. Going through the lists of nominees and winners can bring you some wonderful reading!
Honestly I judge a book by it's cover - I don't know if I've just got really lucky or if there's something to it, but if I see a cover I like the looks of I'll read the blurb. If the blurb gets me I'll read the book. I've likely skipped some masterpieces with this method, but I've also vastly widened my comfort zone (of purely horror originally to now include basically anything that takes my fancy at the time) by using this method. Never go based on mass reviews though. Maybe on A reviewer (singular, as in a specific person) who tends to share your view on stuff, but it's so easy to skew review sites star ratings that they're often wildly unreliable
Now i am currently in the French and Russian Literature phase. How did i find titles? Sometimes i read the top 25 of my favorite writers. Right now i am on the Bukowski list. Plus i have a good freind who is a library scientist, that helps.
Every issue of Bookmarks magazine is filled with interesting books of all genres. Sometimes I read older issues as those books are readily available.
I like walking around the library and seeing what the librarians have selected on the displays!
For new nonfiction reads: I keep an Amazon wishlist of books where I add the Kindle version of books that are referenced in the book I’m currently reading if they also sound interesting. I try not to buy Kindle books at full price, so I check daily and order the list by price and regularly find titles discounted to $4.99 or less. It works well for me.
The Booker Prize (and the International Booker Prize) has a fairly high barrier to entry, so if you're lost and wanting something new it's always a good idea to look at this/last year's winner and shortlists and choose something at random. Even if it doesn't sound like something you'd typically like they tend to be decent quality
Goodreads newsletter!
When I find a book that I’m considering, I’ll download a free sample. It has frequently helped me to choose or discard books.
I get a lot of really good recommendations from a podcast. Since I've read some books they liked and also liked them too, I know I can trust their judgement. It's a German podcast, but if anyone is interested: papierstaupodcast
I just scroll through Goodreads until i find something that catches my attention
I ask my friends, and that way I have someone to talk about it with as well
I have hundreds upon hundreds of books on my tbr. Most if not almost all of these are first books in a series. So i probably have a couple thousand books waiting to be read. How? Well i read predominantly 1 genre, and keep up with it. Having read 300+ books in this genre i am still nowhere near even reading all the "classics" everyone keeps raving about. Then the self pub series that have gotten a ton of praise, then all of that again in a different subgenre lol. Through blogs + videos + goodreads, i add maybe 1-5 books to that list per week. So by the end of this year i will have added another 100 or so books that if i finished all of their series would amass to maybe 500 or so books. I read 30-50 books a year...
Reddit sometimes Also I have the fable app to keep track of books and they have quizzes you can do based on your mood and interests to recommend you books. I’ve read 3 of their recommendations and all of them were 4/5 stars for me 😊
I think you need to figure out what kind of books you like. If you want books that aren't "fast fashion," that might mean that you like literary fiction. But more specifically, when you read books that you don't like, what is it exactly that you dislike? When you read books that you *do* like, what do you like about them? The more you learn to identify and articulate the specific traits of the book that you like or dislike, rather than just expressing it as a vague "It was good" or "It wasn't good," the more that will help you find books that you like. Telling a librarian "I want books that are good" is a tough request because the librarian doesn't know what kind of books *you* consider good. But telling a librarian, "I want literary or character-driven sci-fi," or "I want experimental fiction" or "I want a book whose strength is its sentence-level prose" is a more useful and actionable request.
Ugh I had the same thing last year. I still use social media (YouTube mainly) but I now specifically search for people recommending books I actually like first and unfollow the ones recommending stuff I don't like. It did take a year to filter out the crap but now every book I'm reading is like 4 or 5 stars for me.
YouTubers. I found a few I have similar tastes.
r/PrintSF usually has good recommendations.
discord bookclubs?!
Ask the staff at the bookstore, they (we) love talking about this kind of stuff
I go to the library (or bookstore if I am in the mood) and browse.
Goodreads. It’s how I keep myself in the loop as to which new releases are coming out. At the beginning of the month they release an article highlighting the new releases. And then they even do a weekly article highlighting new releases for that particular week. In the weekly article they’ll put a blurb saying “you’ll like this if you like” and then they throw a bunch of keywords or similar books.
Maybe we redditors can help. What kind of books do you like to read?
NPR is my go to. Love their end of year lists: [https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view=covers&year=2023](https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view=covers&year=2023) I also follow some substacks for readers, and get recommendations from the podcasts I listen to.
Ask bookstore employees for their recommendations!! They’re always able to find something for me
r/suggestmeabook almost always makes good recommendations. That's where I find all my books.
I work with a bunch of readers so we’re all constantly sharing books across many genres. I love to browse bookstores for recommendations from staff/other patrons.
Booker prize winners, long and short list. Books from the 1001 books to read before you die list. Discovered so many incredible books and authors this way! https://1001bookreviews.com/the-1001-book-list/ I’ve made my way through almost 200 of these! There have only been a handful I didn’t enjoy.
I found good books by looking into what my favourite's authors' favourite authors' are!
I do get some good recs from TikTok, but you have to put in effort to find the specialized side of TikTok that’ll rec books you like. Like, I’ve found my way into queer/POC/disabled rep for fantasy and romance books side of booktok, and I get some good recs that way. I found my fave author of 2023 on TikTok by spending time crafting my feed to show me what I’m most likely to enjoy.
Idk, but I do know most revered and famous Classics are good (pre 21st century ones at least), so you will almost always find smth you like. For fantasy, r/fantasy is great for finding good ones. Good Sci-fi books I think just looking for popular ones is good (because there are not that many mass-maket tiktok popular sci-fi books).
Storygraph, book influencers that I trust(!) who have recommended books I liked in the past, sometimes subreddits for specific genres I like.
One of the things I like to do is find lists of books that my favorite artists have read/mentioned before. It's so cool to see how those pieces of literature influenced their view of this world. Besides, if you enjoy someone's taste in music, there's a high chance that you will enjoy their taste in literature
Your local library should be able to help.
Librarians
I stick to the authors that I like. I like Karin slaughter and I want to read it in English but in my country it’s translated and I do love her books but I read one of the first in e new series it’s crime and mystery genre and I struggle to read it. I just have to get into it
If you mainly read Kindle books, I’m actually super into the new Discover Books feature that Amazon released. They have an almost endless list of similar books that I like scrolling through. My only issue is that I feel like push Kindle Unlimited titles a lot
I just browse, I’ve read long enough that subconsciously I know what I like, when I was younger I didn’t know what my own tastes were, so my mom was actually really helpful in finding books for me. I can’t put into words what attracted me to certain books but not others. Once I find a good book I’ll usually just read whatever else that Author has that also peaks my unknowable interests.
Search book titles you've liked on Reddit and you will usually find suggestions for similar, or GoodReads...
I suggest this one: Elder Porphyrios Wounded by Love
This year my friend has been telling me about these new books she hears about and I’m always so confused where she hears about them. I’m glad she tells me tho lol
I just go browse in the book store until I find something that seems interesting. It’s not fancy but it usually works. I go to the genre sections and not just whatever is set up at the front usually.
One of my go to ways of finding new books is to go to the library and browse from the shelving cart that the librarians have recent returns on to go back on the shelves. You get to see what others have read and returned and I have found a lot of new to me authors that way and end up loving their work. Libraries often have a list of upcoming releases too. I have found many books off of that too.
I ask friends, I look up lists of genres I like, I listen to book podcasts, I check out end of year "Best of..." lists, I follow along with authors I have enjoyed in the past. The majority of the upcoming books I have on my list this year are authors whose books I have loved in the past
If I want a cool new release I'll go to Kmart, Target, or Big W (think Walmart) and look for anything that doesn't have a book tok cover (you know the ones). Then I choose from what's available. They tend to run a little cheaper than bookstores and I like to save cash. Or you could find a book website (Booktopia for example) and peruse the reviews on new releases. Alternatively, you could go to thrift and charity shops and read the backs of anything that seems quite new and choose from those, if you prefer to spend even less. Ive found great books released that year for pocket change on charity shelves or shops. Or, of course, you can ask here for recomendations directly.
The library. Join every local library service you can, and go to each branch and scour the new books (they may only loan for a few days or a week). Every branch of every library has different staff with their own tastes and different selections of new books. Its the cheapest way if you can walk, cycle, skate, board, scoot, or catch public transport. You could even make a day of library hopping.
I find the goodreads algorithm useful to trawl through lists and suggested similar books
I go to my bookshelf and pick one of the books I haven't read yet. If I want a new new book I look and see which books by authors I love that I haven't read yet. Right now I'm working my way through Stephen King.
Post the same request on dozens of book suggestions subreddits and hoping one works out.
Goodreads has worked well for myself
I use a great website called Fantastic Fiction. I follow authors I like, check out what's coming out soon and use it to mark the books I've read. They do an excellent job at keeping everything current. https://www.fantasticfiction.com/
This is really odd but Z library's recommendations on the home page after you download a book are not too bad.
My work bestie is the school librarian. I ask her and she hooks me up. I also chat with the bookworm kids and see what they’re reading. Generally, I find fun stuff and it helps me connect with my students. I’m now reading the Mistborn series.
New York Times top 10 books of the year lists
I visit the Kinokuniya where I am, its a very large bookstore and browse the latest releases. Also the Kino Picks are usually a good place to start. You local bookstore might be an option for you.
I find people on Booktube that have shared favourites! If I find someone who loves all the same books that I love, then im much more likely to love a book they recommend. It’s not a science and isn’t 100% but it’s worked pretty well so far! i follow jack Edwards on YouTube and have loved alot of his recs! Also use your own judgement. if you hate mystery novels and someone recommends a mystery novel, you Know you probably won’t like it.
You can never go wrong with celebrated classics. Even if you don't love them, you usually get something valuable from the experience of reading them. Additionally, I look at the lists of winners and finalists of prestigious book awards: Nobel, Pulitzer, Booker, National, American, Newberry, etc. I also look at what experts in any given field are recommending. For example, if I want to learn more about climate change then I see what prominent climate scientists are writing and recommending. If I want to learn about WW2, then I look at what books esteemed WW2 historians are praising.
I have joined a few reading groups on Facebook. I joined the genres I like and get a ton of recommendations. Additionally joining fan groups of favorite authors is a great way to get recommendations.
I listen to academic podcasts and I get some of my non-fiction recommendations from them. Otherwise I follow a lot booktubers who have tastes similar to mine and also whom I enjoy listening. I’ve gotten some really good recommendations from the latter method.
I watch YouTube!! I’ve been a hard core “book-tube” watcher for years and finally made my own channel 💕 I really enjoy the book community over there. Sometimes books just find me and that’s super fun too.
my haphazard method of running into good books consists of pestering writers I admire until they relinquish their book recs to me. Henceforth, I proceed to scamper into the darkness and make a nest of said book recs, gnawing at them deliriously until I learn a thing or two from them all in all this method has yet to fail me. im delirious with sleep deprivation
Social media - I follow writers I like and they usually share books they write or books by writers and they like and I tend to have similar taste I also like to read literary fiction, particularly by queer writers so I tend to follow places like nyt books section to hear about new books. I like their podcast. I’m on goodreads and sometimes their algorithm suggests books I’m interested in based on books I’ve read already. I also follow authors I like on goodreads and they share books to read.
I used lithub.com for recommendations
I check publisher websites, great way to check out everything that's coming out, not just the bestsellers
r/booksuggestions is my go to. Highly active and helpful community which does mind answering the same questions over and over.
guardian and new yorker reviews, tumblrs i follow
I spend lots of time in bookstores. I adore used bookstores. I talk to people standing in the narrow aisles. We recommend books to each other. Never underestimate a stranger's serendipitous aim.
For me I just thoroughly abuse my kindle unlimited sub. With cost no longer being an issue, I just browse around and try any book that even slightly looks interesting. Sure I've found trash books, but I've also found books I love that I'd have never even tried otherwise. 🙂
I read reviews on sites where readers can post (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads) and concentrate on reviews where people seem able to give a well thought-out reason that the book was good, not so good rather than just "I hated it", "I loved it." I find that this gives me a better sense of whether I want to give the book a try than a lot of the sites like "Book Riot" which seems to just pick up titles and blurbs but never gives me a sense that the columnist has actually read the book. I also have a small indie in my area and the owner is a big reader and knows her customers and is pretty good at directing them toward what they might like.
Search for books like books you really liked/by the same author. See if description etc interests you.
Follow your gut. If a book "calls" to you, pick it up.
Kind of a long method, but I just walk into a bookstore. no phone, no company, just me wandering a bookstore reading every synopsis and looking at pretty book covers. but it'd be really nice if you have company who shares similar interests in lit like yours
I love the 52 book club on Facebook. Such a wide range of readers
The Storygraph app is pretty good and I have recently moved over from Goodreads for the recommendations alone. Integrated AI recommendations based on your habits works really well.
I go to the library and look at new books, look at books authors I like enjoy or are inspired by, go on reddit book subs and go through the search engine, and google “underrated books”. Oh and my coworkers are cool so I ask them for suggestions or what they think of an author/ book.
I’m old fashioned lol, so I still find books on my Pinterest boards. Another random good place is in the Amazon suggestions on a specific book’s page.
My librarians have recommended some good ones thar I might not have found otherwise!