How do you find new books to read?

[Anonymous]

I have a certain method that's a mix of looking at goodreads reviews, what's popular at the local library (through overdrive), and looking at things on audible (like if its 4+ stars and how long the book is for a single credit). This has been an OK metric, but every once in a while I'll get a dud that will kill my reading streak that had been going for months.

So, as I've got a current streak going I'm interested in how to find my next book. Any recommendations? (And I'm not really looking for titles, though I welcome those) but once I've read the titles you mention I'll be back to square 1 of trying to find a next book. So I'm really looking for interesting ways to find a next book.

[Anonymous]

Mostly friends who read more than me

[Anonymous]

I have over 100 books tagged as want to read on goodreads.

I pick books a variety of ways - I do read most of the books for book club. I put books on hold with Libby to read - and read some of those when they come up. I also tag books as want to read on libby - and have over a hundred tagged there - and some are available without a wait. I am sort of a late adopter so once I hear a lot of people saying they like a book - if it seems like something I'd be interested in - I tag it as want to read on goodreads or Libby.

Of course I do sometimes get "duds." I think other people can love a book and for whatever reason I don't - there's no way to tell for sure until you read it!

I usually read a sample of a book for a few pages before deciding that I'm really in the mood to read it. Sometimes when I can't pick what book I want to read next - I read a bunch of a samples until I find one that "grabs" me.
I don't like to read books the same author too close together. I'm a dork and I have a list of books that I want to read by the same author a year later. For example - last year I read and liked The Four Winds - so after one year had passed since I read that one - I allowed myself to read The Nightingale.

I don't love love love the Next Year in Havana / Chanel Cleeton books but I give them 3.5 stars and I think they're cute/easy. So anyway - same thing, I had read Next Year in Havana in probably 2019. Then read When we left cuba last year, and now that it's been over a year - I am reading The Last Train to Key West.

OK and finally - where I am also a dork is that I try to read every third book that I read by an author who is different from me - usually race or sexual orientation-wise.

Now you know my life story HTH

[Anonymous]

I listen to several book podcasts and I've figured out which hosts have taste similar to mine and get recommendations from them. I also look at new releases on Goodreads. I'm also in a book group on Facebook and hear about a lot of books through that. Yes, I'm a total nerd.

[Anonymous]

I get emails from Barnes and Noble so it's easy to see new releases, reviews, summaries, awards, etc.

[Anonymous]

I get ideas from Amazon, newspaper reviews, DCUM, friends, and then perusing at bookstores

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I get ideas from Amazon, newspaper reviews, DCUM, friends, and then perusing at bookstores

This is me, also, but would also add libraries and NPR book concierge - https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view=covers&year=2021

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get ideas from Amazon, newspaper reviews, DCUM, friends, and then perusing at bookstores

This is me, also, but would also add libraries and NPR book concierge - https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view=covers&year=2021

Not OP, but thank you for this list. I didn’t know about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get ideas from Amazon, newspaper reviews, DCUM, friends, and then perusing at bookstores

This is me, also, but would also add libraries and NPR book concierge - https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view=covers&year=2021

I also use this and read book reviews in the Sunday NYT. I then flag the books that interest me on Good Reads or place them on hold at the library. I try to alternate fiction and non fiction.

[Anonymous]

I go to my library’s app and sort on popular and what’s available.

[Anonymous]

Goodreads and their recommendation tab on pages of books I liked. I also follow multiple people for their reviews; even if we don't exactly the same tastes, they point me in the right direction. I followed literary magazine accounts like Paris Review on Twitter, back when I had one, and found books through that. I'll also scroll through Libby and see what's similar to books I like. And friends and DCUM, of course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Goodreads and their recommendation tab on pages of books I liked. I also follow multiple people for their reviews; even if we don't exactly the same tastes, they point me in the right direction. I followed literary magazine accounts like Paris Review on Twitter, back when I had one, and found books through that. I'll also scroll through Libby and see what's similar to books I like. And friends and DCUM, of course.

+1. Goodreads also lets you "compare books" with someone and indicates how similar your tastes are. The readers/reviewers I follow are at least s 70%+ match with me. I use several books in the genres I'm looking for as a gauge as well. If the don't give the Kate Daniels series at least 4 stars, I won't use them for recommendations in that genre.

[Anonymous]

I don’t read.

[Anonymous]

I get emails from Politics and Prose, One More Page, and other good local bookstores. Then I look up more info on any books that look interesting. I find a lot of good ones this way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Goodreads and their recommendation tab on pages of books I liked. I also follow multiple people for their reviews; even if we don't exactly the same tastes, they point me in the right direction. I followed literary magazine accounts like Paris Review on Twitter, back when I had one, and found books through that. I'll also scroll through Libby and see what's similar to books I like. And friends and DCUM, of course.

+1. Goodreads also lets you "compare books" with someone and indicates how similar your tastes are. The readers/reviewers I follow are at least s 70%+ match with me. I use several books in the genres I'm looking for as a gauge as well. If the don't give the Kate Daniels series at least 4 stars, I won't use them for recommendations in that genre.

Can you please tell me how to compare books with other Goodreads users? Thanks!