Books
"What Should I Read Next?"
"Read any good books lately?" That's my favorite conversation starter. I'm always on the lookout for the next good book to read. And since I don't have a lot of time to read, let alone wander the stacks of my local library or bookstore aisles, I've identified a small, yet diverse group of local folks who, as fellow readers, are always up for swapping recommendations. They include a local drug store pharmacist, the auto parts store owner, a school librarian, fellow library board members, library staff and, of course, my hairdresser. We don't all have the same tastes in books, so I can rely on this group to recommend titles in a variety of genres which keep me from getting stuck in a reading rut. While I certainly appreciate my local book-related tete-a-tetes, I have recently plugged into several, more high-tech sources for book recommendations.
Online Book Club
Many libraries, including the Walla Walla Public and the Columbia County Rural Library District, offer free access to an online book club through a website link. I recently signed up for the CCRLD club by submitting my email address, then choosing a couple of book clubs, from the 11 offered, to subscribe to. Now, every Monday through Friday, I receive an email from each "club" that contains a small portion of that week's featured book. Each selection only takes about 5 minutes to read and if I don't like the book I can simply press the delete key and look forward to next week's selection. If I choose to stay with it, by the end of the week I'll have read two to three chapters. At that point, I can decide if I want to rush down to the library to get the rest of the story, add the title to my "To Read Someday" list or forget about it.
Online Book Recommendation Sites
A fellow bibliovore recently directed me to two online book recommendation sites, goodreads.com and whatshouldireadnext.com. Good Reads relies on book ratings and reviews by its members world wide. I can also use the site to build a "Friends Group", explore the quotes, trivia, authors, books and writing sections or join any number of interest-driven groups.
Submit the title and/or author of a book and What Should I Read Next? will analyze its extensive database of book recommendations and suggest a list of books I might like to read. I entered The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, and received a list of 10 books, two of which I'd already read and enjoyed. I jotted down two other titles to try.
Web-based book recommendations will never take the place of visiting face to face with my local book friends, but I'm enjoying the novelty right now.