Ways to Discover New Books

J

June

Legacy Member
When you are craving to read something great, but have already crossed off every book on your reading list, how do you begin to discover new books?

The search for new books can be very exciting! So I thought I would share some of the ways in which I discover new books:

  • I ask my friends, colleagues, teachers, and family members what they have been reading, and if they recommend anything in particular.
  • Take a trip to the book store or library of course! Take a look at the "best seller" and "new release" sections.
  • If I'm looking to read a certain genre, like a memoir, then I will type something like this into Google's search bar: "Popular Memoirs" or "Top 10 Memoirs".
  • I browse through the book section of Amazon.com. I start off by searching one of my favorite books; or I search books of a certain genre that I've read and enjoyed. For example, if I want to read a mystery novel, I search The Moonstone by Wilkie Roberts. Then I scroll down and take a look at the section entitled: "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought".
  • Another website that I rely on to find book recommendations is goodreads.com.
  • Sometimes I type "Book Recommendations" or "Book Reviews" into YouTube's search bar, and browse through the videos. I particularly enjoy viewing the videos of the vlogbrothers.
Share how you discover new books :)
 
I trust my friends' recommendations and taste in books 100% so when it comes to new books to read, I simply ask them what they've been reading lately and off I go to the bookstore. Most of the books I've read come from my friends' suggestions. From time to time, I also look up the month's New York Times bestsellers for titles and if anything interests me, I'm picking it up from the bookstore the very next day.

I also like to surprise myself from time to time so whenever I am at a bargain booksale, I glance through the old, obscure titles. If the excerpt or the book description sounds interesting, needless to say, it gets purchased right there and then. I probably sound like an impulse book buyer but hey, you're buying knowledge!
 
I like reading things on Reddit and often browse the books sub-reddit (/r/books). Users there discuss the latest books they've read and sometimes I find about great books that I skipped or never knew about. Another great way to discover new books, for me at least, is by reading the wiki page of authors I liked. If you liked reading a book written by author X chances are you'll like more of his books.

And finally, book recommendations from my friends helped me discover plenty of great authors. Take Isaac Asimov for example. Until recently, when a friend mentioned him, I completely forgot about his books.
 
My mother and brother seem to be great book critics do I trust their guidance when trying to find a good book to read. I also trust my students' judgement on whether or not a book is good to read or not. Also some of my friends who also lies to read helps me out from time to time.
 
I'm not that strict when it comes to how people perceive books. For me, I always spend most of my time searching for new books in booksales instead of bookstores. Either way, in both settings, I search for books that:
  • For non-fiction books, things that dwell around Asian History (more on Oriental history, Feudal Japan and Historic China), Mythology, Philosophy, Astronomy, Astrology and anything that discusses the supernatural.
  • For fiction books, I usually search for Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller and Historical Fiction.
  • I like books that dwell in the occult, the supernatural, and things that people don't generally want to dwell upon.
  • I usually search for books that are either 1.) old, and 2.) not known
  • I barely read books that are recently published
 
I forgot to mention that here in Philippines, we have what we call "Ukay-Ukay." It is a second hand store wherein they sell shoes, bags, and designer clothes in very low prices. One can also find books here, including graphic novel and educational books. The staff here are very helpful and surprisingly versed in literary genres. They are a great help in finding that next great book.
 
I visit Amazon all the time and look at the newly released books or those books which are getting a lot of good reviews. This way, I'm able to discover almost all newer books and be able to join in discussions with other friends who also love reading.

Sometimes, I visit the bookstore as well and you would see at the entrance that the bookstore displays the books which are just recently released.
 
Just like what you have all mentioned, I also do ask my friends for book suggestions, and recommendations. My friends and I are both fans of fiction, so we basically know what one another's preferences are. I often visit the site, Goodreads as well. It's always updated, and it features new released books with reviews.
 
Whenever I am trying to look for something new to read I always check with friends whom taste I do trust. But I also really like to go on small book fairs and second hand book shop where you can nice things cheap or almost free.

But I also have a never ending list of recommendation list for myself, but sometimes I want something spontaneous.
 
I utilise all your ways there to find new books. I love going to the book store and finding the new releases or the top ten most popular books. I love dystopian genre so that's what I'm mostly looking for.

I would add in that I find new books to read in secondhand book stores. Yeah, the books might be old but it's like you're rediscovering old literary classics. It's a good feeling to find a classic book in such a bargain price.

I also like going to goodreads.com. Most of the time though, I usually see the comments of other people on my favourite books. Haha!
 
I am a voracious reader and therefore have no problem discovering new books. If I visit a friend, relative or acquaintance, I usually enquire about books view have stocked and they usually have a selection. There are great websites that pop up from Google search results . My area of interest when I look for new books is Christianity.
 
When I'm trying to find new reading material, I basically scour the entire globe via internet, going to book stores, asking friends and acquaintances,
or even randomly asking someone on the train what they're reading (if body language says it's all right). I'll read reviews online, try excerpts,
and see if there's downloadable copies or other things from the author or publishing company.

But most of the time, I see a book cover, think, "Ooh, pretty," and purchase the book after reading a few pages if it grabbed my attention.
 
How about having a book swap party? Ask everyone to bring their favorite book, wrapped up or bagged. Then, assign numbers to all the books and have each person draw a number. The number they draw is the number of the book they will take home.
 
This is really where I start to miss some of my old jobs as a new teacher. For some reason I just feel like I was so much more able to craft and shape my own curriculum and implement it into the class, whereas now I am just using someone else's materials. I still use my own techniques, but when it comes to actual material I am a bit limited. I can really only suggest books for the students to read, which is a little frustrating. I think that one of the best sources, though, is professors who have that ability to shape curriculum. Talk with some English professors at a local college or university and I bet you will be introduced to some great literature.
 
I mostly use Goodreads, or just browse Amazon whenever I have a ton of time to kill, haha. My friends give me recommendations as well, but most of us have varying tastes in book genres, so I generally only read whatever they've read when I want to try out something new and different. :)
 
Goodreads is also my number one source of new books because they never seem to run out of new ones. I have even entered their giveaways for printed books and I'm hoping to get picked at least in one of them. Sometimes I would still do the traditional searching of books in bookstores and book sales too. :)
 
gracer said:
Goodreads is also my number one source of new books because they never seem to run out of new ones. I have even entered their giveaways for printed books and I'm hoping to get picked at least in one of them. Sometimes I would still do the traditional searching of books in bookstores and book sales too. :)
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Browsing through the books in bookstores is fun! I could probably spend an entire day in a bookstore, if the place is big enough. In fact, a close friend and I are planning to go to a big one in a week - just so we can search for more books, haha.
 
Bea said:
Browsing through the books in bookstores is fun! I could probably spend an entire day in a bookstore, if the place is big enough. In fact, a close friend and I are planning to go to a big one in a week - just so we can search for more books, haha.
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I know, right? I remember my college years when I would frequent my favorite bookstore several times a week and just stay there for hours browsing through their collections of books. There's just this thrilling feeling whenever you are around a lot of books and you know you could find something you could take home with you at the end of the day. Good luck on your upcoming book search! I hope you get to take home a bunch. :)
 
gracer said:
I know, right? I remember my college years when I would frequent my favorite bookstore several times a week and just stay there for hours browsing through their collections of books. There's just this thrilling feeling whenever you are around a lot of books and you know you could find something you could take home with you at the end of the day. Good luck on your upcoming book search! I hope you get to take home a bunch. :)
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Thank you! The budget is quite tight at the moment (and my friend and I are planning to have a nice lunch too) but I'm hoping I can get at least one that really interests me! If not, it's still a good trip to check out which books I would want to read in the future.
 
Friеnds аrе еquаlly impоrtаnt tо mе in my jоurnеy аs а bibliоphilе аs thеy аrе in mаny оthеr аspесts оf lifе. I оftеn rесеivе bооks аs gifts bесаusе mаny knоw I lоvе it аnd I gift bооks аlmоst tо аll my friеnds. Sоmе оf us disсuss аbоut оur rесеnt rеаds аnd сultivаtе frоm thеrе.
Rаndоm intеrnеt sеаrсh:
I соllесt еbооks. Sоmеtimеs I will just sеаrсh rаndоm things likе "bеngаli еbооks" (bеngаli bеing my mоthеr tоnguе), "50 must rеаd bооks оf аll timе" аnd brоwsе my wаy frоm thеrе. I usе Gооdrеаds, аmаzоn, Sсribd аnd mаny оthеr wеbsitеs tо еxplоrе nеw bооks.
 
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