List of Websites to Help You Decide What to Read Next
If you're a neurotically indecisive reader like me, you probably need some help when trying to figure out what to read next. Here are some websites that go above and beyond generic recommendations. These tend to offer a dynamic and user friendly interface for someone solely seeking book or author recommendations.
1. YourNextRead.com
Simply search for a book you like, and a little map of related titles will pop up. It saves a history of the books you browse during your session, and provides easy access to websites where you can purchase the book or find more reviews. You can even create an account, make your own maps, and share them. If you like this you may also want to check out YourNextFilm.com and, if you're a gamer, YourNextGame.com.
2. Whichbook.net
I'm a huge fan of this website's user interface. It allows you to browse books based on what you "feel" like reading at any given moment. You can choose if you want something long or short, violent or gentle, happy or sad, etc. It provides lists after you submit your specifications for what you want to read, but will allow you to see similar books to each title on the list.
3. NoveList
Powered by EBSCO, this online database is probably the most comprehensive you are going to find when seeking reading materials. The interface isn't as user friendly to those who are unfamiliar with EBSCO databases (particularly if you are performing an advanced search), however it more than makes up for it in the sheer depth and breadth of its content.
You can check out "Author Read-alikes" and you can browse by genre and type, and then list titles in the search results by popularity, publication date, etc. This site is a great resource for those planning book discussions, as there are a plethora of book discussion guides as well as related articles to the literature.
It is also possible to browse pretty much every sort of literary award list out there in NoveList. Since this is an EBSCO database, it does require a subscription, so check out your local library's databases to see if you can access it with your library card. If you have more questions on how to access and use this database, talk to your local public or school librarian.
4. literature-map.com
I love "mapping" applications which illustrate relationships between different bits of information. In the case of literature-map, the relationships between different authors are brought to life. If you've read everything there is to read from your favorite author, you can go to this site, type in their name, and voila, a ton of floating names of related authors appear and float around your search query.
You can then click on a different author name to have the same process repeat itself. This simple, easy-to-use website is a great way to find general recommendations of authors you probably would like to read.
5. LibraryThing.com
This website allows you to catalog your personal library, share reviews, network with other bibliophiles, and just generally gush about literature like the book-obsessed-crazy-person you are. Each book's page has Library Thing's recommendations for further reading, as well as recommendations by the "people" or the users of library thing. You can also see how many people rated for or against recommendations. The fact that users themselves drive the recommendations is what inspired me to add this website to this list.
A great feature they have on their author pages is an "If you like..." link which will list related authors. User ratings abound, so this is a great website for people interested in seeing what other fans of their particular genre or author have to say about what to read next.
Are there any websites you would like to see added to this list? Please let me know in the comments!