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When I started reading (really reading) again last summer, I decided I wanted to discover new female writers. Most reviews seem to cover male writers, but I know there are good female writers out there. It seems to me female writers write about things that interest me more than most male writers. (There are exceptions of course.) Then after a few books, I decided that I didn't need to read any more about the upper classes of England, so I've been looking for female North American writers, at least mostly.
I am finding writers to read in various ways. I discovered Ruth Azeki and Elizabeth Strout by simply browsing in a bookstore before a trip. I needed two books, and I chose two books written by each of these authors. And I am glad I did!
I read reviews in the Wall Street Journal. There aren't a lot of reviews of fiction, but occasionally I run into a female mystery or fiction writer that intrigues me. I knew about Marilynn Robinson's books, but had not read them. Something I read reminded me of them, so I requested one of them and was hooked.
Sometimes I've checked the back flap of a book to see which other writers have written admiring stuff about a book I was reading. Sometimes I wrack my brain to think of female writers I have encountered before, or heard about before. In the case of Sue Grafton, I've been reading her for decades!
And I have followed a Barnes & Noble blog about authors as well.
As you can see, I've followed a fragmented path to finding books I want to read. I wondered how you guys find things you want to read. Do you decide you will read only one sort of book? Do you ask your friends? (Almost no friends of mine are readers.) I know some of you post queries in this thread.
So--what are you doing to find books you want to read?
My local library has a section of new and popular books and I browse that area exclusively. If I see a new book from a favorite author I grab it without a second thought. With the others I will scan the summary briefly and make a decision based on that. Nowadays, I read strictly for entertainment so I no longer read "heavy" or heartbreaking topics. A good book cover attracts me too.
Like Silibran, I'd have to really wrack my brain to remember all the authors I've liked over the years so now I leave it pretty much up to chance that I'll run across them again.
I read reviews in the newspaper and in some magazines and will place a hold from the library on a title that sounds good. I don't buy books, ever. Been there, done that.
I've also gotten ideas from this forum if it sounds like something I would enjoy.
I usually look for books by genre~ historical fiction, cozy mystery, science fiction, fantasy ect. at Amazon and goodreads. Or I put the title of a book that I particularly liked in the search bar at those sites, and read the reviews from others who enjoyed it and look at what other books they enjoyed.
I also look for books by subject, such as recently looked for WWII homefront-American and England,and War Brides, both fiction and nonfiction interests me.
I am forever grateful to this forum, and occasional mentions by friends and acquaintances. I do go to the library and just browse around for something to catch my eyes.
I am also in a book club, but browse other book clubs just to see what is being read by them just for ideas.
Of course when I find an author I enjoy I do tend to read their other works over time.
Finally, I admit to looking up books on amazon, and then seeing
at the bottom, "those who bought this bought this book also bought....." for inspiration.
Frequently - somehow- I will hear of the same books from multiple places.
I check out a lot of Book Lists whether on Goodreads, Pinterest, web sites, etc. I've been reading a lot of books off of the BBC Big Read list from years ago. Then others are recommended to me by friends or family. Others are books I browsed through in the library.
Yup, the public & college libraries usually have something like a reader's guide to books - If you liked that, maybe you'd like this. Libraries usually have a new books (in fiction & non-fiction) section. They also post lists of best-sellers, what's currently checking out a lot. You can always ask the reference librarian, they can look up or tell you what's trending.
Public libraries are great places for readers. & of course, you can look up best-seller lists on paper, in the NY Times booksection, the NYT Magazine, on the Internet, etc. Genres often run top 50, top 100, etc. reading lists - you can hunt them down on the Internet too.
When I started reading (really reading) again last summer, I decided I wanted to discover new female writers. Most reviews seem to cover male writers, but I know there are good female writers out there. It seems to me female writers write about things that interest me more than most male writers. (There are exceptions of course.) Then after a few books, I decided that I didn't need to read any more about the upper classes of England, so I've been looking for female North American writers, at least mostly.
I am finding writers to read in various ways. I discovered Ruth Azeki and Elizabeth Strout by simply browsing in a bookstore before a trip. I needed two books, and I chose two books written by each of these authors. And I am glad I did!
I read reviews in the Wall Street Journal. There aren't a lot of reviews of fiction, but occasionally I run into a female mystery or fiction writer that intrigues me. I knew about Marilynn Robinson's books, but had not read them. Something I read reminded me of them, so I requested one of them and was hooked.
Sometimes I've checked the back flap of a book to see which other writers have written admiring stuff about a book I was reading. Sometimes I wrack my brain to think of female writers I have encountered before, or heard about before. In the case of Sue Grafton, I've been reading her for decades!
And I have followed a Barnes & Noble blog about authors as well.
As you can see, I've followed a fragmented path to finding books I want to read. I wondered how you guys find things you want to read. Do you decide you will read only one sort of book? Do you ask your friends? (Almost no friends of mine are readers.) I know some of you post queries in this thread.
So--what are you doing to find books you want to read?
Amazon new releases area
Friends
Family
Digging through books at thrift stores. Ask my wife and she will say its the ONLY area I look for in a thrift store
Goodreads.com to organize them all and give me recommendations based on what I have read and what I want to read.
I am forever grateful to this forum, and occasional mentions by friends and acquaintances. I do go to the library and just browse around for something to catch my eyes.
I am also in a book club, but browse other book clubs just to see what is being read by them just for ideas.
Of course when I find an author I enjoy I do tend to read their other works over time. Finally, I admit to looking up books on amazon, and then seeing
at the bottom, "those who bought this bought this book also bought....." for inspiration.
Frequently - somehow- I will hear of the same books from multiple places.
Haha I do the same thing,its addictive. I find a book put it on goodreads.com look it up on amazon and look it up on paperbackswap to see if its available for free to me and if I have credits to get it.
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Especially with Kindle 'freebies', I often find more freebies in those next 20 pages!
There are many places to look
