Do you hate reading?

Then this post is not for you. And I’m surprised you are reading my blog in the first place. I have come across a number of websites that can help in choosing what books to read and what to avoid. You see, I’m alot more lenient with movies. If I think a movie might be “meh”, I am still okay with watching it because it is only 2 hours or less of my life. But books are a different story. They are much more time intensive (I’m not the quickest reader when I’m reading for fun. I like to digest the words, imagine the descriptions) and I therefore need to be more picky. A recent group of websites all had similar ideas at the same time and are now releasing online tools to help you find the perfect book to read next.  Alot of these sites are in beta, but hopefully they get better as more people join and the algorithms are tweaked.

librarything.com This site is set up for you to create a virtual bookshelf full of books you have read and your reviews of those books. You can then look through other peoples’ shelves, make friends, and connect to groups with like interests.

books.livingsocial.com This is another site to upload the books you have read with ratings. This site will then try to recommend similar books based on what you have read and what you have liked. You can also connect to friends and share your reviews and recommendations.

goodreads.com This is a less specifically tailored site that allows you to review books and see what books are well regarded and what books are less so. Interestingly, “Twilight” is on the “Best Books Ever” list and “The worst books of all time”.

bookarmy.com This is similar to the others. Create a virtual bookshelf and the website will make recommendations. A number of online reviews did mention the suggestions were missing obvious connections and giving odd ones in place, but, it’s still in beta…

shelfari.com This website is billed as a book-loving social network. Think Facebook centered on books. It’s well laid out and relies on user reviews and recommendations.

whichbook.net This site is unique in that instead of asking for previous books you have read and enjoyed,  there are a number of sliders you can move to get the type of book you want to read. For example, Do you want more of a happy book or sad? Funny or serious? Short or long?

beta.booklamp.org This site claims it is the pandora.com of book sites. You select a book you like from a drop down list, and it will give you suggestions based on that book.

whatshouldireadnext.com/search The most direct website name and the simplest interface. No bookshelves, no friends, no rating, nothing. You enter a book you like and you get recommendations. (You can make a list for more specific recommendations if you register). I did get a number of errors when I tried yo use this site.

If you have any sites you use that isn’t listed, please add it in the comments. Happy reading!!