MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Is there an alternative to http://whatshouldireadnext.com/

FlorenceArt · 09-22-2009, 04:52 AM

I've said this elsewhere already, but I wonder if this kind of search help isn't a false good idea after all.

I mean, sure, sometimes you put down a book you loved and feel frustrated that it's over and would like to read it again for the first time - I guess we all feel that way sometimes.

But really, let's face it, you will never read that particular great book again for the first time. And there are so many other great books waiting, which in all probability have very little in common with the one you just finished but that you might love all the same. Wouldn't it be better to stumble on one of those, rather than endlessly (and in the end, fruitlessly) searching for that moment in the past?

I used to enjoy the suggestions at Amazon, and bought several books that way, but what I noticed was it got me into a vicious circle: I happened to buy several fantasy books when I started to use Amazon, so Amazon recommended more fantasy books, and I bought some, which resulted in more recommendations in the same style, and so on.

I still enjoy fantasy books and I'm always happy when I stumble on a good one. But in any genre, there are few great books, and a whole mass of so-so ones that may be enjoyable but are not unforgettable. When I look back on what I've been reading these last years, I have a feeling I've been spending a lot of time reading books from the second group, and I also feel it may be in part connected to that narrow search focus that Amazon gave me.

Now I try to take recommendations from sources as varied as possible. The Internet gives us access to a huge number of sources for information and reading suggestions: this site for instance, or online newspapers or magazines. Paper newspapers and magazines. Some TV or radio shows, not necessarily ones dedicated to books. Books themselves also sometimes cite other books or authors. And of course friends and family can be a good source. I try to write down the author names or titles that I heard about that way, and keep a list of "stuff that might be worth checking out".

Just my 2 cents - recommendations based on similarity are nice, but let's also look for new reading pleasures once in a while

09-22-2009, 04:52 AM	#18
FlorenceArt High Priestess Posts: 5,761 Karma: 5042529 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Montreuil sous bois, France Device: iPad Pro 9.7, iPhone 6 Plus	I've said this elsewhere already, but I wonder if this kind of search help isn't a false good idea after all. I mean, sure, sometimes you put down a book you loved and feel frustrated that it's over and would like to read it again for the first time - I guess we all feel that way sometimes. But really, let's face it, you will never read that particular great book again for the first time. And there are so many other great books waiting, which in all probability have very little in common with the one you just finished but that you might love all the same. Wouldn't it be better to stumble on one of those, rather than endlessly (and in the end, fruitlessly) searching for that moment in the past? I used to enjoy the suggestions at Amazon, and bought several books that way, but what I noticed was it got me into a vicious circle: I happened to buy several fantasy books when I started to use Amazon, so Amazon recommended more fantasy books, and I bought some, which resulted in more recommendations in the same style, and so on. I still enjoy fantasy books and I'm always happy when I stumble on a good one. But in any genre, there are few great books, and a whole mass of so-so ones that may be enjoyable but are not unforgettable. When I look back on what I've been reading these last years, I have a feeling I've been spending a lot of time reading books from the second group, and I also feel it may be in part connected to that narrow search focus that Amazon gave me. Now I try to take recommendations from sources as varied as possible. The Internet gives us access to a huge number of sources for information and reading suggestions: this site for instance, or online newspapers or magazines. Paper newspapers and magazines. Some TV or radio shows, not necessarily ones dedicated to books. Books themselves also sometimes cite other books or authors. And of course friends and family can be a good source. I try to write down the author names or titles that I heard about that way, and keep a list of "stuff that might be worth checking out". Just my 2 cents - recommendations based on similarity are nice, but let's also look for new reading pleasures once in a while