Help finding new books to read

357mag · 03-22-2011, 08:16 PM

I am an avid reader and now that I am a Kindle owner I can carry a whole library of books with me all of the time. I used to hate it when I would finish a traditional book and have nothing with me at the time to start reading. My ebook has eliminated that problem.

Now on to my dilemma. I used to browse the bookstore to look for new books to read (and still do, but I buy the ebook instead), but I am looking for something like goodreads.com but not so fantasy, supernatural, vampire, zombie oriented. What I mean by that is, in one list of books that I looked at (Books I must Read in 2011) eight of the first ten books fell in the fantasy/supernatural category.

I am in my fifties and these book didn't appeal to me when I was in the 16-25 year old demographic and still don't appeal to me now. The closest I get to that is Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Clive Barker. I love those guys, but "Twilight" just doesn't do it for me.

I love Science Fiction from the likes of Asimov, Brin, Niven, Clarke, and Card. I also like books by Grisham, Steinbeck, Crichton, Lehane, Ludlum and Cheever. That is a pretty diverse bunch but that is who I am. My taste in books is like my taste in music. I can listen to Keith Jarrett, Mozart, Pink Floyd and Matchbox 20 all in one sitting.

Can you help me find an online resource for browsing books online. Ideally it would be a site that includes reviews of the books that it lists.

Thanks.

Is there a site like goodreads that might appeal to me?

Elfwreck · 03-22-2011, 08:22 PM

If you're not familiar with the Baen free library, it's a good place to start. You may recognize many of the authors, and the reviews on the individual book listings can help you sort out the other ones. The ebooks Baen sells are all in the $4-6 range, and they're available in several formats, including for the Kindle.

There aren't yet a lot of ebook review sites, and the book review sites are heavily skewed toward pop fantasy & paranormal romance right now.

357mag · 03-22-2011, 08:32 PM

Thanks for the reply. I will certainly check them out. I am not looking for a place to buy ebooks, just a place to browse them. I buy most of my books from Amazon since I have a Kindle.

Of course I could just browse Amazon, but I am also looking for a social community of bookworms, just like this is a social community of ereader enthusiasts.

queentess · 03-22-2011, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 357mag

Now on to my dilemma. I used to browse the bookstore to look for new books to read (and still do, but I buy the ebook instead), but I am looking for something like goodreads.com but not so fantasy, supernatural, vampire, zombie oriented. What I mean by that is, in one list of books that I looked at (Books I must Read in 2011) eight of the first ten books fell in the fantasy/supernatural category.

I'm going to go ahead and recommend goodreads (or shelfari or weread) anyway

Yes, those books may appear on the "top must read" user-voted list, but that just means it's highly popular, not that goodreads is primarily about those books.

I'm on goodreads and have joined a couple groups there. There are many different groups, and you may find one you like. I'm in a couple fantasy and sci-fi oriented ones, but they're not into supernatural stuff (I picked them for that reason). After spending some time discussing books with other people in the groups, I found some people who have similar taste to me, and I poached from their book lists

Depending on your tastes, you might like something like goodreads' The Next Best Book Club group? Check out some of the offerings - don't discount the online book clubs just because of some user lists.

DiapDealer · 03-22-2011, 09:49 PM

I use Amazon or Shelfari to browse the books. From there I usually checkout a handful of review blogs that I've come to rely on and trust. I also peruse (and sometimes participate in) the "Other Authors" sections that most authors' official forums tend to have.

There is no one site (or even a handful) that's going to make it easy for you. I put almost as much research time into what I want to read as I do actually reading, but it's worth it. Dive in... get your hands dirty and find those gems.

wvcherrybomb · 03-22-2011, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by queentess

I'm going to go ahead and recommend goodreads (or shelfari or weread) anyway

I absolutely agree. I only belong to goodreads so can't speak to the others, but it is exactly what you described.

Like queentess, I have met a few people who have interests similar to my own on goodreads. I browse their libraries and have found some titles that I would have otherwise never read.

GA Russell · 03-22-2011, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wvcherrybomb

Like queentess, I have met a few people who have interests similar to my own on goodreads.

What? You've found people who are interested in polygamous cults?

I'm only kidding, cherrybomb!

carpetmojo · 03-23-2011, 02:41 PM

All I can say is if you can't be helped here, you aint gonna be, old chap !

Piper_ · 03-23-2011, 02:58 PM

I also like Goodreads. I've found a lot of good books by checking the various "best" lists and by following the profiles and reviews of members whose tastes are like mine.

It's also helpful to go into the "Fix your Recommendations" section at Amazon and tweak things there. You can give stars to titles according to your tastes, and if your recs get thrown off from clicking on deals and freebies or others you aren't particularly interested in, you can tell it to ignore those.

cmargm · 03-23-2011, 05:55 PM

Sometimes if I am stuck and don't know what to read next, I visit the "Kobo Books" site. They do categorize their books into various headings not just the standard ones. e.g New York Times best sellers, Award winners, Stories of Survival,etc.

FatDog · 03-23-2011, 06:13 PM

This is a tough question because there are so many 'flavors' of books that if you find a very active site/group - their passion may not match yours. (Like how "Twilight" was followed by a ton of teenage girls and over-whelmed Quote sites, Yahoo Answers, etc.)

For fun - you can try this Literature Map and enter a favorite author and see some eye-candy about other authors you might like.

http://www.literature-map.com/

Quote:

I love Science Fiction from the likes of Asimov, Brin, Niven, Clarke, and Card. I also like books by Grisham, Steinbeck, Crichton, Lehane, Ludlum and Cheever.

Your best bet is to do just what you did and list favorite authors/books here and get other recommendations.

I'll toss you a few that you may like:

Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child - Lots of well written thrillers. One of their series is the "Agent Pendergast" series (search Amazon for this). Dont be afraid to search for just "Douglas Preston" and "Lincoln Child" as they have some good books written solo like "Deep Storm" by Child.

Michael Connelly - Very good.

Kathy Reichs - Writes a series of "Bones" books and the TV show "Bones" is loosely based on her characters. (Surprisingly - we like both the books and the TV show).

James Rollins - Another good writer of thrillers/adventure books.

Lois McMaster Bujold - Writes an excellent series of books called the "Vorkosigan" series. If you buy her treebook "Cryoburn" it includes a CD of all the novels in epub and text format. You can convert it to .mobi with Caliber.

Note: If you research these authors on Amazon - look at the bottom of the page where "Customers who bought these books also bought.." You can find some good links as well.

357mag · 03-23-2011, 07:44 PM

Thanks for all of the help guys and girls. I just joined Shelfari. I had no idea that site existed. I will check out some of the other suggestions as well.

I have not given up on Goodreads, it just seems heavily weighted in the fantasy/supernatural at times.

hedwig · 03-24-2011, 01:14 AM

I am on Shelfari too (and Goodreads).
Shelfari is a really great site for cataloging your books (I prefer their interface to Goodreads), browsing for new authors/books (finding new books in a favorite series) and joining discussion groups.
I hope you find what you are looking for.

OtterBooks · 03-25-2011, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 357mag

Can you help me find an online resource for browsing books online. Ideally it would be a site that includes reviews of the books that it lists.

I think Amazon is excellent for finding titles similar to ones that appeal to you, even if you wind up buying them elsewhere. Their little scrolling section showing "customers who bought this item also bought.." is a good resource.

BenG · 03-25-2011, 12:31 PM

http://scifistandpoint.wordpress.com/

http://greenmanreview.com/

http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities...ature/Reviews/

http://dannyreviews.com/

http://www.vacationbookreview.com/

http://www.bookbrowse.com/

http://sjcpl.lib.in.us/recommended/pearlspicks/

http://www.bookloons.com/cgi-bin/Home.asp

03-22-2011, 08:16 PM	#1
357mag Connoisseur Posts: 52 Karma: 248 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: iPad and Galaxy S5	Help finding new books to read I am an avid reader and now that I am a Kindle owner I can carry a whole library of books with me all of the time. I used to hate it when I would finish a traditional book and have nothing with me at the time to start reading. My ebook has eliminated that problem. Now on to my dilemma. I used to browse the bookstore to look for new books to read (and still do, but I buy the ebook instead), but I am looking for something like goodreads.com but not so fantasy, supernatural, vampire, zombie oriented. What I mean by that is, in one list of books that I looked at (Books I must Read in 2011) eight of the first ten books fell in the fantasy/supernatural category. I am in my fifties and these book didn't appeal to me when I was in the 16-25 year old demographic and still don't appeal to me now. The closest I get to that is Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Clive Barker. I love those guys, but "Twilight" just doesn't do it for me. I love Science Fiction from the likes of Asimov, Brin, Niven, Clarke, and Card. I also like books by Grisham, Steinbeck, Crichton, Lehane, Ludlum and Cheever. That is a pretty diverse bunch but that is who I am. My taste in books is like my taste in music. I can listen to Keith Jarrett, Mozart, Pink Floyd and Matchbox 20 all in one sitting. Can you help me find an online resource for browsing books online. Ideally it would be a site that includes reviews of the books that it lists. Thanks. Is there a site like goodreads that might appeal to me?

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03-22-2011, 08:22 PM	#2
Elfwreck Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,187 Karma: 25133758 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: SF Bay Area, California, USA Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3 (Past: Kobo Mini, PEZ, PRS-505, Clié)	If you're not familiar with the Baen free library, it's a good place to start. You may recognize many of the authors, and the reviews on the individual book listings can help you sort out the other ones. The ebooks Baen sells are all in the $4-6 range, and they're available in several formats, including for the Kindle. There aren't yet a lot of ebook review sites, and the book review sites are heavily skewed toward pop fantasy & paranormal romance right now.

03-22-2011, 08:32 PM	#3
357mag Connoisseur Posts: 52 Karma: 248 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: iPad and Galaxy S5	Thanks for the reply. I will certainly check them out. I am not looking for a place to buy ebooks, just a place to browse them. I buy most of my books from Amazon since I have a Kindle. Of course I could just browse Amazon, but I am also looking for a social community of bookworms, just like this is a social community of ereader enthusiasts.

03-22-2011, 09:49 PM	#5
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,880 Karma: 207000000 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	I use Amazon or Shelfari to browse the books. From there I usually checkout a handful of review blogs that I've come to rely on and trust. I also peruse (and sometimes participate in) the "Other Authors" sections that most authors' official forums tend to have. There is no one site (or even a handful) that's going to make it easy for you. I put almost as much research time into what I want to read as I do actually reading, but it's worth it. Dive in... get your hands dirty and find those gems.

03-23-2011, 02:41 PM	#8
carpetmojo Wizard Posts: 3,117 Karma: 9269999 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: UK Device: Sony- T3, PRS650, 350, T1/2/3, Paperwhite, Fire 8.9,Samsung Tab S 10.5	All I can say is if you can't be helped here, you aint gonna be, old chap !

03-23-2011, 02:58 PM	#9
Piper_ ~~~~~ Posts: 761 Karma: 1278391 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: USA Device: Kindle 3, Sony 350	I also like Goodreads. I've found a lot of good books by checking the various "best" lists and by following the profiles and reviews of members whose tastes are like mine. It's also helpful to go into the "Fix your Recommendations" section at Amazon and tweak things there. You can give stars to titles according to your tastes, and if your recs get thrown off from clicking on deals and freebies or others you aren't particularly interested in, you can tell it to ignore those.

03-23-2011, 05:55 PM	#10
cmargm Enthusiast Posts: 30 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Canada Device: Kindle 3	Sometimes if I am stuck and don't know what to read next, I visit the "Kobo Books" site. They do categorize their books into various headings not just the standard ones. e.g New York Times best sellers, Award winners, Stories of Survival,etc.

03-23-2011, 07:44 PM	#12
357mag Connoisseur Posts: 52 Karma: 248 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: iPad and Galaxy S5	Thanks for all of the help guys and girls. I just joined Shelfari. I had no idea that site existed. I will check out some of the other suggestions as well. I have not given up on Goodreads, it just seems heavily weighted in the fantasy/supernatural at times.

03-24-2011, 01:14 AM	#13
hedwig Book Worm Posts: 116 Karma: 158766 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: Kindle Paperwhite, iPad Air, iPad Mini, iPod Touch 5	I am on Shelfari too (and Goodreads). Shelfari is a really great site for cataloging your books (I prefer their interface to Goodreads), browsing for new authors/books (finding new books in a favorite series) and joining discussion groups. I hope you find what you are looking for.

03-25-2011, 12:31 PM	#15
BenG Home Guard Posts: 4,730 Karma: 86721650 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Alpha Ralpha Boulevard Device: Kindle Oasis 3G, iPhone 6	http://scifistandpoint.wordpress.com/ http://greenmanreview.com/ http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities...ature/Reviews/ http://dannyreviews.com/ http://www.vacationbookreview.com/ http://www.bookbrowse.com/ http://sjcpl.lib.in.us/recommended/pearlspicks/ http://www.bookloons.com/cgi-bin/Home.asp