How do you find new books to read? - Page 3

Readirect · 10-06-2026, 11:23 AM

Some of my favorite sites for mystery/thriller book reviews:

malwarwickonbooks.com
menreadingbooks.com
spybrary.com
spyguysandgals.com
thebigthrill.org

Scoob · 10-06-2026, 11:04 PM

Honestly I look at covers and titles for new things to read. I also do this when I'm in a used book shoppe. If it looks or sounds interesting I'll read the cover flap or the back. It's usually not lead me astray. If I'm staying in the same genre but am looking at different authors I'll usually see what if any books are mentioned in a book I know I like. Or I look at the you may also like recommendations on B&N.

Wiggo · 10-07-2026, 01:42 AM

A good source of recommendations: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=24

drofgnal · 10-07-2026, 04:56 AM

Browsing Amazon, particularly 'deals of the day'. Second the thread here on what are you currently reading. I like to go into a B&N occasionally and look at their display of new releases, but since moving I don't have a convenient one to go to. I do belong to a book club where I live now but my participation has been lax of late. I'm the only guy in it and the book selection and discussion is skewed very feminine of late but I do get some good recommendations talking to other members. It also falls on golf day so with good weather, I'm on the links.

jackm8 · 10-07-2026, 06:27 PM

Other: See a reference to a book somewhere, wiki it, if it's interesting, go with it. Usually, this amounts to one book leading to the other.

Example: Capri —> Story of San Michele —> Vestal Fire

reaido · 10-08-2026, 09:15 AM

I’ve been using a somewhat different approach lately.

Instead of looking for “books similar to X”, I use an AI as a kind of personal book-hunting assistant.

The important part is that it already knows what I like — not just genres, but the things I tend to dislike as well. For example, I can say something like:

I’m looking for something with a strong hook, preferably progression or an unusual premise. No LitRPG grinding, no crafting-heavy stuff, no generic fantasy-school setting. I’m also quite happy to read web novels and translated fiction.

Then I let it search.

Google’s AI search is surprisingly useful for this too. You can give it a fairly weird description of what you’re looking for and ask it to find actual books, web novels, reviews, Reddit discussions, Royal Road recommendations, etc. It’s much closer to describing the kind of reading experience you want than searching by genre or author.

And there’s another trick I like: once I find something promising, I ask the AI to follow the trail from that book — what else is mentioned by its readers, what the author recommends, what other books are repeatedly compared to it, and so on.

So instead of:

book → recommendation algorithm → another popular book

I get something more like:

book → discussion → obscure recommendation → another discussion → completely unexpected book

That tends to work much better for me.

I actually ended up putting this idea into a little Android EPUB reader I’ve been working on. It can keep the reading/discussion side in the same place, and I’m experimenting with using AI to help discover books rather than just recommend another bestseller.

Here’s a short demo of what I mean:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/c7rxSK0f6vQ

It’s still very much a work in progress, but I’ve found this approach considerably more useful than the usual “people who bought this also bought...” recommendations.

bdub · 10-08-2026, 07:21 PM

My most common way to find new books to read:

1) book club
2) The Book Club (YouTube channel) & Books and Things (YouTube channel)
3) TV & Film Adaptations

For the last category, I recently completed Carrie and East of Eden. I do need to get around to updating my reading list on this site for the year.

odamizu · Yesterday, 03:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reaido

... Instead of looking for “books similar to X”, I use an AI as a kind of personal book-hunting assistant.

This is fascinating! also sounds fun! I will play with AI and see what it comes up with ...

JSWolf · Yesterday, 10:48 AM

In the video, is that program actually pirating books?

DiapDealer · Yesterday, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

In the video, is that program actually pirating books?

That's a few degrees too pedantic even for you.

View Poll Results: What are your primary methods for finding new books to read?
Recommendations from people you know	11	28.95%
Recommendations from authors you follow on social media	9	23.68%
Recommendations from reviewers you follow on social media	8	21.05%
Book review websites	8	21.05%
Book reviews in magazines or newspapers	7	18.42%
Browse bookstores or libraries	19	50.00%
Book club that you are a member of	3	7.89%
Other (please explain)	17	44.74%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 38. You may not vote on this poll

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10-06-2026, 11:23 AM	#31
Readirect Groupie Posts: 157 Karma: 20456 Join Date: Apr 2014 Device: KPW1	Some of my favorite sites for mystery/thriller book reviews: malwarwickonbooks.com menreadingbooks.com spybrary.com spyguysandgals.com thebigthrill.org

10-06-2026, 11:04 PM	#32
Scoob Groupie Posts: 175 Karma: 100 Join Date: Sep 2024 Location: USA Device: Voyage, K3, NST, Glow+ 2019, Glow 4, Sony Ereaders	Honestly I look at covers and titles for new things to read. I also do this when I'm in a used book shoppe. If it looks or sounds interesting I'll read the cover flap or the back. It's usually not lead me astray. If I'm staying in the same genre but am looking at different authors I'll usually see what if any books are mentioned in a book I know I like. Or I look at the you may also like recommendations on B&N.

10-07-2026, 01:42 AM	#33
Wiggo Leftutti Posts: 658 Karma: 3671119 Join Date: Feb 2019 Location: Bavaria Device: iPad Pro, Kobo Libra 2	A good source of recommendations: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=24

10-07-2026, 04:56 AM	#34
drofgnal Wizard Posts: 1,528 Karma: 10827780 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Ipad Pro/Kindle Oasis 3/iPhone 13 Pro Max	Browsing Amazon, particularly 'deals of the day'. Second the thread here on what are you currently reading. I like to go into a B&N occasionally and look at their display of new releases, but since moving I don't have a convenient one to go to. I do belong to a book club where I live now but my participation has been lax of late. I'm the only guy in it and the book selection and discussion is skewed very feminine of late but I do get some good recommendations talking to other members. It also falls on golf day so with good weather, I'm on the links.

10-07-2026, 06:27 PM	#35
jackm8 Evangelist Posts: 432 Karma: 4500000 Join Date: Nov 2015 Device: none	Other: See a reference to a book somewhere, wiki it, if it's interesting, go with it. Usually, this amounts to one book leading to the other. Example: Capri —> Story of San Michele —> Vestal Fire

10-08-2026, 09:15 AM	#36
reaido Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2026 Device: Android tablet	I’ve been using a somewhat different approach lately. Instead of looking for “books similar to X”, I use an AI as a kind of personal book-hunting assistant. The important part is that it already knows what I like — not just genres, but the things I tend to dislike as well. For example, I can say something like: I’m looking for something with a strong hook, preferably progression or an unusual premise. No LitRPG grinding, no crafting-heavy stuff, no generic fantasy-school setting. I’m also quite happy to read web novels and translated fiction. Then I let it search. Google’s AI search is surprisingly useful for this too. You can give it a fairly weird description of what you’re looking for and ask it to find actual books, web novels, reviews, Reddit discussions, Royal Road recommendations, etc. It’s much closer to describing the kind of reading experience you want than searching by genre or author. And there’s another trick I like: once I find something promising, I ask the AI to follow the trail from that book — what else is mentioned by its readers, what the author recommends, what other books are repeatedly compared to it, and so on. So instead of: book → recommendation algorithm → another popular book I get something more like: book → discussion → obscure recommendation → another discussion → completely unexpected book That tends to work much better for me. I actually ended up putting this idea into a little Android EPUB reader I’ve been working on. It can keep the reading/discussion side in the same place, and I’m experimenting with using AI to help discover books rather than just recommend another bestseller. Here’s a short demo of what I mean: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/c7rxSK0f6vQ It’s still very much a work in progress, but I’ve found this approach considerably more useful than the usual “people who bought this also bought...” recommendations.

10-08-2026, 07:21 PM	#37
bdub Connoisseur Posts: 58 Karma: 730488 Join Date: Sep 2025 Device: Kobo Clara BW	My most common way to find new books to read: 1) book club 2) The Book Club (YouTube channel) & Books and Things (YouTube channel) 3) TV & Film Adaptations For the last category, I recently completed Carrie and East of Eden. I do need to get around to updating my reading list on this site for the year.

Yesterday, 10:48 AM	#39
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 85,273 Karma: 154365101 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	In the video, is that program actually pirating books?