Reader’s Café
What Do I Read Next???
Ms. Griffin

Rule#1 (Really the only rule): Read only what you like! Really! If you have a choice about what book to read and you are not enjoying reading the book, STOP IMMEDIATELY, PUT THE BOOK DOWN, and FIND ANOTHER BOOK!!! Why invest time in something you are not enjoying. There is ALWAYS another book !

So how do you find something to read??

  1. Your local library (or your local friendly Media Specialist or Librarian).
  2. Library websites, not just local ones.
  3. Bookstores and their websites.
  4. The Web (yep- Google it).
  5. Your family and friends (or friends of friends) who read – readers like to talk about what they read because they want you to read it!

The Buy or Borrow Decision (and it’s sidekick decision – print or electronic): Reminder – you will save money if you borrow the book from the library or a friend (why spend your hard earned money when someone else already has!!) FYI- The Shawnee Media Center and any other local library can borrow pretty much any book you want from other libraries through a program called Inter-Library Loan. Tell us what you’re looking for, give us a little time and we will probably be able to get it for you!

Readalikes – What are they?

Definition: a readalike is a book or series that has something in common with another book or book series that might appeal to the same reader. It could be a similar tone, setting, theme, depth of characterization or type of plot. A good readalike connects the elements you enjoy through different books and authors.

Reader’s Advisory - Another term you might see while searching. This just refers to a service which involves suggesting fiction and non-fiction titles to help a reader find their next book. (Librarians and Media Specialists live for this stuff!)

Today’s Objective: Find one book you think you might want to read using each of the three sources below. (For those of you who are counting – that’s a list of 3 books total.) Figure out if the Shawnee Media Center has them or if we need to get them from some other source for you. (Suggestion: Keep a go-to list.)

  1. Library Resources

Shawnee Media Center:

Online Catalog: From the Media Center Homepage, on the left click on “Find a Book, CD or Video” – search by Keyword, Title or Subject. Hint: Find a book that you like and look at the list of stujects – click on one and see what you get. Search Just the Shawnee Media Center or any MC in the LRHSD.

Database: From the Media Center Homepage, on the left click on “Online Research Databases” – look for “Novelist Plus” (ID shawneemc, PW: nj). Notice: Recommended Reads (on the left); Novellist Resources – Author Readalikes & Reader’s Advisory Toolbox.

Local Library:

Burlington County Library: (If you don’t have a BCLS Library card – get one!!!!!)

In addition to searching the catalog, check out the link at the bottom of the page- “Books” -for some recommended sources. Also, search “eBooks” for a list of what is available to download and instructions on how to do it.

  1. The Web

Google these search Terms: Author + Readalikes or Book Title + Readalikes (ex. James DashnerReadalikes; Maze Runner Readalikes)

Readalike Sources (and this is just the tip of the iceberg!!!!). See if you can find others that you like –there are tons!

(try this one first- it’s huge!)

Next Book in a Series:

  1. Just for Fun

What kind of Reader Are You??? Take the survey!

And if that isn’t enough……..more sources for book nerds!!! 

Book Lust: A Community for People Who Love Books

Nancy Pearl, rock star librarian, author, and speaker is the go-to source for what to read next.

Reading Group Guides – Find out what other people are reading.

Reading Group Choices

Publishers who have EXTENSIVE lists of Reading Group Guides include:

  • Random House Reader's Circle
  • Random House Reading Group Guides
  • HarperCollins
  • Norton
  • Book Club Reader (Simon & Schuster)
  • Vintage Reading Group Center (Random House)

Commercial Web Sites

Almost all of these sites are trying to make money in one-way or another. However, they do all have interviews with a variety of authors. Each has different access points to the interviews.

  • Amazon: A variety of author interviews
  • Barnes & Noble: Transcripts of author chats are available here
  • Bookbrowser (Barnes and Noble):Interviews and more are available here
  • Bookpage: More author interviews
  • Bookspot: Author interviews and much more, including more links to web sites
  • Crescent Blues e-magazine: (author interviews)
  • Salon: (author interviews and reviews)

Sources for Booklists

There are lots and lots of booklists maintained by individuals or libraries on the web. These are some of the most interesting that I have found.

  • Morton Grove Public Library, Morton Grove, IL: This library has a very extensive page for Reader’s Services. It includes “Web Sites for Book Lovers”, “Thinking Out Loud” (a book discussion group) and over 120 different booklists compiled by librarians from all over the country.
  • Oprah's Book Club: See all of the Oprah book selections and discussion questions here.
  • Oprah Readalikes: Northbrook Library's (Illinois) read-alike suggestions for Oprah's Book Club. It's a general list of novels similar to titles chosen for Oprah's Book Club.
  • Reading Woman: This book club claims to have started when Oprah was 16.

Personal Review Web Sites

There are a wide variety of personal review web sites. They often come up when you do a search of the web by title or author. These three sites are regularly updated and maintained.

  • Genrefluent: The World of Genre Fiction Diana Tixier Herald, librarian and author of Genreflecting, reviews at least three books per week on her web page. She includes only the books she feels she can recommend.
  • Printed Matter by Elisabeth Sherwin
  • Goodreads:

Created by R. Johnson & R. DiMarco 10/12