Where do you get your book recommendations? How do you know what you are going to read next?
I have heard that the best advertising for books is word of mouth. It is safe to say most of our book recommendations come from other people in some form or another. It might be a blog, a you tube channel, or a friend. Any of those options include one person telling other people about a book and why they should read said book.
Like most people, I get most of my book recommendations from people. Particularly friends and family. My family and my in-laws all read quite a bit (I’m lucky, I know) and so I often get my next read from what they are currently reading and raving about. I just recently started reading the Discworld novels because quite a few of my family members love them. They are very funny, would highly recommend, if you were wondering.
I also get book recommendations from you tube channels and blogs similar to this one. I like reading about, and watching, what other people are reading and enjoying. Sometimes I find my next favorite, sometimes I don’t.
What I think also regularly happens is we get books by the same author. If I liked one book by Fredrick Backman, I will most likely like the other books also by him. Which is true, I thoroughly enjoy most of the books I have read. Authors I recognize catch my eye at book sales and book stores, and I am more likely to buy a book by an author I recognize, either because I have read a book by them or because someone else likes them, than I am to buy a book by a new author. I don’t think that is a bad thing. Books can be expensive, I want to spend my money on something I know I will like.
Rarely, I pick up a book purely because it sounds interesting. I many never have heard of the title or the author before, but I will try it out because it sounds so good. I think this is the rarest kind because I don’t have as much spare time any more. I want to buy books I know I will like, or I think will be worth my time and money. Getting books I don’t know about is a risk, will it be great? Or will it be a waste of time? You just don’t know!
For the most part, the books I read are because someone recommended the book to me. So keep on recommending books everyone!
Shaina Merrick
The Beauty of a Story 