Besides being a bookworm, I am an inveterate recommender of books and authors I love – as you may have guessed from my periodic book reviews. I’m constantly saying to my friends and husband, “Have you read…?” and pushing books into their hands.
Since I read more (and faster) than most people I know, I search out most of my book recommendations on the Internet these days, particularly from the brilliant e-newsletter Shelf Awareness, Book Club Girl’s blog and the frequent reviews at She Is Too Fond of Books. (And I pay attention to what my favorite bloggers are reading, when they mention it.) I still hear about books from friends, of course, and I keep up with events at the Booksmith and the Harvard Book Store, as well as browsing the shelves at the Brattle.
I hadn’t realized how much information about books I was taking in until recently, when Abi and I were browsing the 3-for-2 table at Borders in Dedham. I kept pointing to books, saying, “Oh, that one was good,” or “I bought this one – loved it,” or “I read the reviews of that one – not sure I’d like it.” Abi went home and told her husband (and later me), “I knew Katie read a lot, but I never realized just how much she read.”
Even with all this information (and the well-stocked shelves at my library and favorite bookshops), I was recently in a dry spell, book-wise. (Does this happen to anyone else?) Wondering what to read next and wishing for someone who could take inventory of my tastes and preferences and deliver a perfect recommendation, I commented to Abi, “I wish there was such a thing as a book dating service.”
“You’re my book dating service,” she replied. “I always know I’ll like the books you lend and recommend.”
Her comment made me curious – so I wonder, dear readers, who is your book dating service? How do you get information about books? Do you have someone who knows your taste and recommends books to you, or are you at the mercy of the New York Times bestseller list?
As a reader, a reviewer and a lover of sharing all good things, I’m all ears.
cakes, tea and dreams 
For me, it is mostly other bloggers! Of course, I check out the NYT bestsellers and I spend a lot of time in bookstores looking at book descriptions and talking to the people who work there. Especially at smaller, independant bookstores, they can ask me if I like this author or that one, and then pluck a book from a shelf. They have yet to be wrong.
I love reading excerpts from Borders book club online! I also get a lot from perusing stores and the ‘you might also like’ on various sites. And of course blogs!
You should read Atlas Shrugged. 🙂
Love this idea, that people have their book dating service. I don’t actually have one because I don’t read enough. I do catch a few reviews and I latch on to authors I like enough that my reading list in never ending. I was turned onto a friend of a friend’s blog who not only reviews books but links to tons of book related things. She can be super crass, but there’s humor and lots of book culture. Check out this post for what I mean: http://bestlittlebookshelf.wordpress.com/2011/04/19/reading-rainbow-a-tuesday-roundup/
My daughters, Felicity and Serenity, and my friend, Anna. They all pay way more attention to publishing trends than I do. And, they give great book gifts. (Several from your recommendations, I believe.)
I’m definitely a sucker for the NYTimes bestseller list–more to know what everyone is reading than to necessarily read something–and Entertainment Weekly and NPR (love the NPR app). But I really love to check out what people are reading on GoodReads. I can see what my friends have read/are reading, how they rated it, and read reviews. If i’m really curious, i can read the reviews of strangers. I don’t know why, but I’m always sucked in!
“matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match!”
Fun post, Katie (and thanks for the shout-out!) … bloggers, traditional/print reviews and the Staff Picks section of bookstores comprise my book dating service.
You are my book dating service, my dear.
Sometimes other friends or bloggers, the Bookcrossing forum, browsing catalogs and Amazon. But I can’t remember being in a dry spell ever. Although I read almost as much as you, I still have shelves of unread books and really, really long to-be-read lists that will last for years. But since you’ve been posting regular reviews, most of what I add to my lists comes from you.
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