Ever felt anxious nearing the end of a book? “What should I read next?”
The nearing-the-end-of-a-book anxiety
If you are one of those who maintain a comprehensive reading list – this post isn’t for you. But some of us get anxious when nearing the end of a book – what should be our next read? There are so many books in the world!
Overwhelming, isn’t it?
There are some tips out there, but most of them are generic and, to my opinion, not very helpful… like “read from the same author” or “read from the same genre”. It just doesn’t feel good enough.
If you are one of those people who get nervous about your next read, and don’t settle for generic reading tips, you might find this list of tools calming:
GNOOKS – DISCOVER NEW BOOKS
Part of the Gnod – The Global Network Of Discovery project, Gnooks is a simply-designed application for discovering new books, backed by AI. It asks you to name up to 3 authors you like, and comes up with suggestions that you can rank:
The Literature-Map – The Tourist Map of Literature
The Literature-Map is also part of the Gnod project. This one is really cool – it is an explorable map of authors: “The more people like an author and another author, the closer together these two authors will move on the Literature-Map.“
A GIF is worth a thousand words (and a few images):
Whichbook – A new way of choosing what book to read next
Searching book sites usually means keying in an author’s name or a book title. But if you know the name already, your search is likely to turn up books you’ve already heard about. No surprises there.
How about if you didn’t need an author name at all? If you could start with what you as a reader are looking for right now? You might be in the mood for a funny read, or something to make you think. Do you want a book that’s easy going or more of a challenge to get your teeth into?
whichbook.net – about
Whichbook allows to explore books in innovative ways:
- By mood and emotion
- From the world map
- By character and plot
- Starting from a familiar bestseller
Goodreads – Meet your next favorite book
Goodreads is the world’s largest site for readers and book recommendations. Our mission is to help people find and share books they love. Goodreads launched in January 2007.
[…]
Check out your personalized book recommendations. Our recommendation engine analyzes 20 billion data points to give suggestions tailored to your literary tastes.
About Goodreads
TasteDive – Books
TasteDive is a recommendation website for many things: music, movies, podcasts, places – and books.
It works similarly to Goodreads: rate books to get personalized recommendations accordingly.
Real-World Tip: Visit Bookshops and Libraries Near You
If you prefer non-digital inspiration, finishing a book is a great time for visiting bookshops and libraries near you.
Keep ahead of your next great read
Want to avoid the next I’m-nearing-the-end-of-my-book-OMG-what-should-I-read-next stress? Stay on top of things by following these tips:
- Maintain an updated reading list.
- Heard about a great book? come across an interesting title? immediately add it to your list. Even better, add it to a list on a recommendation website such as Goodreads or TasteDive.
- Subscribe to literature newsletters. Find a blog, a magazine, or a website you like, and subscribe for reading recommendations. Don’t let it just sit in your inbox, devote a few minutes to skimming it. Came across something interesting? add it to your reading list.
- Take your time now to rate books you have already read. Let recommendation websites such as Goodreads or TasteDive get to know you.
- Make sure to rate a book you finished reading. Give it a low rating if you don’t like it – that’s another way for the engine to learn about your preferences.
Hopefully, this post will help smooth your way to your next great read.
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