books | Rebeccabookreview

Many times we’ll find that one book that just completely knocks our socks off. Its thrilling, heart-wrenching and extremely moving and you just don’t want it to end. The tears are falling by the time we get to the end because it was just so beautiful but also because we just don’t want it to end! I know I’ve felt this a bunch of times before. Even if you don’t know exactly what I mean, I’m sure that you readers out there have come across books that you love and just can’t put down. So what do you do when it’s over?

One of the options you have is to go to a book recommendation website. There are many websites out there that you can use to find other books like the one that you are in love with but just finished. Also if there is a book you really love, I would highly recommend reading more by that same author. Many authors have certain writing styles even if the plot isn’t exactly the same you may find that you really enjoy other books by the same author. I’ve done this with a few authors, including Linda Howard and many many others. Once you run out of books on an author’s list though, book recommendation sites can be extremely helpful in finding books by other authors that you might also enjoy.

One of the more popular book recommendation sites is What Should I Read Next (http://whatshouldireadnext.com/). With this site you can put in either a title or author and the site will produce results similar to your input. For example, I put in one of my all-time favorite books, Now You See Her by Linda Howard, and got the below results: http://whatshouldireadnext.com/isbn/0743482891. Some of the authors I noted that came up as results were Julie Garwood and Nora Roberts, and I know both these authors also write romantic suspense so the results make sense to me and provide me with new options of books I might enjoy.

Another option is you could browse different company’s recommendations. Barnes & Noble and Amazon are two larger companies that make listings of recommendations. One such list I mentioned in an earlier blog was Amazon’s 100 books to read in a lifetime (http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=bhp_brws_100bks?ie=UTF8&node=8192263011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-leftnav&pf_rd_r=1A3DWGXAGXQQ9XAMRSV5&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1779646742&pf_rd_i=283155). Also with Amazon there are listings by genre. On Barnes & Noble’s website they have many different listings of recommendations including B&N’s top 100 and B&N’s Biggest Books (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/Books-We-Recommend/379003220/).

Yet another interesting search engine to find a new book to read is WhichBook (http://www.openingthebook.com/whichbook/). I found this one interesting because you can set different parameters to help you find your next read, like whether you want a happy or sad book, a long or short book, and an expected or unpredictable book, among other options.

So as you can see there are many different ways to find your next book. Does anyone have any sites that they love using? I’d love to hear about some new sites, I’m always looking for new authors and new books to read!

The picture above was taken at the George Peabody Library at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD.

Ever since I was a little girl my mom took me to visit the library. I have loved books from an early age and as I grew I found comfort and wonder in the wealth of knowledge that is stored within that one building. Anything you want to learn or read about you can find a book about it at the library. And if they don’t have the book you’re looking for in your town, the staff can find the book you need at another library and have it requested for you. Residents in Connecticut obtain their library cards from the library in the town they live in. But once you obtain that library card you can use it at any library in the entire state.

Many people do not use libraries to their full potential because they aren’t aware of the resources available to them. Most libraries in the state of Connecticut use one of two systems, Bibliomation or Connect. Though I’m sure there are other softwares out there as well, most libraries use one of the two previously mentioned. I personally tend to use the Bibliomation online site since my library uses that software and that’s where my account information is stored. The great thing about the Bibliomation system is that its so easy to use. I can look up a book and find every library in CT (with Bibliomation software) that has that book , what section its in, whether it has already been checked out by another patron or if it is on the shelf, and the exact place where I can find the book should I chose to go to that library. Here is a link to the Bibliomation site in case you’d like to check it out for yourself: http://acorn.biblio.org/eg/opac/home.

The resource librarian in your town is a great way to find what you’re looking for. If you’re doing a school project or need to read a book about a particular topic, they can find a listing of books that can help you not only in your town’s library but from libraries all over the state. And if you need a book that’s too far away to drive, the resource librarian can request it from that library for you and it will get sent to your town’s library for you to pick up. I’ve used this many times as I work through my TBR listing I’ve compiled over the years.

Using your town library is not only a great way to save money but it is a great use of your town’s public services. It’s your library, Use it!