At the library, we love to give our patrons book recommendations. It’s an opportunity for us to know what our community wants to read and it gives us a chance to tell you about books you may not have heard of.
Here are some tips for getting the best book recommendations possible from your library staff:
- Be prepared to answer questions. We are passionate about finding the right book for you so we’re going to ask you what you’ve read recently that you liked, what you liked about those books, what you didn’t like, what you’re in the mood for, etc.
- Be honest. We will not judge you for reading and/or loving teen books or steamy romances so if that’s the kind of book you’re looking for, tell us.
- Be open to new experiences. If you loved “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green because you like books that make you sob but you refuse to check out science fiction or fantasy, you’re going to miss “A Monster Calls” by Patrick Ness and all the tears that book produces. Also, if your taste is incredibly specific, it will be harder to find a good fit.
- Don’t worry that you’ll offend us. If you don’t think the books we suggest sound good, we need to know so we can suggest different books. I promise no one at the library will be offended if you don’t take the first book we recommend.
- Report back. Once you’ve taken a suggestion, please tell us what you thought of it! Even if you didn’t like it, getting feedback will help us make better recommendations to you and readers like you.
If you’d rather go it alone with book recommendations, the internet is a wonderful place. The search feature in Goodreads is a good place to start.
You can also use our online catalog to find inspiration. We’ve got book lists on the catalog’s front page to let you know what’s new, what’s popular, and what we love.