Almost three years ago, I wrote a post about where I get my book recommendations from. A lot has changed since then. Some of the blogs I used to read are no longer updated, I stopped listening to a couple of podcasts, and I no longer belong to any book subscription services. I thought I would revisit this post and let you know where, in April 2023, I get my book recommendations from.
Here are some of my favorite places to find new books to read:
Podcasts:
The only book-centric podcasts I listen to currently are podcasts that make fun of books – Mean Book Club and If Books Could Kill. I’m not sure I would want to read any books mentioned on those shows.
But what I have been listening to are other podcasts that have interviews with authors and if I am enjoying the author I will look up their book. Some of the podcasts that have introduced me to new-to-me authors are:
- The Lazy Genius podcast – Kendra Adachi has some great guests on her podcast that have led me to some interesting books. She also talks about what she is reading all the time so I always get some recommendations from her.
- Best Laid Plans podcast – Sarah Hart-Unger also has some great guests on her podcast that have led me to some fabulous books.
- Bedside Rounds podcast – I just put The Facemaker by Dr. Lindsey Fitzharris on hold at the library after listening to her interview on this podcast.
Blogs:
A lot of the blogs I used to follow have either stopped updating or I don’t really read them anymore. There are still a couple that, when I get the email with a new post, I will check out.
- Smart Bitches, Trashy Books – I still continue to see what is posted on this romance novel-centered website. I usually click through to see what new ebooks are on sale and if any of them look interesting, I write the name of the book down to look it up on the library website. Same with the book reviews – if it is a book review of a book I’ve heard about and/or want to read, I’ll read through the review and make a note to myself if the book sounds interesting. I still love the section called Help a Bitch Out (HABO) where commenters can help people find/figure out books they can’t remember the name of. This website also has a podcast but I don’t listen to it anymore.
- Bookmarked for Book Clubs newsletter – Bookmarked for Book Clubs is a group run by Sourcebooks, an independent book publisher. They publish a newsletter about once a week that highlights books to read for your book club. I always click on this email to see what new book they are recommending and I’ve found many books to put on my hold list at the library from these emails.
- She Reads – I continue to love this book blog that recommends books for women. I love that it recommends books across all genres and I especially like this website because most of their recommendations are in list form, such as “Most Anticipated Books of Spring 2023” or “Best Historical Fiction Books Set During World War II”.
- Book Riot – Book Riot is an editorial book site that writes about books and reading. They have numerous articles that get posted every day about books, book recommendations, and newsletters. Book Riot also produces a number of podcasts – they have a couple of podcasts with book recommendations, a couple of podcasts about book news, and a couple of podcasts that focus on specific book genres. I don’t really visit this blog much anymore, or listen to any of the podcasts, but I continue to open their emails just in case something catches my eye.
- BookBub email – BookBub is a free service that you can sign up for and indicate which book genres you like reading and then every day you receive an email with ebooks from those genres that are on sale. Most books range from free (the best kind of books!) to $2.99. A lot of times if I see a book that looks interesting I will put it on my to-read list for later. Same as with the Book Riot website, I don’t really utilize this site much. I still open the emails every day and scroll through the books but I hardly ever purchase ebooks anymore.
Friends:
This might be the category that I get the most book recommendations from. I love asking friends for recommendations and everyone knows I love to read so I have a lot of people that will suggest books to me.
Browsing the bookstore or library:
Wandering around the bookstore remains a favorite pastime of mine – I love physical books and going to the bookstore and browsing and making notes of all the books that catch my eye. Honestly, I am a sucker for a good cover that stands out on the shelf. If the cover is good and then I turn the book over and the synopsis on the back is even better, I will write down the title. Depending on if I am in a book-buying mood or not, I will buy the book right then or I’ll put it on my to-read list.
Books from authors I’ve read before:
I love finding an author with a long backlist! Once I’ve read a book by an author that I like, I will look them up to see what else they’ve written to see if there are any other books written by them that I want to read. I’ve recently started reading a couple of series, which I am loving.
I also keep track of all the books I’ve read on goodreads. In the past, Goodreads had sent out an email at the beginning of each month to let you know what books are coming out that month from authors that you’ve put on your “shelves”. I’m not sure if I’ve changed my settings or not because I haven’t received this email in a while, but Goodreads always sends out newsletters and emails with recommendations and if you have a book on your To-Read shelf that has not been published yet, they will let you know when it comes out on its publication date.
These are just a few of the places where I am getting book recommendations from in April of 2023. Who knows, maybe this will change again in a few years. I’m always on the lookout for new books to read and if you have any recommendations or websites/blogs I should check out, let me know!
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