How to Pick a Book / Find Reccomendations

Happy Wednesday everyone! I am very excited about today's blog post. The most asked question I get regarding books from those I know is, "How do you find books you like?" or "How do find out about these good books?". Well today is your lucky day, because I am spilling all my secrets! There are several easy ways I go about finding a good book and I am going to share them all with you!

Now be warned, there is no full proof method to finding a good book. There will be times when you are extremely excited about a book and it just plain sucks. In that case, quit reading it. There is nothing wrong with moving on to a better book if you aren't liking the current book you have. 

Last little side note before we get started. Finding a good book, like anything else, takes practice. It might take a few tries to really figure out what types of books you like, so don't be discouraged as a new reader if you pick up a fiction novel and find it boring. Try a thriller. Try a fantasy. There are so many different types of books. Not everyone likes the same TV shows, and similarly, not everyone will like the same books. You will quickly figure out what types of books are your type and then just go from there. 

Now, here are my tips to finding great recommendations y'all.

1. Browse Barnes and Noble

This is a great way to find good books because they are always very organized and easy to browse. As much as I like used book stores, they can be overwhelming because there are just so many books everywhere. When I go into Barnes and Noble I always start with the tables they have near the entrance marked "Best Sellers" or "Favorite …". They will have an entire section full of books that are extremely popular right now in a variety of different genres. Open up a few covers and read the descriptions to see if any peak your interest. 

Next, browse through the different genres. Each aisle is designated to a genre and will inevitably have certain books that have the cover facing the shopper. Those books are most likely the popular titles that a lot of readers love. If you know what genre you like, go straight to that aisle and have fun. If you have no clue what books you like, browse around and read the descriptions on a few books from different aisles until you find what interests you. 

2. Go to the Library

It is no secret that I mainly only read books from the library because it is free and allows me to branch out with books I am not sure of, at no cost. 

If you are looking for some good books, talking to a librarian can be extremely helpful. Find that librarian with the glasses and pick their brain about books. Librarians have a bachelors degree in books (or something like that) and are extremely knowledgeable and are paid to help you. Let them guide you in the right direction.

Also, because it is free to check out books from your local library, write down in your phone all those titles you weren't too sure about from Barnes and Noble and check them out from the library.

Lastly, it is important to talk to the librarian about understanding all the services they offer. For example, my county has several different libraries, so even though my local one specifically doesn't always have the books I want, I can go online, search a title, and have it transferred to my local library for me to pick up. Libraries also have apps in which you can check out audio books as well. I have checked out several audio books in the last year from the library and have loved how I can do it all from my app on my phone.

The library is such a good resource and eliminates the excuse "I can't afford to buy books" because it costs you nothing to check out from the library.

3. Find Readers to Follow Online

This is how I found out about some of my very favorite books of all time. Did y'all know there is such thing as "booktube"? There are a ton of people, young and old, who make book recommendation videos on YouTube. I recommend browsing on YouTube for bookish people who have the same tastes as you. My absolute favorite person to watch is Bookables. She has the same reading tastes as me and I always appreciate the warnings she gives if the book is kind of rated R. 

Instagram is also buzzing with people who the social media world calls "bookstagrammers". I love to follow Leslie Ann and others for book recommendations on Instagram. If you search under the hashtag #bookstagram you can browse and find people who like your style of books too.

Now for blogs, I love Shay Shull's monthly recaps. She reads quite a variety of books each month and usually has a lot of books to share. I also hear that this girl Juliana Grace does great monthly recaps too, oh wait.. (:  #shamelessselfplug

4. Goodreads

This app is like a social media, just for book lovers. If you really take time to figure this app out it can be extremely helpful in finding recommendations. You can browse their lists of top books in catergories and see what people rate books/ have to say about them. I recommend getting this app (and friending me on there too). 

Well there you have it folks. I hope that wasn't too overwhelming. I wanted to give you a lot of different ways of finding books, and what you will find is that they all start to overlap. After a while it won't feel like your trying so hard to find the next great book. You will just be scrolling through pictures and videos and start to see multiple people talking about a book that you saw in Barnes and Noble and then you decide to check it out from the library. BOOM! It happens just like that.

Have a great Wednesday y'all. Don't hesitate to ask me questions or ask for recomendations too. I would love to help (:

xoxo