Hello, hello. I hope you have been well.
I am sure you are aware, while being exposed to endless book recommendations online, it is nonetheless even more difficult to find a book you truly love, or one that you have not been subconsciously influenced to pick up with the help of the algorithm. However, this is not another essay hating on the internet; this is an essay about finding personal book recs using the online world as a tool.
Understand what you enjoy reading
You need to understand yourself first, so think about the books you rated highly before (that you truly liked). The aim is to use this as a framework for when you are looking for new books to read. Here are some questions below that could help you discover what that is:
What did you like about the books you rated 4 to 5 stars?
What did you dislike about the books you rated 1 to 3 stars?
What genres do you truly enjoy?
Similarly, it is like you are creating your own algorithm within yourself. Anytime you are faced with a new book recommendation, run it passed your framework and see if it is something you would like or be open to trying. You need to understand who you are as a reader first, especially because it feels like everyone else is defining that for you on your fyp.
Do not read reviews before forming your own opinion!
The problem is that we lose our personal opinion as soon as we look at what everyone else thinks online or even by asking your friend/someone you know. Form your opinion first! You decide what you think about a novel first. Because nothing sucks more than being unsure if your opinion is your own, if you truly like something or if everyone else is telling you to do so.
Clean your fyp
We cannot run from the fyp so we might as well make peace with it...The algorithm pushes posts of books that do really well. The post usually lands on your fyp because of how popular is it and not because you specifically would love that novel. However, the algorithm would not do that unless you tell it to. Be very, very picky about what you like and save on any platform. The more you interact with the posts about books that actually interest you or fit somewhat within your framework, the more posts you will see of similar book recommendations you might enjoy. For the past few months I have been rating the books I read from 3.5 to 5 stars, because I chose what to interact with on the internet. This is one of the primary ways I find my next read.
Try other apps, perhaps book apps
Even though TikTok or Instagram might be a nice place to find books, those apps were not specifically made to give you book recs, so maybe try apps that were actually created for that purpose. I love using Fable. It has been the app that I use since I started tracking my books. All you have to do is save books you love or rate a book after you have finished reading it and Fable will give you book recs based off of your reading ratings and stats.
Browse bookstores and libraries like a fairy exploring a new forest
A lost art, I fear! Window shopping, sometimes, is not a crime. There! I said it! Lately, I have made it a habit of browsing the shelves of bookstores with no intention of going into a bookstore to buy a book I had already had in mind. I just pick up books of covers that interest me and read the blurbs at the back. It’s a slow process at first but eventually, you would not want to find books any other way. Everytime I picked up a book from a bookstore that interested me straight from the shelf was a sudden burst of joy. It felt so special to be able to read a book and choose one that I actually picked myself. No one told me to read this book. I chose it! It was completely organic. Now, this has surpassed the label of a hobby honestly; I am now shamelessly addicted to perusing bookstores. You could also try libraries as well, if you have access to one.
Be picky about who you get recs from
Take recommendations from people whose taste in books you understand somewhat well. Likewise, make sure they understand your preferences as well. I am not discouraging you from following book influences and reading books they recommend or trying out new books that are outside your usual genre; all I recommend is finding the right community on social media.
‘That’s all.’ (The Devil Wears Prada, 2006)
Thank you so much for reading, you beautiful soul!
Yours sincerely,
Elena D. Willow
The Nocturnal Journal
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