Audge

I am a book lover. A bookworm. A reading addict. Whatever you want to call it. I LOVE to read.


Throughout my life, I have been lucky enough to be exposed to a multitude of different books. And now with being done with school and having a 2 hour commute everyday, the library and I have become bosom friends. With that, has come a fairly developed sense of how to find that perfect book to read next. So, here are a few of the tips I've learned in finding and discovering new books.

1. Spoken Word--TALK WITH PEOPLE

This, to me, is one of the easiest and biggest ways to hear about new books. I've got a handful of people I know will ALWAYS give me good recommendations and I can turn to for different types of genres I'm looking for. When I meet someone new that shares a love of reading, I immediately drill them (in the nicest way possible) for recommendations and try to do the same for them. Not everyone has the same tastes, but it's almost impossible to not find one or two books you can share with each other. Reading a book and then sharing it with someone is one of my absolute FAVORITE things. Once I've gotten someone else to read it, then we can discuss and conspire together about all the details of the story and get lost in that world together. Ah. It's just one of the best things. Maybe that's why we women love book clubs so much? Talking and books are involved.

2. Library--Utilize and Browse

I know this one can seem overwhelming to some people, especially depending on the size of the library. I've been in my fair share of extremely large libraries, and very small ones. But each one is manageable. A library has a multitude of resources that can be used to find new books easily. When I find an author I like, I find that if I search through the library or on google I can find other books that are similar and usually have great success in finding new books through it.
I also suggest just walking through the isles. You NEVER KNOW what will pop out to you. I think it is one of the most lethargic experiences to walk through a quiet library and browse the books. Find an isle or two in a genre you generally like and just make the rounds. Or try a genre you don't normally read and see what treasures you can find. You can take 20 minutes, or 2 hours.
Most library's also have a "New Books" shelf, for books that they either recently purchased or books that are newly released. I've found GREAT books just by scanning through the shelf. It's always worth a try.
Book lists. I'll talk about this more a little later, but most if not all library's have complied some sort of book list based on age groups. It's a great way to discover new books and try and dabble at different genres.

3. Goodreads.com

I've become a BIG fan of goodreads. It's EXTREMELY helpful and fairly organized and easy to use. It's really helped me keep track of what I'm reading and what books I want to read (because heaven forbid I won't remember every single one I come along) as well as recommend books to other people. It has a great reviewing system that gives you fairly good feedback on other people's opinions of it. The nice thing is that it you can see all the reviews from people you are friends with on there (I suggest you stay friends with people you know and trust their tastes). It also has that handy tool if you are looking at a book, it gives you a list of books that are similar and read by people who read that particular book. I've found great books that way as well. Goodreads also has book lists galore that you can look through and sift out the ones your interested in.
I think this is one of the best social media tools to have been created. But I may be a bit biased. ;)

4. Social Media

I've recently been introduced to a few really great social media sources that are ALL about books.

First, TheSocialBookClub on Instagram. Their bio says "Where social media meets the old fashioned book club." You can already tell how much I love it. It's a fun account that gives interesting and classic recommendations.

Second, if you have a kindle or the kindle app, there are two different websites you should follow.

-Pixel of Ink: This website finds deals on ebooks, and I'm   talking like free books and books under $10. It's the BEST. In my experience, you have to really sift through them, but I've found some really great historical books and other genres I enjoy. Most of them for free or only .99! I love it.

-Book Bub: This is basically the same thing as Pixel of Ink, it just works slightly differently. I think it has a little less options, but I've still found some really good books on it. Including
best sellers and books I've wanted to read in the past. It's just another source that works great.  

5. Search for Book Lists, then Research.

I always like finding book lists all over the internet. I'm a bit partial to Google and Pinterest, but you can look anywhere you want. People have blogged up the wazoo on different books they recommend. It won't be hard to find. Grab a book list and then go down the line and mark ones to look up and do more research about. I'm a firm advocate of researching books you find yourself. Then you don't waste your time at the library looking for the books, just to find out later you don't really want to read them.

To help you get started, here are some GREAT book lists I recommend:

50 Books to Read Before The Movie Comes Out 

Top Books Every Home Should Have  (I've read a lot of these books and they are GREAT)

The 30 Most Recommendable Books (I actually helped with this list for this blog!)

So there you have it! All the tools to successfully find at least ONE book. Be patient, and let yourself enjoy the process, rather then thinking how frustrating it is you can't find something that will immediately be your favorite book in the world. Remember, "Beautiful things don't ask for attention." That includes a book on a shelf.

If you see a girl with her Paris book bag, comfy clothes, and her library card at the ready, you know who it is.

#happyreading