If you’ve ever wondered where to get good book recommendations and struggle with deciding what to read next, I’m here today to give some practical tips on how to find new books! If you are an avid reader, you might be laughing at this post because you might have hundreds of books on your to-read list and never need to actively search for a new book. But I have found that quite a few of my friends don’t read much because they just don’t know what to read next or how to find new book suggestions. If you’re in that boat, keep reading to see my favorite ways to find my next great read!
Friend Recommendations
This one might seem pretty obvious and is probably something you already do. But don’t be afraid to ask friends who read for book recommendations, or just ask what they are reading at the moment! I have one friend who also reads a lot and we are constantly exchanging recommendations, which is great because it gives us something new to talk about and we are both learning about good books!
Browse your library or bookstore
I have found some great books just by browsing through books in person at my library or bookstore! I also am constantly on the website where I borrow kindle books from my library looking for good ones that don’t have a waitlist! If you really want to make sure it is a good book and don’t want to risk getting halfway through and realizing you hate it, I recommend looking it up on Goodreads before you get it and reading a few reviews, or even just look at it’s rating! If it has over 4 stars, it is most likely a safe bet!
Bookstagram accounts
This is something I have gotten more into in the past year and I have a few accounts that I follow and get good recommendations from! For thrillers, I love seeing what Abby (@crimebythebook) has recommended recently. I also love following Emily (@enw_reads) because she reads a high volume of books and we appear to have a similar taste in books so I feel like I can always trust what she recommends.
Book Bloggers
I don’t really follow many bloggers who are solely book bloggers, but I have a few bloggers I follow who share every month or few months what they have read. I mentioned Emily above, but I also check her monthly book recap in addition to her Instagram! Kayla from Kayla Blogs also shares every few months what she has read and I love seeing her recommendations as well! I also do a monthly recap of books I have read, so here is a shameless plug to look back at my previous posts if you need some new recommendations!
Book Podcasts
This is something I have just started getting into more, because we all know I love a good podcast. But I recently discovered What Should I Read Next with Anne Bogel and I have found it really interesting to listen to the different books that people like and get new recommendations. The only problem with this is I usually listen to podcasts while I am driving or cleaning or doing something, so it can be difficult to write down any potential books I hear about!
Book clubs
This can mean actually joining a book club in your area, joining a virtual book club, or just keeping an eye on what book clubs are reading! A few months ago I discovered the Hello Sunshine book club that has books curated by Reese Witherspoon, and I have actually been loving almost every book I read that is from that book club! Every month they pick a new one so every month I check back and see if I can find new books I want to add to my list!
Using these 6 tricks I always seem to have PLENTY of books to read! Let me know in the comments if I missed any great places to find new books to read!
xo, Scarlett
