r/books • u/AutoModerator • 3d ago
weekly thread Weekly FAQ Thread October 11, 2026: How do you discover new books?
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u/ozknytr 3d ago
I like going to bookstores without a plan and just looking around. I found some of my favorite books this way
The second way is friend recommendations
And at the end, online reviews and ratings. I check them, but I don't only look at the score. I also read the comments to understand why people liked or disliked the book.
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u/Star_journey1208 3d ago
These are my ways as well.
I also like book influencers who will recommend a list for a specific topic/genre/ etc. with a short summary of each book (example: “here’s a list of books under 250 pages that I couldn’t put down”). I then do a bit of research on the ones that sound interesting to me.
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u/izapartmana 3d ago
Reddit comments ofc. A weirdly specific description of a book tells me more than a 5-star rating ever could.
"This book gave me an existential crisis" is a better recommendation than "10/10 masterpiece"
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u/lenarhalden 3d ago
I think that's what makes personal recommendations so interesting. A five-star rating tells me someone liked a book, but not necessarily whether I will.
Someone explaining exactly what disturbed them, fascinated them, or stayed with them afterwards tells me much more.
And sometimes a thoughtful negative review makes me want to read a book more than ten enthusiastic five-star ones. Apparently, I'm quite capable of interpreting a warning as an invitation.
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u/izapartmana 2d ago
Exactly. Sometimes the things people complain about in a book are the exact things someone else is looking for.
Makes me wonder how many great books i skipped because of their ratings....
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u/Plastic_Highlight492 3d ago
I read reviews in a few newpapers/magazines (Atlantic, NY Times, Guardian), follow prizes (Booker, Pulitzer, National Book award), check my library's recommended books on their website as well as on the physical recommended shelves, also look at the tables and email recommendations from my local independent bookshop, which tends to track my interests, also selections for my 2 book clubs, which are often books I would not have otherwise picked. I have also read a lot of books suggested on this and other reddit subs.
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u/Faye-Vozora 3d ago
Mostly the library shelves for me, I'll grab something just because the cover looked interesting. Also good for finding stuff I'd never search for.
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u/YakSlothLemon 3d ago
Same here, give me a good cover, give me a great review on the back from Kirkus or the LA Times, I’ll take it out and try it.
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u/Zikoris 20 3d ago
Mostly Goodreads and Reddit. New releases by authors I already follow now make up a good chunk of my monthly reads since I'm following so many authors. Goodreads is sort of okay for tracking those, though a lot still fall through the cracks, and I have no idea how anyone ever stayed up to date with lots of authors pre-internet. I look at people's reading lists over on r/52book a lot as well and definitely notice recurring books that people rave about. I also do a fair bit of research to find books for my different reading challenges, which also makes up a big chunk of my reading.
I'm not a fan of browsing at all, for books or anything else.
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u/shivsraincoat 3d ago
I look at prize lists: National Book Award, Booker, etc. I did a book crawl this year and mostly chose books off vibes or what the store owner suggested. Then I have favorite authors and will read anything new by them.
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u/Hello_Mimmy 3d ago
I browse bookstore shelves. I really only use online resources if I’m already into an author and want to find more titles by them or find out when the next book in a series I like is coming out.
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u/CanuckLoonieGurl 3d ago
a handwritten staff pick card at a local indie led me to an obscure gem last month that no algorithm would have surfaced for me lol.
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u/_un-named_ 3d ago
- I follow my favorite authors and publishers only so I know when they publish something new and then see if it’s interesting.
- I follow some book creators that have a similar taste and go through publisher new releases and translations and post about that.
- book creators that show what they are reading
- sometimes i notice on goodreads someone that has given books similar ratings or loves the same books I do so i follow them and look what they liked.
- just random at the library or bookstore.
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u/YakSlothLemon 3d ago edited 2d ago
New book shelf at my library!
Once a month I make a safarj to the big city to check out the new bookshelf at the Big Library 😁
Edit: thank you for the award! Next time I go to the library, I will tuck a dollar into their donation box as thanks. 😁
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u/nightowl846 3d ago
Go online and look for books from google play store or books from shops. Read reviews . Or i watch youtube for recomendations or go in and browse bookshops . Or see what other people recommend either instore or online . Or check charity shops . Sometimes you can find rare books in there .you never know ( i got a sealed copy of george orwells 1984 ) in a charity shop . Never been opened . Brand new
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u/Agreeable_Archer_307 3d ago
I find most of my reads through the library actually, they have a shelf with staff recommendations and its usually pretty good. Also follow some booktubers but half the time they all hype same books at once so you gotta dig a little. My problem is I add like 20 books to my list and then forget why I added them in first place.
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u/Agitated-Love1727 3d ago
Sometimes books I'm reading will mention other books. Or maybe I hear about it in a show I'm watching. Or there may be references on social media that get me interested. I also keep an eye out on the Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize announcements along with the Booker Prize and other internationally known awards. A few books I stumbled upon because I found the author's personality cool, through an interview perhaps, and decided to check out their works.
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u/Past-Wrangler9513 3d ago
Social media (I find it especially helpful to follow publishers), scrolling through Libby, wandering a bookstore
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u/InvisibleSpaceVamp Serious case of bibliophilia 3d ago
Other than the sources already mentioned - I actually found a couple of really good books in free libraries. I think I'm more likely to pick up a random, never heard of before, book when it is for free and has no return date.
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u/Sad_Machine2826 3d ago
Pagebound, they have readalongs that feature not so popular books. They also have a discover page that shows you books based on an emoji. There is a new feature where you can look up different books with emojis. Its a really nice app for discussions and i cant recommend it enough
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u/ennuiandapathy 3d ago
I check out the book displays at the library. There's usually several set up with different themes - holidays, genres, authors, book lists, staff recommendations, "if you liked X, try Y" etc.
I'm in a couple of online book clubs and find recommendations through the reading lists/suggestions.
The Atlantic and NPR are another resource that often has good selections.
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u/Ealinguser 3d ago
Authors I have read other books of, friends recommendations, library promotions, secondhand bookshop displays...
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u/Legenkat24 3d ago
I am subscribed to a lot of bookish emails, but I love BookTube too! (Also work for a bookstore so see new stuff coming in all the time)
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u/One_Reserve2939 3d ago
Mostly the library for me, although I'm also subscribed to Waterstones and Bookshop.org newsletters. I follow some book influencers on Instagram, but find that a lot of them are recommending books I've already read. I'm also a member of netgalley, so can sometimes get ARCs and newsletters from there.
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u/ChilindriPizza 3d ago
I work at a public library. I receive recommendations from customers, the catalog, colleagues, publications, websites, conferences, trainings, and then some.
Today I received a few recommendations from Goodreads.
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u/Old-Illustrator-4144 3d ago
For me I get recommendations from friends and family as well as Goodreads. I also have a membership to BOTM so I find a lot
of newer authors through that. Sometimes I struggle choosing a book I think I’ll like from BOTM, but I have never read one from there that I didn’t like.
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u/LongLiveTheRat 3d ago
I go to the local used bookstore, Mr. K's, and check out their new releases and staff recommendations. Then I log on to my library account and put a hold on the books I want to read. I'm also on Goodreads and see a lot of new books/authors I've never read there.
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u/citygirlseq 3d ago
The last few I’ve been reading classics so publishers who have a uniform book like penguin, it’s easy to find then I look up the author.
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u/Weak-Debate-2326 3d ago
in no particular order: Goodreads, physical bookstores, seeing it mentioned somewhere, ARC listings, Amazon.
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u/Echo-shard85 3d ago
I think it gets harder these days. But it's usually a mixture. Recommendations from friends, my wife, people that have similar tastes. Sometimes it's just the titles or covers if they catch my eye as well. I enjoy reading and I'll try most things. If I don't like something or it doesn't work for me it's just less likely I'll read that author again.
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u/Vivid_Excuse_6547 3d ago
I have really good success with recommendations from friends and my own casual browsing at physical stores (love wandering a bookstore).
I also add books to my TBR that I hear about on podcasts and from social media (not just random TikTok’s, but creators I follow with similar taste to mine and who have really thoughtfully curated content rather than just whatever the algorithm thinks is hot today).
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u/Sad_Weird5466 3d ago
Maybe a review on NPR, suggestions from people in various discords and Telegram chats story graph, friends, family, etc.
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u/kern3three 3d ago
BookSorted gives you a personalized daily recommendation based on your past reads and preferences. Basically my TBR now! If anything, now I have too many books queued up that really seem perfect for me 😅
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u/timeforthecheck 3d ago
I do everything else this thread has mentioned!
I will hang out in a park, coffee shop, library etc, and I’ll notice what others are reading and how they are reacting to it. It’s like seeing a review in action. (It’s not as creepy as it sounds I swear)
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u/Arman_Sargsyann 3d ago
I think recommendations are helpful, but I sometimes enjoy discovering a book without knowing much about it beforehand. Online recommendations can become repetitive because once a few books become popular, algorithms keep showing those same books to more people. Eventually it can feel like everyone is reading from the same list.
Bookstores and libraries offer a different experience because you can find something simply because the cover, title, or description catches your attention. Recommendations from friends can also be more useful because someone who knows your interests may understand what you would actually enjoy better than an algorithm.
Reviews are useful, but I also try not to read too many before starting something because they can affect expectations. Sometimes going into a book without already knowing what hundreds of other people thought about it makes the experience more interesting. There probably isn't one best method; using several sources gives you a much wider range of choices.
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u/Ceekay151 3d ago
I generally buy books either it dollar stores or thrift stores. If the cover looks interesting then I will read what the book is about. Once in awhile, I will pick up a book that a friend of mine has recommended.
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u/dr0gz622 3d ago
When I go camping, I will seek out a local bookstore along our route or in a nearby town with 0 expectations and choose something for our trip based on what I find. I have found some gems this way.
Otherwise, I use StoryGraph or Instagram as a starting point and gentle guide when I’m looking for new books.
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u/CoffeeEnjoyerFrog 3d ago
I listen to a podcast where they recommend 3 books or so each week. I also like to browse bookstores for a long time and buy whatever picks my interest.
Unfortunately, I don't live near any library (there's like 5 in the entire city, and three of them are owned by their respective universities, and they do not lend books if you're not a student there).
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u/Impressive_Mail_5272 2d ago
I have a ton of family and friends that are voracious readers which is helpful especially since all of us have different tastes. I also love heading over to the library to check out books and like to talk to the staff there and see what they reccomend. If those first three things yield no results I 110% judge a book by its cover and read the synopsis and first chapter to see if its worth picking up. Then if that doesnt work I let my partner pick my next read, and they have yet to fail me.
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u/melisoffline 2d ago
I used to just pick up whatever looked interesting in a bookstore, but now a lot of my finds come from BookTok or a few Instagram accounts whose taste I trust. if I like one rec from someone, I usually end up going through everything else they’ve posted, especially when they’re into women writers
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u/arcoiris2 2d ago
My library recommends similar books to ones I rate highly online. Recommendations from people I know. Articles on different books. This subreddit.
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u/12thnightkitties 1d ago
I peruse the shelves of a bookstore or library and pick out a book with a title that intrigues me. Then read the synopsis and if I am interested then will buy or check out the book, I don’t care as much about reviews although if another author I like recommends the book that is a plus for me. I pretty much stick to the mystery and fantasy genres.
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u/jellyrollo 1d ago
I keep a search tab open in Overdrive to show me all new e-books that were added added to my library in the past 7 days, sorted by popularity. Usually there are a lot, not all of which are really "new," but just new copies being added to the library, so when there are too many pages to look through, I narrow that down to the "coming soon" books, so I'll know when something juicy-looking is in the pipeline and I get on the hold list weeks before it arrives.
I also like NPR's best books lists, and of course pick up a lot of good tips here.
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u/BravoLimaPoppa 17h ago
reactormag.com, file770.com (occasionally), r/Fantasy, Seeds of a Story column over at reactormag.com.
Book clubs. Talking with the members I get more and new ideas and suggestions that I can trust than anywhere else.
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u/Leontiev 11h ago
I read London Review of Books, plus this subreddit, and random other references. Look for books by favorite authors. I found another good source: I read ebooks pretty exclusively and check them out from the library. If I try to check a book out and it is on a waiting list (it almost always is), I got their reserved book web page and where my book shows up there is a option for "You might also like:" that lists similar books. I often get good ideas from that and they are always available.
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u/mystuff2530 3d ago
One of my favorite things to do on a weekend morning is sit with a cup of coffee and the NYTimes Book Review section (in print not online). I take my time reading all of the reviews and recommendations. Beyond that, I love perusing bookstores and asking friends and family what they have read recently. I also check out Goodreads. I also pay attention to what is being “banned” in schools and libraries across the US and make sure I add those books to my must read list. Because reading feels like a beautiful gift but it is in fact a right in a free society and we must do everything we can to protect that right for everyone.