LibGuides: Good Reads: Finding Recreational Reading @ the WSU Libraries: Recommendations and Readalikes

All Genres / General Guides

See the Online and Social Bookshelves tab...
Many online and social bookshelf services have recommendation engines that are great ways to find good books. You can create an account and find others who like the same things you do (see their books & read their reviews).
New York Public Library recommendatinons
book lists organized by subject and audience
WorldCat Genres
WorldCat Genres allows you to browse dozens of genres for hundreds of titles, authors, subjects, characters, locations, and more, ranked by popularity in the world's libraries.
Fiction Connection
Fiction Connection! Discover titles similar to books you already enjoy! Enter search terms to find a book you like (i.e., title, author, topics) or explore books by topic, genre, setting, charater, location or timeframe. Freely available.
Fiction Core Collection
Selective annotated list of fiction for adults. Includes both established and contemporary works either written in or translated into English. Out-of-print titles are included. WSU database. NOTE: see below for other "Core Collection" databases for children, middle school, high school, and public library non-fiction databases.
bookreporter.com
Overbooked: A resource for readers
Providing timely information about fiction (all genres) and readable nonfiction.
Fantastic Fiction
*color scheme alert*
Reader's Advice
Last updated 12/2009
Five Best Book Recommendation Services - Lifehacker
AllReaders
fictiondb
How To Use Social Media for Better Book Recommendations | BOOK RIOT
Children's Core Collection
" Containing over 13,000 titles, this rich resource covers fiction and nonfiction works, story collections, picture books and magazines recommended for readers in preschool through sixth grade. Professional literature for the children's librarian—both periodicals and books—is also covered."
Middle and junior High Core Collection (H.W. Wilson)
"Middle and Junior High Core Collection contains over 9,000 entries for nonfiction works, fiction and collections for children and adolescents, plus review sources and other professional aids for librarians and school media specialists. Entries provide complete bibliographic data, price, subject headings, a descriptive annotation and evaluative quotations from a review when available."
Public Library Core Collection: Non-fiction (h. W. Wilson)
"Public Library Core Collection: Nonfiction users can search over 12,000 titles (including over 1,000 analytical records for parts of collections or anthologies). Entries provide complete bibliographic data, price, subject headings, a descriptive annotation, and evaluative quotations from a review when available, plus information on electronic editions of works where available."
Senior High Core Collection (H.W. Wilson)
"Senior High Core Collection contains more than 40,500 entries for fiction and nonfiction works, including listings of review sources and other aids for librarians and school media specialists. Entries provide complete bibliographic data, price, subject headings, a descriptive annotation and evaluative quotations from a review when available."

Science Fiction

SFSite: The Home Page for Science Fiction and Fantasy
Science Fiction in Holland and Terrell Libraries
Outdated (its a project...) but valuable listing compiled by WSU Professor Emeritus Paul Brians (note - temporarily unavailable 9/2012)
SciFan: Books and Links for the Science Fiction Fan
BestSFBooks
OMNI Magazine Collection : Free Texts : Download & Streaming : Internet Archive
(An index is available here.
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997)
Full text online in a searchable interface...I put this here just for fun ;-)
25 Series to Read if You Love The Hunger Games | New York Public Library | BiblioCommons

Mysteries

Stop You're Killing Me: A website to die for...if you love mysteries
Mystery Readers International
The Mystery Reader: The Very Latest News and Views of Mystery Novels
The Bloodstained Bookshelf
Archives (1995-2008) at http://www.cluelass.com/Shelf/2008.html

Historical Fiction

Historical Fiction Network
Last updated in 2009...

Non Fiction

Westerns

RoundUp (Western Writers of America)

Romance

Thrillers

Best Thrillers

Children's Books

Children's Core Collection
Selective, annotated list of fiction and nonfiction books and magazines for children from preschool through sixth grade.
Middle and Junior High Core Collection
Selective annotated list of fiction and nonfiction books for young people in grades five through nine.
JacketFlap
Teacher Book Wizard
Database of Award-Winning Childrens Literature
Young Adult Books in Series and Sequels
Database of Award-Winning Children's Literature

WSU's Own Good Reads

Good Reads: The WSU Libraries' Guide to Faculty Reading Favorites for Students (2002)

[Currently unavailable online, but if you would like a print copy, please contact oenglish@wsu.edu]

Interested in checking out a potential major? Take a look at these books that have been recommended by WSU faculty as being worthy of note. These "good reads," including a generous helping of fiction, will pique your interest, excite your mind, and give you plenty to ponder -- and you can find them at the WSU Libraries!

Funky Finders

These are automated tools that recommend titles or authors. They may not always work very well, but give them a try!

whichbook.net
BookLamp.org
"Booklamp.org is the result of an exploratory project intended to help you find new books by comparing the content of the books themselves, similar to the way that Pandora.com matches music lovers to new music."
Based on the Book
from mid Continent Public Library
The A to Z of the Shortest Book Titles (ABE Books.com)
A fun list of one-letter (sometimes spelled out) book titles and covers
The BookSeer
Your Next Read
What Should I Read Next?
WhichBook.net
Gnooks
Literature Map
Kindred Works: An Experimental Recommender Service [OCLC WorldCat]
"Kindred Works is an experimental recommender service that helps you discover books, movies and music similar to a sample work of your choice"
BookScout - App Center [Facebook app from Random House]
Blender
"Select two or three genres then click Blend!"