How to Find Great Books to Read

The sheer number of books available can make it overwhelming for a reader to select a book. If you are like many, your time to read is limited, so you want to be sure you find great books to enjoy.

I pride myself on selecting great books. If a book isn’t good, I will abandon it.

Here is how I find great books to read:

Blogs: Blogs are one of my biggest ways I fill up my to read list. I am constantly adding to it. Many Mom Creative readers have shared that they love my book posts, which is great because I love talking and writing about books. Each month I share the books I read the previous month, newly released books and other books about reading – like this one!

A few favorite blogs I love to read for their book recommendations include:

• Modern Mrs. Darcy: Anne’s daily kindle deals are one of my favorite resources on the web. I am constantly buying books thanks to her sharing great deals. I also love her other book related content. She reads more books than anyone I know!
• Mom Advice: Amy Allen Clark is my book twin. If Amy likes a book, it is pretty much guaranteed that I will like it too. I also love her weekly Sundays with Writers interview series.
• (in)courage book club: (in)courage often shares the newest titles from the most influential voices in the Christian publishing world. It was an honor to host a book club there for years and I love all  that they do to encourage women to read. Check out their Mother’s Day book recommendations.
• Money Saving Mom: Crystal is a voracious reader and often shares what she is reading, Kindle deals and book round-ups.
• TeachMama: This is the best blog out there for identifying great children’s books. (She even wrote a book on raising a reader!)

Book of the Month Club: This is my newest way to discover books, and it might be my favorite. It is a very affordable subscription service where you get one newly released, hardcover book sent right to your door each month. I love that you get to choose between five books (all different genres) and that you can add additional books for just $10. In April, they are doing a sale where you can get a 3-month plan for 50% off. That’s just $7.50 a book! Click here to try out Book of the Month and enter the code APR50. You will LOVE it. Read my full overview of this awesome service here.

Podcasts: I have a 30 minute commute to and from work and podcasts are my favorite way to pass the time. (I love listening to podcasts with the Overcast app.) Many of the podcasts I listen to mention books, but below are a few from which I most regularly note their book recommendations:

• What Should I Read Next: This delightful podcast is hosted by Anne Bogel. Each week she chats about favorite books with a guest and then gives her recommendations about what the guest would like to read. Click here to listen to the recent episode I was featured on — we had a GREAT discussion about my favorite and not so favorite books.
• The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey: This is one of my FAVORITE podcasts and I rarely miss an episode. Jamie makes her listeners feel like she is their best friend and I always feel like I am literally having happy hour with her and her guests. I’ve gotten some great book recommendations from listening to the show. Check out episode 30, which was my happy hour with Jamie.
• The Popcast: While Jamie and Knox don’t talk books as much as I would like, but when they do, it is always fun and informative. They also do bonus episodes where they sometimes feature authors. I was delighted to be a guest on bonus episode 148. 
• The Simple Show: Hosted by Tsh from The Art of Simple, she and her guests often make reference to great books. Check out my discussion with Tsh on episode 2. Another interesting and fun podcast.

The Book Club: This Facebook group is the most delightful community of book lovers. An offshoot of the Sorta Awesome podcast (another favorite of mine!), I find myself checking in with this group almost daily to see what books people are reading and discussing. I’ve even participated in a book swap in the group and got some new books through that!

Instagram: Instagram is my favorite social media platform (follow me here) and a great source for discovering great books. Many of these people are friends and bloggers that I trust, so chances are, if they recommend a book, I know I will enjoy it. Clicking on book and reading-related hashtags on Instagram is another way to discover books on Instagram. A few I check regularly are #fringehours #instalit #books #bookstagram #bookworm #booklover #bibliophile.

Pinterest: Pinterest is also a great resource for finding books, especially if you love book lists. I am always pinning books I want to read and awesome book round-ups. (My favorite book boards include Books I Want to Read and Books for Kids.)

The Library: Your local library is another great resource for finding great books. Typically libraries will feature best-sellers, new releases and top recommendations. Also, check to see if your library offers book clubs and events with authors.

Bookstores: As much as I love to shop online, nothing beats browsing at a bookstore. I have discovered many great books thanks to display tables in bookstores.

Bundles: I love ebook bundles because it is a great way to get a lot of ebooks at a very low price. These bundles are vetted, so the content is typically excellent.

Magazines: This might seem old school, but I absolutely discover new books thanks to magazines that I read. Some favorites include Entertainment Weekly, Real Simple, O, The Oprah Magazine and US Weekly.

Recommendations from friends: Like anything in life, I value recommendations from people I know. When it comes to reading, I have a few friends and family members that I really trust when it comes to book recommendations. We like the same kinds of books, we swap copies of books, etc.

How do you discover great books to read? Any additional resources you would like to recommend?

 

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