Sometimes, I can't help but gush about whatever book I'm reading to a co-worker or family member. This happened to me last week, and my co-worker asked me for some book recommendations. For a minute, I was a bit stumped. I'm happy to recommend most of the books that I read, since I spend a lot of time researching books that I truly think I will enjoy, but I can't recommend them to just anyone without knowing what they like. This particular co-worker is 25 years older than me, and I have no idea what she looks for in a book because I don't think she reads very often.
I thought about this a bit because I realized that to SOME people, a good book is one that you can undoubtedly recommend to anyone and know that they would love it too. That's why bestseller lists exist. They are bestsellers for a reason, just like classics are classics for a reason. However, I wouldn't necessarily recommend a book that I loved to someone that doesn't read a lot. If you haven't read a book in 5 years, it might not be helpful if I recommend Pride & Prejudice, even though I love that book. It also might not be helpful for me to recommend The Lunar Chronicles if you don't like YA.
I thought about it a bit and recommended a few books to my co-worker that I really felt could be a book she might enjoy, knowing nothing about her past reading life.
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
The Chief Inspector Gamache series ("how surprising!" said no one) by Louise Penny
Kate Morton's books (I've still only read 2 but I love her writing)
One Plus One by JoJo Moyes
The Rosie Project by Don Tillman
Where'd you go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
Anyway, my co-worker found Big Little Lies in the used book cart here today and she was overjoyed and has already started it. I read it in e-book format which prevented me from skipping to the ending...and I hope she does the same and fully enjoys the reading experience ;) #yaybooks. The good thing is that there are 3 more Liane Moriarty books for me to recommend if she likes this one! ;)
I feel confident recommending Louise Penny because I have officially gotten 4 family members on board. She is also a great author for me to recommend to friends here because she's Canadian so there is that element to her books that people who like Quebec might enjoy. However, not everyone is looking for a series and some people want faster-paced books.
Last summer, I exhausted everyone I know by recommending The Martian, which is still a great book but again is not for everyone. I think most people who are interested in it but aren't big readers will have seen the movie by now. I feel the same way about books like All the Light we Cannot See...if you're not a big reader, that might not be the one to start with even though it was fantastic.
Part of me is always dying to recommend Harry Potter or Angels and Demons or The Nightingale, but not everyone is up for that either. Most people who like thrillers have probably already read The Girl on the Train. I have a much easier time recommending a book if I have a bit of a sense of what other books that person has read or enjoyed.
Here are some books I'll be reading soon that I feel have the potential to be "recommendable to almost anyone":
Bel Canto (just started this one) by Ann Patchett
Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
Today will be Different by Maria Semple
The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler
This is Where I leave You by Jonathan Tropper
The Help (rated so highly on Goodreads - how have I not read it yet?!!!) by Kathryn Stockett
I also find this book site, Book Marks ("Rotten Tomatoes" for books!) to be really interesting because on Goodreads, a book could be rated 4.5 with only 100 ratings or it could be rated 3.8 with over a million ratings. It can be hard to tease that apart and find the good books. I mostly consider anything that's rated 3.5 or higher to be worth my time if the subject matter looks interesting.
Have you recommended any books lately without knowing what the person likes to read?? Have you read any of my recommendations or hopeful ones? It's hard to reconcile this type of question when I myself feel so immersed in the book community on the internet! If someone even tells you one or two books that they've previously enjoyed, it is much easier to recommend something!!!
yes to all of this!! but seriously, how have you not read the help?! get on it girl. it's a good book (and the audio is great because it's read by a bunch of different people, including some of the cast from the movie i think).
ReplyDeletei really hate giving recommendations on the fly. you don't know what people like, plus, i'm just not good at pulling a book out of thin air. i can say i read this book and i think if you like this or that you will like it, but i am not so good at just randomly thinking about books. liane moriarty is my go to recommendation though, for sure.
also, book marks sounds interesting!
DeleteGood discussion. I completely understand your dilemma. It's easier to recommend when you have some sense of what people like. I do usually consider whether I would recommend to anyone when deciding between 4 and 5 stars. 4 means I really enjoyed it, but don't feel like EVERYONE needs to read it. 5 stars usually means that I DO think everyone should read the book - even if it's not their usual genre. I think many people who don't usually read YA would love The Lunar Chronicles because the story telling is so good.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I totally agree with all of this! I definitely need to know something about the person likes/interests/reading tastes before I recommend a book. I'm also bad at thinking up books on the spot...I usually need to scroll through my read books on goodreads to jog my memory. I have been recommending One True Loves to anyone who will listen though, haha! And oh my goodness, I can't believe you haven't read The Help yet!! Such a good book!!
ReplyDeleteSo I've never heard of Book Marks, but I'm going to add it to my list to check out before I get a book. I love Goodreads, but my problem with them is that you could have random people rating a book really high when it's not that good of a book. I totally agree with you though that it is hard to recommend books to people when you don't know their reading habits. A friend of mine at work both have very similar tastes so I know that I can trust her recommendations and that she can trust mine.
ReplyDeleteI'm very hesitant to recommend a book to someone when I don't know what they have read and enjoyed before. When someone is insistent that they want a recommendation I usually base that recommendation off of who I think they are based on hobbies and shows they've talked about. I haven't had anyone complain, but there are a few who have asked for a recommendation, never to ask again! haha I haven't heard of Book Marks, off to check it out!
ReplyDeleteI'd definitely need to know something about a person's interests, likes or dislikes, or past reading habits to recommend a book. If not, it would be so tough to narrow down while wondering "does this person like historical fiction? how about ya? or thrillers with murderous villains? or do they want a love story?"
ReplyDeleteLike you mentioned, the "bestsellers" sell a lot of copies for a reason. They appeal to a broad spectrum of people. And, I still read quite a few from that list.
Oh so true! I interviewed for a job at our library (which I sadly did not get. :( ) but they asked me what I would recommend to anyone, and I said the Rosie Project. Seriously a good one. :) I also love The Help and Bel Canto! I can't wait to jump on board with the inspector gamache books... seriously!! :) I always have to ask about genres too. One girl I work with likes sci-fi fantasy and I sent her SO MANY recommendations. A lot of them YA of course. hehe I don't know if she ever read them or not. I think it's tricky for sure, but I love the ideas you came up with! Definitely good ones! :) XO - Alexandra
ReplyDeleteSimply Alexandra: My Favorite Things
My least favorite recommendation to give is to the person who reads 1-3 books a year. They really want those to be good books and they are often not going to like the books I like. I'm much more comfortable casually recommending to someone who reads more in general, or more quickly.
ReplyDeleteI do of course have my stock three or four that I'd recommend to anyone. I had to laugh though, Bel Canto is NOT on that list. I might be one of the only people who hated that book?