Just what I didn’t need
Like a junkie looking for his next fix after a dramatic, once-a-year weekend bender, I recently used the awesome NoveList database to, *gulp*, search for more book recommendations.
NoveList is a diabolically useful tool available through the Metropolitan Library System website to any of the half-million or so Oklahomans with a valid MLS library card. Once you’ve logged in at the “Catalog and Databases” tab with your card number, you can proceed to the “Databases” link to the tab labelled “Readers Advisory.” From there, a quick click on “NoveList Plus” opens up this fiendishly helpful guide to great reading.
I recently finished Dennis Lehane’s gripping psychological thriller Shutter Island, which I picked up after learning Martin Scorsese is currently filming an adaptation of it for release later this year. The book didn’t disappoint, with stomach-churning twists and turns that seemed movie-ready from the first page. The director of Cape Fear and The Departed, among his other masterpieces, should knock this gothic noir tale out of the park with a seriously great cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, and Patricia Clarkson.
I was so fired up by the novel that I turned to NoveList to see what else it would recommend along the same lines. The database allows searches by author, title, series, or plot description and can also be limited by age group. Among the wealth of book information it provides is a list of “similar authors” as well as “author read-alikes,” while an extensive list of subject headings is also provided to search for similar books. A collection of full reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Publisher’s Weekly is also available for most titles.
A helpful and extensive essay on “author read-alikes” for Dennis Lehane described the writer’s themes, settings, and characters before thoughtfully linking him to other authors like Pete Dexter, S.J. Rozan, and Archer Mayor, none of whom I had even heard of before, much less read. (Great, juuuust great.) The “advanced search” option allows users to refine their search by means of targeting genres, nationalities, and even number of pages, among many other categories.
NoveList is exactly what I didn’t need — another source of book recommendations to add to my already overstuffed pile. For readers who’ve exhausted the complete works of a beloved writer or genre fans who are looking for expert opinions for where to turn next, it’s a pretty great resource.
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Maybe we need to start a Readers Anonymous chapter.
Oh wait, I think they’re called book discussion groups.
Happy reading, Chris!
–Reggie at 4:20 a.m.
(I need to crack a book and read myself back to sleep!)