By Srisha
Table of Contents
If you’re like me, you probably dread trying to find books that fit you. I usually need a lot of time just to find that “one-of-a-kind” book that caught my attention. I have to accept, I am a picky reader. One, the book shouldn’t have too many words. Two, the plot should be some kind of fight between Good and Evil or two forces going head-to-head. And the plot should interest me in some kind of way.
THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK. READ BEFORE YOU THINK.
– Fran Lebowitz
Also, use Goodreads.com to find a book online with all the information you’ll need. They post a lot of suggestions and have a lot of genres to explore. Each book also has reviews, a small summary, and about the author. You can use filters to find your reading level and grade level.
For example, I read a lot of fantasy books that pit good people against somewhat bad people that aren’t really bad, and the main character is just a complicated person with a complicated past. These stories usually include magic, royalty, or both! Just saying, you might have a lot of genres you’re interested in and it doesn’t always mean that you need to choose a book from just that set of genres.
Sometimes, we grow to like other things which I think is an amazing part of life.
If you want to review all the genres out there, check out my other post on fiction book genres: Fiction Genre Exploration (9 cool genres to explore!) These are not the only ones available, this is just the fiction part. Genres usually branch out so much, you can’t classify every single one like that. So, you’d most likely find books that are in between and go in multiple genres.
Now, enough about genres and my interests, let’s actually get into finding one for you this time.
1. Find books with covers that attract you!
This might seem like a really odd way to find a book, but it’s one of the techniques I use. When a picture attracts you, the content in that book might also be something that attracts you. In the same way, when going to the library, you can find book titles that seem interesting to you and then narrow down your choices for reading books.
2. Find some genres that you specifically like.
As I said before, genres can be an important tool in finding books that capture your feelings and put them into a story. You may like Sci-fi, Horror, Thriller, Fantasy, Realistic, Fiction, or any other genre for that matter! If you want to know more about a genre, just go on Google and find definitions. Before you go to a library, you might want to decide on the genres that you like so your library visit is shorter and more efficient.
3. Use a website to find specific books (Optional)
Okay! Let me make this really quick, because you’ll never know what you are going to find with websites, so I guess it really isn’t optional! Use https://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/ to find books. Yes! There is a website named exactly that. You just enter books that you like that you’ve read before and the search pulls up other books that are similar and related, so you can explore more books that have similar plots and ideas.
4. Look into what others are reading.
Your friends are also probably diving into awesome adventurous books. They’ll help you find a book that matches your taste because friends usually know you better than you. You don’t have friends that are interested in reading books or don’t always get fascinated by the same things? No worries, I got you. Ask your parents about books they’re reading or books that they read when they were your age. It’ll be really interesting if it turns out to be one of those magical books that give you powers, huh?
5. Make a list.
I know this tip doesn’t really fit with the others, but it is an important one. Most of the time, I find a novel that I really like, but I don’t write it down and when I go back to look for it again, I don’t remember the title. So, I would really recommend you to MAKE a book list online, or on paper unless you’re one of those people with a spectacular photographic memory.
3 Books that you might be interested in! ( Bonus Topic)
I think this is a book you will really enjoy, well to start off, I did. It was really good and had me on the edge of my seat at all times. It has royalty, mystery, a little bit of blood, fighting, twins, an island, and everything to make a book awesome.
2. The Outsiders (The 1st Awesome Book in Your List) | Youtube link
This is a book we read in class and it was one of those books I thought I would never like. But I loved it. It has fighting, two rival societies, and a murder. Click on the link to read more about it. Did I mention that on the very first page, it had a kind of loop setting, that you’d understand if you actually GO and read it?
3. The book review of the awesome Chocolate Sabotage (#19)
This is one of those books I enjoyed when I was in 4th grade. It has mice, a mystery, and of course, sabotage. I would recommend this book if you’re in elementary right now.
With that being said, I want to end today’s post with a spectacular shout-out to https://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/ because guess what? I used it all the time in ELA and boy was it helpful?! See you!
