"Can you recommend a good book?"

Library staff are happy to help patrons find their next favorite book.

Library staff are happy to help patrons find their next favorite book. That is part of their job. But patrons can also find this information for themselves in the library catalog.

Library patrons often ask the staff to recommend a good book. Staff kick into full Readers' Advisory mode to find out what the interests of the patron are. The patron may say that he usually reads biography but is looking for something different. He can be directed to books of historical fiction. If the patron reports that she has read all of Anne McCaffrey's books and wants to find something similar, she can be directed to fantasy books about imaginary kingdoms. Library staff are happy to help patrons find their next favorite book. That is part of their job. But patrons can also find this information for themselves in the library catalog.

The thousands of people who were mesmerized by A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin can find more books like Game by looking at the detailed catalog record. In the catalog https://scenicwashington.missourievergreen.org/eg/opac/home, search for Game of Thrones, click on the title in the results page, then look at the information in the record. All of the subject heading are clickable and will take you to books with the same subject.

Dragons Fiction
Betrayal Fiction
Imaginary wars and battles Fiction
Voyages and travels Fiction
Kings and rulers Fiction
Seven Kingdoms (Imaginary place) Fiction

If you can identify the elements of the story that you enjoyed, you can click on the element to find more books that have those elements. A listing of similar titles, similar authors, and similar series are also on the catalog record page.

Readers can create a never ending list of books to read by following the links to read-alikes. This is a reader's paradise!
See you at the library!