In an age where not everyone has a fabulous indie bookstore in their neighborhood, a well-read or not so well-read person can find themselves in a bit of a pickle. What to read next is a question I find myself pondering a lot. I'll spend hours browsing my shelves, looking through blogs and Goodreads trying to find something that suits my mood. Sometimes I just want someone else to make a suggestion for me! Well, the folks over at Anne Knows Books are there to help.
For $3 a month this new service offers personalized book recommendations! You can subscribe for suggestions monthly, bi monthly, or even every three months and after completing a questionnaire aimed at deciphering your personal reading taste (it helps if you have a Goodreads page as well so they can see what you've read) the good folks at Anne Knows Books will email you their suggestion. It's quick and painless and - having tried it myself - I can attest that they do make an effort to not only pinpoint a book that fits your taste but to find something you haven't yet read (should that happen, there is "Already Read This Book" option in your recommendation email).
Note: Gift subscriptions come in 6 month or 12 month options.
It really is personalized, guys. My first rec came two days after I'd completed the questionnaire and it was paired with a message admitting that I was a bit of a challenge (part of the reason I signed on was to see how they'd handle someone like me). My recommended title: Bird Box by Josh Malerman. To be fair, Bird Box has been on my radar ever since reading a review on one of the blogs that I follow, but I'd not yet bought or read it. As I write this, I have started and I am LOVING it. (Review to follow.)
I would suggest that if you opt to buy someone a subscription, you pair it with a gift certificate for a fabulous bookstore!
This just in: want to try Anne Knows Books for yourself? Sign up and use the promo code nomoregrumpy to get one month free!
4 comments:
Matthew here from Anne Knows Books. Very appreciative of the wonderful writeup and happy to answer any questions!
I often gaze at my bookshelf and wonder the same thing! What to read, what to read, I usually ask Pabkins when I find myself in such a quandary. For those that don't have their very own Pabkins to pester, this looks like an awesome option!
I'm confused as to why anyone would pay for this when librarians do it for free? It's called reader's advisory and that's a big part of public librarians' jobs.
At Anne Knows Books, we are able to take the time to learn all the nuances of your reading style. Libraries are adding more "personalized reading recommendation" services but have been overwhelmed by the requests. It can take 2 weeks to receive your recommendations (if you have a great library near you). AKB aims to take away long wait times and to ensure that you're receiving books that are tailored just to you. Where libraries provide a wide variety of great services to the community, AKB will focus specifically on being the best source for personalized recommendations.
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