If you’ve ever closed a really good book and found yourself hungering for more, then these apps could be for you. These apps will give you the book recommendations you need to get past that daze of finishing a story and into the excitement of reading a new one. Go check these out!
1. LibraryThing
LibraryThing is both an app and a website with tons of different features. The way it works is you add your favorite books into your custom library, and the Automatic Recommendations feature will compare those books to other member’s libraries to find books you might be interested in. So if one person reads Book X, loves it, adds it to their library, then reads Book Y, also loves it, and also adds it to their library, then the next person who reads Book X and asks for an Automatic Recommendation could get Book Y recommended to them. To further refine this feature, Automatic Recommendations are also based on books that have the same subjects and tags as the books in your library. Furthermore, if you want to add a book you liked to your library but not receive recommendations based on that book, you can turn off this feature.
Another very interesting resource that LibraryThing offers is the Unsuggester. This feature analyzes the statistics of people who have Book X and Book Y in their library, and then flips them upside down. The Unsuggester will figure out which books are least likely to occur in your library, and recommend them for you. This feature is meant for people who want to try something new and shake up what kinds of books they read. If either of these recommendations concepts strike your fancy, go check this app out!
2. BookBub
BookBub is also both an app and a website that you should check out. Here’s the deal—you choose what types of books you want to get recommended to you, be it mystery or romance or cookbooks. Their editorial team will then recommend books of those genres to you of all popularity levels, from bestsellers to the most underrated. Plus, you can also get recommendations from people you trust giving your reading time to. You can select your favorite authors, BookBub editors, and friends and family to get recommendations from them.
The real selling point of BookBub is the way it combines recommendations with special deals and offers on those books. BookBub recommends deals on free or deeply discounted books that you’ll enjoy based on your selected preferences, so you can trust that you’ll like the books you spend money on. The app version of BookBub will send you direct links where you can get your recommended books as e-books, so you can read them right then and there. Seriously, for anyone who needs book recommendations and to save money, this app is for you.
3. Likewise
Likewise is an app and website for all the recommendations you could ever want: TV, movies, podcasts, restaurants, places, and—what we’re here to talk about—books. Likewise works by basing their recommendations for you on what you’ve recommended in the past. Ergo, the more you recommend, the more the algorithm can figure out about your preferences and favorites. And the more the algorithm knows, the more personalized and fitting your recommendations will be. So the system gets better for you the more you recommend, which in turn makes the system better because it gets more data.
Likewise also has a feature called Daily Picks. Daily Picks work the same way as the recommendation system, but it also increases the number of picks you get the more you recommend, giving you even more incentive to share your favorite books. Additionally, Likewise offers the Discover Feed, where you can find new and trending content. And in the Ask feature, under the Post Tab, you can ask the active and lively community at Likewise whenever you want to find something new not from an algorithm. Go check this app out!
4. Tailored Book Recommendations (TBR)
This app and website has a book subscription service where you can get paired with a professional book nerd who will give you your own personalized book recommendations. First, you tell TBR about your reading habits, like what books you’ve read recently, your favorite books, what you want to explore more of, how closely you want your recommendations to match your favorites, and different themes you’d like to read about.
Then you can choose what plan you want—the recommendations-only level, where you get your recommendations by email, or the hardcover level, where you receive three recommended books in the mail within a month of signing up. About a month after you receive your recommendations you get a notice to log on to TBR and give feedback about your recommendations. Also, if applicable, you can change and adjust your requests and preferences for next time. If you’re looking for a more personalized, professional experience not through an algorithm, TBR is for you!
5. BookSloth
BookSloth’s app and website has loads of features that you should definitely check out. On this app, you can discover new books through personalized recommendations and top recommendations. Once you find a book you like, you can recommend and share it with other members, making BookSloth an interactive recommendation experience. BookSloth also offers monthly reading challenges and achievements that you can earn, if goals are what you need to get you reading.
On BookSloth, you also get to rate books using badges for what you enjoyed most about your favorite books. You can give a badge for a book with awesome characters or amazing worldbuilding. You can also create your own online book club, where readers can connect with your favorite books and recommendations. If any of this interests you, go check BookSloth out!
There’s no reason that books and apps have to exist in separate universes of entertainment. These apps will bring your reading to the next level with their personal recommendations and exciting features. So don’t miss out on some new recommendations that you probably wouldn’t have heard of otherwise, and definitely not as conveniently and quickly as these apps can do.