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When you think about your favorite book, chances are you’d love to find another one just like it. You’d relish a recommendation of a similar quality book in the same genre that could quickly become your new favorite.
You could ask your friends, post a question on Facebook or crowd-source the query on Twitter.
Or you could visit The Book Seer.
What Is The Book Seer?
The Book Seer is a free website that uses Amazon’s algorithms to help you find books you might like based on books you like. The site is extremely simple, you can find recommendations in just two steps.
The Book Seer asks you for the title and author of a book then provides you with Amazon’s suggestions for other books you may like. You don’t need to register for an account, or connect your Facebook, Twitter or other social media accounts. Just enter the title and author of a book and get up to 10 suggestions of similar books you may like.
[note]If you’re on a mobile device, you can visit The Book Seer’s mobile site.[/note]
The suggestions include links to the books on Amazon so you can purchase them there, either in paper or Kindle formats. But you don’t have to purchase the books from Amazon, you can check the suggested books out from your local library, borrow them from a friend or get them from a local bookstore.
For example, if you enter Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand to The Book Seer, you will get suggestions such as A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II by Adam Makos, The Forgotten 500: The Untold Story of the Men Who Risked All for the Greatest Rescue Mission of World War II by Gregory A. Freeman and more.
Not every book ever published is included. I tried some titles where The Book Seer gave no recommendations. But about 9/10 books I have searched for on The Book Seer produced a list of suggestions.
Why Not Just Use Amazon’s Recommendations?
Yes, you could use Amazon to get book recommendations, but you may find using The Book Seer to be more simpler and more direct. Using The Book Seer instead of Amazon may be more efficient for you if:
You don’t shop for books at Amazon
If Amazon doesn’t have a history of your book purchases, then it can’t recommend other books you may like based upon your purchase history.
You shop for a lot of books at Amazon
If you shop for books for gifts for your kids, husband, friends, teachers, etc. Amazon may have a skewed view of your preferences. If you’re in the mood for historical fiction and Amazon recommends My Little Pony books based on your children’s preferences, well you’re not likely to find your new favorite novel.
You want to focus on a genre
Even if you only shop for yourself at Amazon, you may find that your tastes are quite broad. If you’re hankering for chick lit but the last few books you bought were business related, you may have to dig deep at Amazon.
You want to keep it private
If reading certain books is a guilty pleasure, you may appreciate the anonymity of The Book Seer. No tracking, logging in or other monitoring when you’re searching for a book, provided you’re logged out of your Amazon account and/or don’t allow cookies on your browser. If you have a secret fascination with zombie books and want to search for books similar to Day by Day Armageddon, by J.L. Bourne, you can use The Book Seer to find similar books.
You don’t want to get distracted
If you’re the type of shopper who goes to Amazon to search for a book and ends up hours later trying to decide between three pairs of shoes, a TV set, or Zombie Apocalypse Essentials, you may prefer the more simple site of The Book Seer.
See, K. Wade’s The Most Bizarre Items Available on Amazon, if you enjoy opportunities for distraction at Amazon.
Bonus Content
If you live in the UK, you may want to visit The Book Seer for two cool book-related links it has: one is Find A Library that searches for nearby libraries in the UK based on an address or your location. You can see the results on a list or in a map view.
The second site linked to by The Book Seer is The Local Bookshop. This site helps you:
- locate local bookshops
- locate books in stock at local bookshops
- learn about events at local bookshops
The Local Bookshop also has sections that will be interesting to people who live outside the UK, including, book suggestions, best seller lists and lists of authors born in the current month.
Your Thoughts
Do you enjoy finding new favorite books? Do you like the idea of a simple site that gives you book suggestions without distracting you? What’s the most bizarre product you’ve every found on Amazon? Let us know in the Comments section below!
Hi Carolyn,
I tried it. It gave me a list of books that I had already read so it could be useful! I was quite surprised to be reminded of some I read a long time ago. I teied the site for finding a library too. I didn’t know there was one near the dog track. I want to go there and take photos one of the days. The dog track, not the library! It’s still too cold for things like that but at leat the light is better. I’ve had a day off today. I usually write about psychology on a Monday, but I needed to concentrate all my energy and thinking on the stock market today. I’m going through my first rights issue and it’s at a deep discount! Art and photography tomorrow… 🙂
Hi Mike, Yes, I thought of you when I saw that The Book Seer included the Local Bookstore and Library links. I searched my former home town in England and discovered new libraries I didn’t know existed!
That shows the accuracy of The Book Seer, even though the suggestions were books you had already read. Keep trying and you may find your new favorite book!
Hi Carolyn,
Nice write up.
Till now, am finding my favorite book for my library. Amazon is the best source for me to find all kind of books. But a thing is, am a tamilian, sometimes i used to search tamil books in amazon. That time, i get disappointed. Because there is no better sites for getting tamil books. But now i found an website that helps me lot to find both tamil and english books. i.e. nanool.in. Thanks for sharing. Hope to see you back in my blog.
Ok, I have used the way it is suggested and found interesting books. Thanks
Hi Hindi, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I’m so glad you found interesting books using The Book Seer. Thanks so much for letting us know!
Hi Carolyn
Looks like a great find.
When I am looking for some easy reads for holidays and train rides I often spend hours trying to come up with something new. I usually end up falling back on tried and true authors, but sometimes they don’t have anything new or interesting.
This looks like a great way to discover things. Thanks for the tip
ashley
Hi Ashley, You’re right, finding a book to read can be challenging. Perhaps you’ve read everything your favorite author has written or your friends have different tastes in books that you do. Being able to search for a book easily can save you a lot of time while increasing the chances you’ll find a book you like.
I hope you enjoy The Book Seer, Ashley, as well as the books you find using it!
Nice! I usually scroll my GoodReads for friends recommendations, because you’re right, my Amazon recommendations are biased with gifts I’ve bought and items I’ve viewed for work.
Hi Meg, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, I enjoy GoodReads too and need to write a review of it. But sometimes you want a very simple recommendation without any fuss. I like how The Book Seer doesn’t require you to log in or open an account. Title and author, that’s it!
Enjoy your newfound books, Meg!
You’re amazing Carolyn. You keep finding really GREAT utilities to make life easier.
As I am an avid reader, the book seer is just the right resource for me. I so appreciate the find, but more than that, I appreciate you!
Kind Regards,
Bill
Wow, thank you, Bill! Helping wonderful people like you is exactly why I write The Wonder of Tech!
I’m glad you like The Book Seer. I hope it guides you to many enjoyable books, Bill.
Unfortunately, most of the books I’ve ordered from Amazon have been more for business then pleasure. Of course I’ve ordered some personal development type books too but it’s really been a very long time since I’ve ordered any paperbacks. I have in the past but this really does sound kind of cool actually Carolyn. I might have to test this out just to see what kind of ideas they come up with for me.
Thanks and I’m going to have fun with this one.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, Yes, you will definitely enjoy The Book Seer. It’s a great site to bookmark for when you need inspiration for the next book to read. Two steps and you can hone in on your target without worrying about being distracted by all of the enticing Amazon inventory in other categories!
I hope you find some wonderful books, Adrienne!
Hey Carolyn,
You definitely caught my interest since I read a lot of books. I like the reasons you gave on choosing the book seer over amazon. Sometimes I get distracted with the other suggestions and while other times I’m looking for a specific topic or genre.. I’m going to have to add this to my arsenal of resources next time I look for books to order. Thanks for sharing this info.! Have a great rest of the week!
Hi Sherman, Yes, when I found The Book Seer I was very excited to share it with Wonder of Tech readers. But you’re a brilliant bunch so your first question was bound to be, “Why not just search on Amazon?” I’m glad you liked the reasons I gave because The Book Seer is so very simple yet effective. Some may still prefer going directly to Amazon, but The Book Seer is worth checking out. The simplicity and the effectiveness will be very compelling to many.
I hope you find plenty of engrossing books to read, Sherman!
Does it gives the full version… or just the “recommederer?”
Hi Antoinette, I’m not sure I understand your question. The Book Seer gives links to recommended books so you can purchase them directly on Amazon, either in print or Kindle formats (where available). I have only seen links to the unabridged versions of books, never to the abridged versions, though you could probably find those on Amazon.
You don’t have to click on the links or buy the books on Amazon, you can just read the suggestions and get the books elsewhere if you prefer.
Hi,
I am not really fond of finding books but your info really changed my mind. I usually go to library and get the desired books, finding them online is really annoying but your tips showed me it isnt that hard and time taking. However, easy and fun getting. Thanks
Hi Babar, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, even if you’re a fan of checking books out from the library, you can use The Book Seer to find your next favorite book! Compile a list of books from The Book Seer before you head out to the library and make your trip more productive.
I’ve never heard of Seer. Going to have to check it out. I like the idea of an easy to use site to find me books in the genres I like to read, without all those “Amazon distractions” on the side. I often end up wandering away, losing my initial search results!
Hi Carol, I’m the same way. When I go to Amazon’s site to search for a book, the next thing I know I’m shopping for something completely different. It’s very easy to get distracted on Amazon, so I like having The Book Seer to keep me focused.
I hope you find plenty of amazing books using The Book Seer, Carol!
OK. This is pretty cool. I just ran the name of a book I’ve just read and got a whole bunch of great recommendations. Can’t believe I didn’t know of this before. Awesome! 🙂
Hi Roshan, I’m so glad you found some new books using The Book Seer. Although the site has been around for a while, I don’t think it had been discovered by most people which is why I was excited to bring this to Wonder of Tech readers.
Thanks for letting us know how well The Book Seer worked for you, Roshan!
I guess e-book is the best option because that’ll help us know our flaws easily and wont require much of the finance to get it published. It is the best way to experiment the stuffs.
Hi Charmie, Yes, ebooks allow people to self-publish which is a great way for authors to get discovered!