Dear Ravenous Readers,
I'm on page 15 of the book The Keeper of Lost Things and I love it so much. I like the characters, I like the premise of the story, I like the description - I like everything about it. I almost don't want to keep reading it because then it will end. How do I find more books that I will love just as much?
Signed,
Reluctant to finish a good book
Dear Reluctant,
I understand completely. When I find a book or author that I love I want everything that I read to be just as great. One thing to keep in mind is that if all the books you read were that great, the joy might wear off. You do have to read some clunkers, or so-so books just to remind you how much you enjoy the books that you do love. Ok, maybe I'm a bit of a pessimist there, but it does make the good books seem even better when compared to books you couldn't even finish.
Here are some tried and true tips to find other books that hopefully you will love just as much. My very first stop is to see if the author has written anything else - hopefully I will enjoy those books to the same degree. In your particular case, that doesn't work because this is the author's first book. For me Marisa De Los Santos, Charles DeLint and Alice Hoffman are surefire winners. So I get on the list to be notified when the library orders a new book by that author.
My next stop is to read the blurbs on the back of the book. Typically, those authors will be writing in a similar vein, so they are another good place to delve. On the back of the book you mention in your question, there is a blurb written by the author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand and The Summer Before the War - I would check out both of those titles.
My next stop is the catalog itself. When you search for a book and click on the title, you get to a page with the summary, catalog information, reviews, etc. If you scroll down on the right, you will see a block called Explore Further. These are suggestions from the Novelist database, which is all about finding you the right book. Here is what books are suggested for the one you love
If any of these books are already on your to-read shelf, you might want to move them up in your list and reserve them now! You can also click on the More From Novelist link and get a list of similar authors with an explanation of why they are similar.
Again, if any look familiar, I would dig into their lists of books. Close out this box and continue to scroll down on the right. There is a list of subject headings as well as some lists that contain this book.
For the subject headings, I'm thinking stories about lost articles might be more about what you love about this title, more so than stories about divorced women. When I clicked on that link, while there were a number of children's books about losing items, there definitely are some intriguing looking titles for adults.
The lists are divided into two sections - staff lists (these aren't necessarily Pima County staff, but they are library staffers) or just other lists that include this title, created by the general public. I notice two lists mentioning debut authors - so these books might have no similarity to the one you love, but it is fun to find new authors finding their voice. Those lists are often worth checking out.
When you scroll down the left side of the catalog, you will find reviews of the book - sometimes people will mention another book that felt similar to them, so that is another way to find books.
Another place that is great for books and doesn't feel too overwhelming (sometimes I'm way too overwhelmed by Goodreads and the lists and suggestions) is Fantastic Fiction. You can search by author or title (it's a great way to find all the books in a series by the way). When I searched for your book, some of the reviews mentioned other similar titles, and a small list was also presented.
These titles may or may not be in our library system, but they are worth checking out. Perhaps because she is a debut author there isn't as much information about her, but more established authors will also list the authors that they like to read themselves. This doesn't always work because sometimes mystery writers don't read other mystery writers, they enjoy getting lost in a romance. But there can be some nice serendipity there.
It's like opening a box of chocolates. After you bite into that lemon cream, that dark chocolate truffle tastes so much better. Hopefully somewhere in these lists you will find another title that you love just as much, but you might have to try a few clunkers before you get there.
Happy book treasure hunting!
~KG for Ravenous Readers
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Any other ideas for Reluctant? Let us know in the comments below!
