Finding New Reads - Kathryn Knight

How do you find your next book?  Surveys show that friend recommendations are the number one reason a person tries a book, and I've certainly found some great reads that way: Outlander; Pillars of the Earth; Lexicon; Twilight; Whitney, My Love; and the fantastic A Song of Ice and Fire series were all suggested by friends or family members.  Many of these books would never have hit my bedside table or my Kindle otherwise, and many of the ones I've listed above made it onto my favorites lists of 2012 and 2013. 

Of course, I've tried a few books due to recommendations that simply didn't interest me.  What then?  Well, the obvious choice is to go for other releases from an author I enjoy.  But as a voracious reader, I usually still need more ideas.  I've found the "Readers Also Enjoyed" lists on Goodreads to be a great resource.  Looking up Diana Gabaldon's amazing time travel/historical romance Outlander and paging through the similar books to the right led me to The Bronze Horseman trilogy by Paullina Simons, which I absolutely loved.  I've also discovered other great historical romances such as Into the Wilderness, Forever Amber, and Katherine.

I use these lists to find books for my boys, as well.  My son's passion for the Peter and the Starcatchers series generated new ideas for middle grade books to try.  There are also "groups" on Goodreads that often have threads based on finding books similar to a well-known bestseller.  Members of the group can chime in with their choices; I've found a number of great ghost stories that way.

A movie or show based on a book usually sparks my interest.  Since I much prefer reading to watching movies, I always go for the book first (and often exclusively).  Recently added to my list: Ender's Game, Winter's Tale, and The Book Thief.

My TBR list is always growing as a result of interesting blurbs I see on social media.  The authors of The Wild Rose Press write romance in many subgenres I enjoy (paranormal and historical being my favorites), and I've featured a number of my fellow authors on my blog - for example, an interview with the author of a series set in ancient Rome and one set in Regency England.



SILVER LAKE on the right

Finally, there's nothing like browsing a book store when you have time.  Both Gull Harbor and Silver Lake have premium shelf space in local book stores, and I hope the beautiful covers catch the attention of customers looking for a suspenseful love story.  Personally, I could spend all day in the stacks, reading blurbs and first chapters...but of course that's rarely an option! 

How do you find your next great book?

GULL HARBOR - both books were picked
for local book club reads!