Suggestion
August 9, 2009 11:43 AM Subscribe
I've just finished reading ____________. Type in the name of the book you've just finished, and The Book Seer will provide recommendations for your next read.
I've just finisher reading Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry...
and Library thing recommends: Alcoholics Anonymous - Big Book by AA Services
Heh.
posted by Devils Rancher at 11:47 AM on August 9, 2009 [8 favorites]
and Library thing recommends: Alcoholics Anonymous - Big Book by AA Services
Heh.
posted by Devils Rancher at 11:47 AM on August 9, 2009 [8 favorites]
At first, I found it a bit ironical that they insisted on recommending various XML parser errors to me, of all persons, but then I realized that they probably haven't tested their site with non-ASCII characters. Oh well.
posted by effbot at 11:48 AM on August 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by effbot at 11:48 AM on August 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
Hmmm...for my results, I just got aggregated recommendations from BookArmy, LibraryThing, and Amazon, which makes me less than impressed with the underlying project. But the recommendations were still pretty good, not at all just the obvious links to other works by the same author or other stuff by authors of the same nationality, etc.
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 11:48 AM on August 9, 2009
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 11:48 AM on August 9, 2009
Tried "everything" by "everyone" - ops.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 11:49 AM on August 9, 2009
posted by Foci for Analysis at 11:49 AM on August 9, 2009
The LibraryThing recommendations were logical, but apparently Amazon thinks I'm supposed to read this: Warning: SimpleXMLElement::__construct() [simplexmlelement.--construct]: Entity: line 24: parser error : AttValue: " or ' expected in /home/apts8781/public_html/bookseer/amazon.php on line 12
Never heard of it.
posted by timeo danaos at 11:49 AM on August 9, 2009 [6 favorites]
Never heard of it.
posted by timeo danaos at 11:49 AM on August 9, 2009 [6 favorites]
If you've just read your moms diary by candlelight, nude then...
Amazon recommends:
Warning: SimpleXMLElement::__construct() [simplexmlelement.--construct]: Entity: line 24: parser error : AttValue: " or ' expected in /home/apts8781/public_html/bookseer/amazon.php on line 12
Not that I was using it right, but that's still not what I expected.
posted by cortex at 11:50 AM on August 9, 2009 [6 favorites]
Amazon recommends:
Warning: SimpleXMLElement::__construct() [simplexmlelement.--construct]: Entity: line 24: parser error : AttValue: " or ' expected in /home/apts8781/public_html/bookseer/amazon.php on line 12
Not that I was using it right, but that's still not what I expected.
posted by cortex at 11:50 AM on August 9, 2009 [6 favorites]
Dunno, these look a bit avant-garde for me.
If you've just read The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow by Jerome K. Jerome then...posted by TheophileEscargot at 11:52 AM on August 9, 2009
Amazon recommends:
Warning: SimpleXMLElement::__construct() [simplexmlelement.--construct]: Entity: line 24: parser error : AttValue: " or ' expected in /home/apts8781/public_html/bookseer/amazon.php on line 12
...and LibraryThing recommends:
Nada.
I typed in a few things and got lots of recs for 'nothing' and 'nada'. The Book Seer isn't very, uh, seery. Or maybe the Book Seer doesn't really like books?
posted by grounded at 11:55 AM on August 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by grounded at 11:55 AM on August 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
The Book Seer gives me a whole bunch of recommendations along the lines of:
0060953721 by Somebody
This Somebody must be an awesome writer.
posted by Dumsnill at 11:56 AM on August 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
0060953721 by Somebody
This Somebody must be an awesome writer.
posted by Dumsnill at 11:56 AM on August 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
TheophileEscargot, you don't need a seer to recommend Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow!
posted by timeo danaos at 11:57 AM on August 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by timeo danaos at 11:57 AM on August 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
If you've just read your moms diary by candlelight, nude then...
Dude. WTF. Remember when I gave it to you and said you must keep it a secret? Yeah, that. And why the hell are you naked damnit?! I'm sooo gonna call you out over at MefiMusic.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 11:58 AM on August 9, 2009
Dude. WTF. Remember when I gave it to you and said you must keep it a secret? Yeah, that. And why the hell are you naked damnit?! I'm sooo gonna call you out over at MefiMusic.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 11:58 AM on August 9, 2009
Well, it doesn't seem to be .. um... really functional yet. But I do have to say I love the design!
posted by kbanas at 11:58 AM on August 9, 2009
posted by kbanas at 11:58 AM on August 9, 2009
Try it twice; I got the HTML error the first time but it's worked twice since then.
Not sure how useful it is though: Amazon's recommendations are basically worthless - ten more books by the same author. LibraryThing's are better; but I could just log in to LibraryThing and get them direct.
posted by Infinite Jest at 12:03 PM on August 9, 2009
Not sure how useful it is though: Amazon's recommendations are basically worthless - ten more books by the same author. LibraryThing's are better; but I could just log in to LibraryThing and get them direct.
posted by Infinite Jest at 12:03 PM on August 9, 2009
Seems like recommending works by the same author is a lazy and uninteresting solution that I could have figured out for myself. The follow-up suggestions do not seem to track the content of the book I enter.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:05 PM on August 9, 2009
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:05 PM on August 9, 2009
Damn! SimpleXMLElement by construct() must be a hot summer read or something.
posted by WolfDaddy at 12:13 PM on August 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by WolfDaddy at 12:13 PM on August 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
I just finished reading The Bible by God, what should I read next?...and LibraryThing recommends:
Nada...
posted by furtive at 12:25 PM on August 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
It recommends that The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect by Roger Williams should be the last book you ever read.
That seems kind of appropriate.
posted by localroger at 12:26 PM on August 9, 2009 [2 favorites]
That seems kind of appropriate.
posted by localroger at 12:26 PM on August 9, 2009 [2 favorites]
What everybody else said. I put in War and Peace (which, as it happens, I did just finish) and got:
Amazon recommends:
Warning: SimpleXMLElement::__construct() [simplexmlelement.--construct]: Entity: line 24: parser error : AttValue: " or ' expected in /home/apts8781/public_html/bookseer/amazon.php on line 12
Warning: SimpleXMLElement::__construct() [simplexmlelement.--construct]: <table cellpadding=3 width="90%" bgcolor=#ffffff border=0 cellspacing="2" align= in /home/apts8781/public_html/bookseer/amazon.php on line 12
[etc. etc. etc.]
...while BookArmy recommends:
Nothing...
...and LibraryThing recommends:
* Anna Karenina (Oprah #5) (Oprah's Classics Book Club Selections) by Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy
* Crime & Punishment by F.M. Dostoevsky
* Brothers Karamazov, the by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
* Dead Souls (Vintage Classics) by Gogol
* Fathers and Sons by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev
* Doctor Zhivago by Boris Leonidovich Pasternak
* The Idiot (Vintage Classics) by Fyodor Dostoevsky
* The Death of Ivan Ilyich (A Bantam classic) by L.N. Tolstoy
* Vanity Fair (Penguin Classics) by William Thackeray
* Resurrection (Classics) by Leo Tolstoy
* 0192834975 by Somebody
* 0140449124 by Somebody
* 0140447644 by Somebody
* 0141439548 by Somebody
* 0140439447 by Somebody
* 0140440402 by Somebody
* 0140447954 by Somebody
* The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
* Eugene Onegin (Penguin Classics) by Alexander Pushkin
So, two useless, one I could get directly from LibraryThing.
posted by languagehat at 12:26 PM on August 9, 2009
Amazon recommends:
Warning: SimpleXMLElement::__construct() [simplexmlelement.--construct]: Entity: line 24: parser error : AttValue: " or ' expected in /home/apts8781/public_html/bookseer/amazon.php on line 12
Warning: SimpleXMLElement::__construct() [simplexmlelement.--construct]: <table cellpadding=3 width="90%" bgcolor=#ffffff border=0 cellspacing="2" align= in /home/apts8781/public_html/bookseer/amazon.php on line 12
[etc. etc. etc.]
...while BookArmy recommends:
Nothing...
...and LibraryThing recommends:
* Anna Karenina (Oprah #5) (Oprah's Classics Book Club Selections) by Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy
* Crime & Punishment by F.M. Dostoevsky
* Brothers Karamazov, the by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
* Dead Souls (Vintage Classics) by Gogol
* Fathers and Sons by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev
* Doctor Zhivago by Boris Leonidovich Pasternak
* The Idiot (Vintage Classics) by Fyodor Dostoevsky
* The Death of Ivan Ilyich (A Bantam classic) by L.N. Tolstoy
* Vanity Fair (Penguin Classics) by William Thackeray
* Resurrection (Classics) by Leo Tolstoy
* 0192834975 by Somebody
* 0140449124 by Somebody
* 0140447644 by Somebody
* 0141439548 by Somebody
* 0140439447 by Somebody
* 0140440402 by Somebody
* 0140447954 by Somebody
* The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
* Eugene Onegin (Penguin Classics) by Alexander Pushkin
So, two useless, one I could get directly from LibraryThing.
posted by languagehat at 12:26 PM on August 9, 2009
It worked for me the second time (as in no XML errors). I told the seer I just read Last Train to Memphis: the Rise of Elvis Presley and it recommended nothing. You would think it could at least come up with the sequel: Careless Love: the Unmaking of Elvis Presley.
Pfft.
posted by marxchivist at 12:35 PM on August 9, 2009
Pfft.
posted by marxchivist at 12:35 PM on August 9, 2009
I just finished reading The Bible by God, what should I read next?...and LibraryThing recommends: Nada...
I think I see your problem, furtive. You got the author wrong.
posted by contessa at 12:39 PM on August 9, 2009 [9 favorites]
I think I see your problem, furtive. You got the author wrong.
posted by contessa at 12:39 PM on August 9, 2009 [9 favorites]
One library thing recommendation after Bank's Matter:
The Jennifer Morgue (Decorating & Design) by Charles Stross
posted by Sparx at 12:40 PM on August 9, 2009
The Jennifer Morgue (Decorating & Design) by Charles Stross
posted by Sparx at 12:40 PM on August 9, 2009
The xml errors seem sporadic, like something occasionally gets a byte off or something. Maybe it's screen-scraping HTML, and rotating content/ads on the target pages fuck it up? The " by Somebody" turn out to be links that lead to real books, so, just a parsing error in reading the title and author.
posted by breath at 12:47 PM on August 9, 2009
posted by breath at 12:47 PM on August 9, 2009
The Book Seer worked for me, and it was right! (Well, Library Thing was right.)
"I've just finished reading The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi."
..and LibraryThing recommends: (several books I've already read) but also Accelerando by Charles Stross, which is the book I'm starting tonight. You know both me and Sci-fi well, Library Thing.
posted by Glee at 12:47 PM on August 9, 2009
"I've just finished reading The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi."
..and LibraryThing recommends: (several books I've already read) but also Accelerando by Charles Stross, which is the book I'm starting tonight. You know both me and Sci-fi well, Library Thing.
posted by Glee at 12:47 PM on August 9, 2009
If you've just read The Principia Discordia by Malaclypse The Younger then...
posted by zenzizi at 12:48 PM on August 9, 2009
posted by zenzizi at 12:48 PM on August 9, 2009
"If you've just read metafilter by matt then...
Amazon recommends:
Nothing... (Well, no books anyway)."
well, crap...I would have thought I would at least get "Monkeyfilter"
posted by HuronBob at 1:05 PM on August 9, 2009
Amazon recommends:
Nothing... (Well, no books anyway)."
well, crap...I would have thought I would at least get "Monkeyfilter"
posted by HuronBob at 1:05 PM on August 9, 2009
If I've just read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, one might assume I'd already read the other six. Interesting idea, but the implementation's a bit off just yet.
posted by Pragmatica at 1:06 PM on August 9, 2009
posted by Pragmatica at 1:06 PM on August 9, 2009
Apparently it's hard to find a follow up to A Million Random Digits with 100,000 Normal Deviates by Rand Corporation.
posted by Hastur at 1:07 PM on August 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by Hastur at 1:07 PM on August 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
Some recommendations are... quite strange.
If you've just read Stiff by Mary Roach (a book about corpses, cadavers, and dead bodies, very interesting) then...
BookArmy recommends:
The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by Mary Grandpre & J. K. Rowling
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
The Two Towers by J. R. R Tolkien
The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R Tolkien
(all on the principle that people don't really die, and it's all just fantasy?)
LibraryThing recommends:
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser
(not dead yet, but getting there in a hurry)
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer
(that's more about what happens before death)
Nickel and Dimed: On Getting by in America (Spare Change?) by Ehrenreich
("poor" is almost as bad as "dead"?)
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
(if your dress sense has died? Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, but Rather Sensible Corduroy?)
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester
(murdering the English language does not leave a corpse)
Interesting experiment, but I'd rather go with an Ask MeFi question when looking for reading material.
posted by PontifexPrimus at 1:13 PM on August 9, 2009
If you've just read Stiff by Mary Roach (a book about corpses, cadavers, and dead bodies, very interesting) then...
BookArmy recommends:
The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by Mary Grandpre & J. K. Rowling
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
The Two Towers by J. R. R Tolkien
The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R Tolkien
(all on the principle that people don't really die, and it's all just fantasy?)
LibraryThing recommends:
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser
(not dead yet, but getting there in a hurry)
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer
(that's more about what happens before death)
Nickel and Dimed: On Getting by in America (Spare Change?) by Ehrenreich
("poor" is almost as bad as "dead"?)
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
(if your dress sense has died? Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, but Rather Sensible Corduroy?)
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester
(murdering the English language does not leave a corpse)
Interesting experiment, but I'd rather go with an Ask MeFi question when looking for reading material.
posted by PontifexPrimus at 1:13 PM on August 9, 2009
If you've just read Making Money by Terry Pratchett then...
BookArmy recommends:
* The Treatment by Mo Hayder
* The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
* Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
* The People's Act of Love by James Meek
* On the Road by Jack Kerouac
* Gut Symmetries by Jeanette Winterson
* Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
* Neuromancer by William Gibson
* Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
* Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl & Quentin Blake
and LibraryThing recommends:
* The Romans for Dummies by Guy de la Bedoyere
* Thursday Next: First Among Sequels (Thursday Next Novels (Viking)) by Jasper Fforde
* Readings in Canadian History Post Confederation by R. D. Francis
* The Feather Merchants and Other Tales of the Fools of Chelm by Steve Sanfield
* Parrot Training: A Guide to Taming and Gentling Your Avian Companion (Howell reference books) by Bonnie Munro Doane
Apparently, Pratchett fans are beatniks who own unruly parrots.
posted by Bernt Pancreas at 1:16 PM on August 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
BookArmy recommends:
* The Treatment by Mo Hayder
* The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
* Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
* The People's Act of Love by James Meek
* On the Road by Jack Kerouac
* Gut Symmetries by Jeanette Winterson
* Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
* Neuromancer by William Gibson
* Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
* Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl & Quentin Blake
and LibraryThing recommends:
* The Romans for Dummies by Guy de la Bedoyere
* Thursday Next: First Among Sequels (Thursday Next Novels (Viking)) by Jasper Fforde
* Readings in Canadian History Post Confederation by R. D. Francis
* The Feather Merchants and Other Tales of the Fools of Chelm by Steve Sanfield
* Parrot Training: A Guide to Taming and Gentling Your Avian Companion (Howell reference books) by Bonnie Munro Doane
Apparently, Pratchett fans are beatniks who own unruly parrots.
posted by Bernt Pancreas at 1:16 PM on August 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
I just read FOR ALL MANKIND by Henry Hurt III. [Book about the Apollo missions to the Moon].
Book Seer recommends...nothing.
I guess out-of-print books don't count.
posted by Rashomon at 1:17 PM on August 9, 2009
Book Seer recommends...nothing.
I guess out-of-print books don't count.
posted by Rashomon at 1:17 PM on August 9, 2009
My guess is that they're screen-scraping Amazon, and Amazon's website sometimes includes IFRAME elements and sometimes doesn't, which changes the DOM and loading sequence considerably between pages. It's a pain for my web-browser-for-blind-people anyway.
posted by alasdair at 1:37 PM on August 9, 2009
posted by alasdair at 1:37 PM on August 9, 2009
If you've just read A Confederacy Of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole then...
LibraryThing recommends:
Moviegoer by Walker Percy
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Bestselling Backlist) by Michael Chabon
The Neon Bible by John Kennedy Toole
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
The Corrections (Recent Picador Highlights) by Jonathan Franzen
White Noise (Contemporary American Fiction) by Don DeLillo
All the King's Men (Harvest Book) by Robert Penn Warren
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Signet) by Ken Kesey
In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences (Vintage International) by Truman Capote
The Feast of All Saints by Anne Rice
The Tin Roof Blowdown (Dave Robicheaux Mysteries) by James Lee Burke
Slaughterhouse-Five: Or the Children's Crusade, a Duty-Dance with Death by Kurt, Jr. Vonnegut
1 Dead in Attic by Chris Rose
Soul Kitchen: A Novel by Poppy Z. Brite
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
A Free Man of Color (Benjamin January) by Barbara Hambly
Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth
Cat's Cradle by Kurt, Jr. Vonnegut
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt, Jr. Vonnegut
The French Quarter: An Informal History of the New Orleans Underworld by Herbert Asbury
New Orleans Stories: Great Writers on the City by Somebody
Hmmm...it assumes that I choose books based primarily on their geographical setting. Which, in fact, is not entirely false.
posted by ColdChef at 1:41 PM on August 9, 2009
LibraryThing recommends:
Moviegoer by Walker Percy
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Bestselling Backlist) by Michael Chabon
The Neon Bible by John Kennedy Toole
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
The Corrections (Recent Picador Highlights) by Jonathan Franzen
White Noise (Contemporary American Fiction) by Don DeLillo
All the King's Men (Harvest Book) by Robert Penn Warren
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Signet) by Ken Kesey
In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences (Vintage International) by Truman Capote
The Feast of All Saints by Anne Rice
The Tin Roof Blowdown (Dave Robicheaux Mysteries) by James Lee Burke
Slaughterhouse-Five: Or the Children's Crusade, a Duty-Dance with Death by Kurt, Jr. Vonnegut
1 Dead in Attic by Chris Rose
Soul Kitchen: A Novel by Poppy Z. Brite
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
A Free Man of Color (Benjamin January) by Barbara Hambly
Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth
Cat's Cradle by Kurt, Jr. Vonnegut
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt, Jr. Vonnegut
The French Quarter: An Informal History of the New Orleans Underworld by Herbert Asbury
New Orleans Stories: Great Writers on the City by Somebody
Hmmm...it assumes that I choose books based primarily on their geographical setting. Which, in fact, is not entirely false.
posted by ColdChef at 1:41 PM on August 9, 2009
If you've just read Hop On Pop by Dr. Seuss then...
BookArmy recommends:
* The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice
* Tales of the Body Thief by Anne Rice
* The Lord of the Rings: Pt. 1: The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R Tolkien
* So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams
* South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami
At long last, I now know exactly which are the most appropriate books to purchase as christmas presents for the preschool-aged children of my friends and relatives. THANK YOU INTERNETS.
posted by elizardbits at 1:48 PM on August 9, 2009 [6 favorites]
BookArmy recommends:
* The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice
* Tales of the Body Thief by Anne Rice
* The Lord of the Rings: Pt. 1: The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R Tolkien
* So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams
* South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami
At long last, I now know exactly which are the most appropriate books to purchase as christmas presents for the preschool-aged children of my friends and relatives. THANK YOU INTERNETS.
posted by elizardbits at 1:48 PM on August 9, 2009 [6 favorites]
ColdChef, you scare me. I was going to go off and enter a Confederacy of Dunces just as soon as I finished reading these comments... I'm halfway through Dunces. Good to know what I should look for next!
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 1:57 PM on August 9, 2009
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 1:57 PM on August 9, 2009
My problem with this and other automated book recommendations, is that I usually want to read a book that is substantially different than the one I just read. I tend to find my next book by asking friends what they are reading, reading the book reviews in the paper, reading metafilter, and browsing the bookstore. I'm not certain that process has been boiled down into an algorithm yet.
posted by Edward L at 2:10 PM on August 9, 2009
posted by Edward L at 2:10 PM on August 9, 2009
ColdChef, you scare me. I was going to go off and enter a Confederacy of Dunces just as soon as I finished reading these comments... I'm halfway through Dunces.
Three years from now. Peacefully. In your sleep.
posted by ColdChef at 2:18 PM on August 9, 2009 [5 favorites]
Three years from now. Peacefully. In your sleep.
posted by ColdChef at 2:18 PM on August 9, 2009 [5 favorites]
If you've just read Enumerative Geometry and String Theory by Sheldon Katz then... big fat zilch. I'm not surprised, but a little disappointed.
If you've just read Lament for an Ocean: The Collapse of the Atlantic Cod Fishery by Michael Harris...
Amazon fails. Bookarmy fails.
..and LibraryThing recommends:
* Dowsing: A Journey Beyond Our Five Senses (Wooden Books) by Hamish Miller
* Cloud of Bone by Bernice Morgan
* Scenarios in Public Policy by Gill Ringland
* The Capacity to Govern: a Report to the Club of Rome by Yehezkel Dror
* Global Financial Integration: The End of Geography (Chatham House Papers) by Richard O'Brien
* The new century: Quest for the high road by Clem Sunter
* Arrows of Rain (African Writers Series) by Okey Ndibe
* Creative Compartments: Design for Future Organisation (Adamantine Studies on the 21st Century) by Gerard Fairtlough
* Gray Dawn by Peter Peterson
* The Chinese by Jasper Becker
* My Quest for the Yeti: Confronting the Himalayas' Deepest Mystery by Reinhold Messner
* The Deep Hot Biosphere: The Myth of Fossil Fuels by Thomas Gold
* Remaking Eden by Lee M. Silver
* The Idea of Decline in Western History by Arthur Herman
* How Many People Can the Earth Support? by JE Cohen
* Six Nightmares: Real Threats in a Dangerous World and How America Can Meet Them by Anthony Lake
* The Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community by Katie Hafner
* Canada: A People's History Volume 2 by CBC
* One Hundred Million Hearts by Kerri Sakamoto
* Technical Theatre for Non-technical People by Drew K. Campbell
I give you a 30% success rate. Dowsing? DOWSING?
posted by Lemurrhea at 2:29 PM on August 9, 2009
If you've just read Lament for an Ocean: The Collapse of the Atlantic Cod Fishery by Michael Harris...
Amazon fails. Bookarmy fails.
..and LibraryThing recommends:
* Dowsing: A Journey Beyond Our Five Senses (Wooden Books) by Hamish Miller
* Cloud of Bone by Bernice Morgan
* Scenarios in Public Policy by Gill Ringland
* The Capacity to Govern: a Report to the Club of Rome by Yehezkel Dror
* Global Financial Integration: The End of Geography (Chatham House Papers) by Richard O'Brien
* The new century: Quest for the high road by Clem Sunter
* Arrows of Rain (African Writers Series) by Okey Ndibe
* Creative Compartments: Design for Future Organisation (Adamantine Studies on the 21st Century) by Gerard Fairtlough
* Gray Dawn by Peter Peterson
* The Chinese by Jasper Becker
* My Quest for the Yeti: Confronting the Himalayas' Deepest Mystery by Reinhold Messner
* The Deep Hot Biosphere: The Myth of Fossil Fuels by Thomas Gold
* Remaking Eden by Lee M. Silver
* The Idea of Decline in Western History by Arthur Herman
* How Many People Can the Earth Support? by JE Cohen
* Six Nightmares: Real Threats in a Dangerous World and How America Can Meet Them by Anthony Lake
* The Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community by Katie Hafner
* Canada: A People's History Volume 2 by CBC
* One Hundred Million Hearts by Kerri Sakamoto
* Technical Theatre for Non-technical People by Drew K. Campbell
I give you a 30% success rate. Dowsing? DOWSING?
posted by Lemurrhea at 2:29 PM on August 9, 2009
Bold suggestions = WTF.
If you've just read The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie, LibraryThing recommends:
# The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) by Agatha Christie
# The ABC Murders (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) by Agatha Christie
# The Mystery of the Blue Train (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) by Agatha Christie
# Taekwon-do (Facts on File) by Yeon Hee Park
# How to Photograph Your Family: Getting Closer with Your Camera and Your Heart by Nick Kelsh
# Vintage Sacks by Oliver W. Sacks
# Why Don't Woodpeckers Get Headaches?: And Other Bird Questions You Know You Want to Ask by Mike O'Connor
# Fuhrer (Bestseller (Booket Numbered)) by Prior Allan
# Paperback Oxford Canadian Dictionary by Alex Bisset
# The Classic 1000 Italian Recipes by Christina Gabrielli
# Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual by Barbara Brundage
# Sherlock Holmes: Vol 2: The Complete Novels and Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
# The Sign of Four (Penguin Classics) by Arthur Conan Doyle
# Baedeker San Francisco (Baedeker's San Francisco) by Printing
# Kung Fu for Girls: Self-Defense with Style by Simon Harrison
# Vegan Delights: Gourmet Vegetarian Specialties by Jeanne Marie Martin
# Colloquial Ukrainian (Book and Cassettes Pack) by Ian Press; Stefan Pugh
# The Jack Russell Terrier Handbook (Pet Handbooks) by D. Caroline Coile
Woodpeckers + taekwondo + kung fu + lasagna + loonies + Борщ + dogs + tempeh + layers + Hitler = WTF.
posted by mdonley at 2:49 PM on August 9, 2009
If you've just read The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie, LibraryThing recommends:
# The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) by Agatha Christie
# The ABC Murders (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) by Agatha Christie
# The Mystery of the Blue Train (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) by Agatha Christie
# Taekwon-do (Facts on File) by Yeon Hee Park
# How to Photograph Your Family: Getting Closer with Your Camera and Your Heart by Nick Kelsh
# Vintage Sacks by Oliver W. Sacks
# Why Don't Woodpeckers Get Headaches?: And Other Bird Questions You Know You Want to Ask by Mike O'Connor
# Fuhrer (Bestseller (Booket Numbered)) by Prior Allan
# Paperback Oxford Canadian Dictionary by Alex Bisset
# The Classic 1000 Italian Recipes by Christina Gabrielli
# Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual by Barbara Brundage
# Sherlock Holmes: Vol 2: The Complete Novels and Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
# The Sign of Four (Penguin Classics) by Arthur Conan Doyle
# Baedeker San Francisco (Baedeker's San Francisco) by Printing
# Kung Fu for Girls: Self-Defense with Style by Simon Harrison
# Vegan Delights: Gourmet Vegetarian Specialties by Jeanne Marie Martin
# Colloquial Ukrainian (Book and Cassettes Pack) by Ian Press; Stefan Pugh
# The Jack Russell Terrier Handbook (Pet Handbooks) by D. Caroline Coile
Woodpeckers + taekwondo + kung fu + lasagna + loonies + Борщ + dogs + tempeh + layers + Hitler = WTF.
posted by mdonley at 2:49 PM on August 9, 2009
It made me happy: I put in The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson and got a lot of great epidemiology/plague history books. Yeah, it's a cheap agglomeration of a few sites, butI always forget LibraryThing exists, so it's not bad.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 3:02 PM on August 9, 2009
posted by flibbertigibbet at 3:02 PM on August 9, 2009
I just finished reading The Bible by God, what should I read next?
...and LibraryThing recommends:
Nada...
On the other hand...
posted by furiousxgeorge at 3:10 PM on August 9, 2009
...and LibraryThing recommends:
Nada...
On the other hand...
posted by furiousxgeorge at 3:10 PM on August 9, 2009
Hmm, linking stripped out the author. This site is bugalific.
(The Koran by Muhammad has plenty of suggestions)
posted by furiousxgeorge at 3:11 PM on August 9, 2009
(The Koran by Muhammad has plenty of suggestions)
posted by furiousxgeorge at 3:11 PM on August 9, 2009
No, really, this one is wrong. It should be:
If you've just read A Confederacy Of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole then...
Read it again.
That & Volcano have gotten me in such rarified air I'm having trouble enjoying any book I can actually understand.
posted by Devils Rancher at 3:26 PM on August 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
If you've just read A Confederacy Of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole then...
Read it again.
That & Volcano have gotten me in such rarified air I'm having trouble enjoying any book I can actually understand.
posted by Devils Rancher at 3:26 PM on August 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
I just read Fruitless Fall by Rowan Jacobsen,
Amazon recommends:
Nothing... (Well, no books anyway).
...while BookArmy recommends:
Nothing...
...and LibraryThing recommends:
Nada..
and really, this works out perfectly for me because I am really busy this week!
posted by InkaLomax at 3:54 PM on August 9, 2009
Amazon recommends:
Nothing... (Well, no books anyway).
...while BookArmy recommends:
Nothing...
...and LibraryThing recommends:
Nada..
and really, this works out perfectly for me because I am really busy this week!
posted by InkaLomax at 3:54 PM on August 9, 2009
Devil's Rancher- that's exactly the search i just ran. that ignatius, he has his theology and geometry down pat.
posted by Philby at 4:31 PM on August 9, 2009
posted by Philby at 4:31 PM on August 9, 2009
Nice idea, but bug-tastic.
Interestingly, if I had just finished Mein Kampf (which I haven't), I should be reading The Art of War, The Origin of Species, and bizarrely, A Brief History of Time.
I think I'll stick to personal recommendations for the time being.
posted by jonesor at 4:36 PM on August 9, 2009
Interestingly, if I had just finished Mein Kampf (which I haven't), I should be reading The Art of War, The Origin of Species, and bizarrely, A Brief History of Time.
I think I'll stick to personal recommendations for the time being.
posted by jonesor at 4:36 PM on August 9, 2009
love the idea, but... i will not be reading any stephanie meyer books, as suggested, to follow up steinbeck.
posted by ms.jones at 5:36 PM on August 9, 2009
posted by ms.jones at 5:36 PM on August 9, 2009
I just finished reading tintin by herge, and there's nothing else to read, apparently.
I wonder what's on TV.
posted by seawallrunner at 5:41 PM on August 9, 2009
I wonder what's on TV.
posted by seawallrunner at 5:41 PM on August 9, 2009
Somebody's making some decent coin off of referral revenue.
posted by jeffkramer at 5:55 PM on August 9, 2009
posted by jeffkramer at 5:55 PM on August 9, 2009
I offered it Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, and it spat back these suggestions:
* Let the Right One in by John Ajvide Lindqvist
* The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead by Max Brooks
* World War Z by Max Brooks
* The Strain by Guillermo del Toro
* The Book With No Name by Anonymous
* The Road by Cormac McCarthy
* League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The: Century 1910 by Alan Moore
* The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
* How to Survive a Horror Movie by Seth Grahame-Smith
* Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Evidently, the bookseer only knows Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, not the source material.
posted by Elsa at 6:07 PM on August 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
* Let the Right One in by John Ajvide Lindqvist
* The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead by Max Brooks
* World War Z by Max Brooks
* The Strain by Guillermo del Toro
* The Book With No Name by Anonymous
* The Road by Cormac McCarthy
* League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The: Century 1910 by Alan Moore
* The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
* How to Survive a Horror Movie by Seth Grahame-Smith
* Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Evidently, the bookseer only knows Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, not the source material.
posted by Elsa at 6:07 PM on August 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
Aha! It's the ampersand that does it; Pride and Prejudice gets the same suggestions from Amazon (no doubt they're seeing a sharp spike in demand for P & P & Zombies but not for the original), but also produced suggestions from LibraryThing for other Austen works, some Bronte sisters stuff, and so on.
posted by Elsa at 6:14 PM on August 9, 2009
posted by Elsa at 6:14 PM on August 9, 2009
It works pretty good if you stick to popular books, if repetitive in its suggestions. I imagine most of the people using a website for suggestions on what to read next would be leaning towards accessible books anyway. I like the shout-out to the local bookshop and library although neither link worked.
posted by saucysault at 6:17 PM on August 9, 2009
posted by saucysault at 6:17 PM on August 9, 2009
I just finished reading the third book of a trilogy (The Summer Palace, Lawrence Watt-Evans). Both Amazon and LibraryThing give me books one and two of the trilogy as top recommendations. Needs work.
posted by fings at 6:37 PM on August 9, 2009
posted by fings at 6:37 PM on August 9, 2009
Once I have to spend the time to look up the correct spelling for the authors name, I'm already on amazon so...
I'm sure the next version will be more fun though, appreciate the effort - always looking for more books :)
posted by mincus at 6:38 PM on August 9, 2009
I'm sure the next version will be more fun though, appreciate the effort - always looking for more books :)
posted by mincus at 6:38 PM on August 9, 2009
I've always been a fan of What Should I Read Next?. They look for the book you read on other people's lists, so I always seem to find interesting stuff I would not have considered otherwise.
posted by reenum at 7:17 PM on August 9, 2009
posted by reenum at 7:17 PM on August 9, 2009
Any engine that thinks I should read Orson Scott Card because I just read Olivia Butler is factually incorrect.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 2:40 AM on August 10, 2009
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 2:40 AM on August 10, 2009
What Should I Read Next does look good, but I believe the link should be http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 3:03 AM on August 10, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by TheophileEscargot at 3:03 AM on August 10, 2009 [1 favorite]
LibraryThing seems to own Amazon here, so thanks for the tip.
posted by NekulturnY at 6:52 AM on August 10, 2009
posted by NekulturnY at 6:52 AM on August 10, 2009
I got nothing, nothing, nada for To Serve Them All My Days, I suppose best sellers from the 70's just don't register on the internet.
On the other hand, looking at the list generated by PontifexPrimus for Stiff I see I have read all of LibraryThing's recommendations. So I guess if you have enjoyed popular, lightweight non-fiction in the past you will enjoy popular, lightweight non-fiction in the future!
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:59 AM on August 10, 2009
On the other hand, looking at the list generated by PontifexPrimus for Stiff I see I have read all of LibraryThing's recommendations. So I guess if you have enjoyed popular, lightweight non-fiction in the past you will enjoy popular, lightweight non-fiction in the future!
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:59 AM on August 10, 2009
Amazon recommended 11 books by the same author, so that was helpful. I never would have thought of that on my own.
posted by PurpleJack at 10:14 AM on August 10, 2009
posted by PurpleJack at 10:14 AM on August 10, 2009
I just finished reading Merriam-Webster's Dictionary by Merriam-Webster. Apparently I should now move onto reading a crossword puzzle dictionary.
posted by jeremy b at 10:27 AM on August 10, 2009
posted by jeremy b at 10:27 AM on August 10, 2009
I've been reading a lot of children's mystery books lately. Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew etc. It is so much more enjoyable for me than adult books sometimes. Hope that does not say anything negative about my brain capacity.
posted by YukaBot 8000 at 11:03 AM on August 10, 2009
posted by YukaBot 8000 at 11:03 AM on August 10, 2009
In: Broom of the System. Out: Every other DFW book, and a couple Thomas Pynchons.
Insightful stuff there.
posted by naoko at 1:46 PM on August 10, 2009
Insightful stuff there.
posted by naoko at 1:46 PM on August 10, 2009
Neat. I like Amazon, but one thing it is really crap at, is making recommendations. Oh and giving you an idea what the books about, oh and the other books in the series etc. But for buying what you already know you want, it's great!
posted by lundman at 6:35 PM on August 10, 2009
posted by lundman at 6:35 PM on August 10, 2009
Yukabot: I'm reading The Annotated Wind in the Willows. I'm really, really enjoying it. Besides the story, I am fascinated by the discussions about class distinctions among the animals, Grahame's misogyny, and the different approaches by illustrators down through the years. For example, some of the artists, such as Ernest Shepard (famous for his later work on Winnie the Pooh), made Rat, Mole, Otter, et. al. people-sized and wearing some form of clothing but the first illustrator, Paul Bransom, kept the animals unclothed and closer to their natural size.*
All the wonder and light-heartedness of a children's book combined with some adult-level discourse.
*One of the creepiest illustrations is by Nancy Barnhart showing Rat with human hands that end in claws.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:50 PM on August 10, 2009
All the wonder and light-heartedness of a children's book combined with some adult-level discourse.
*One of the creepiest illustrations is by Nancy Barnhart showing Rat with human hands that end in claws.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:50 PM on August 10, 2009
Nothing. Nothing. And nada.
posted by IvoShandor at 10:56 PM on August 10, 2009
posted by IvoShandor at 10:56 PM on August 10, 2009
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posted by jsavimbi at 11:46 AM on August 9, 2009