What Should I Read Next?

Finding a good book to read can be a challenge, but your Library is here to help!  Our friendly staff are happy to offer suggestions, and help you use some handy resources to find your next favourite book.  One way we do this is to ask what you have liked about books you have enjoyed in the past — for example was it the plot, setting, or style of writing?  Then, we can match the factors that appeal to you with other books.  NoveList is an online tool, which you can use from home, that uses this technique.

To access NoveList go to My Giant Search on our Website, at www.tbpl.ca/virtualcollection.  Click on the picture of the Sleeping Giant, and log in with your Library card number and PIN.  Choose NoveList from the list, and follow the prompts to find your next great read.  NoveList K-8 is also available, and focuses on children’s books.  Both include an array of extras, like book club discussion guides, a non-fiction section, and “Books to Movies” lists.

Our blog, “Off the Shelf”, is another useful online resource for discovering new books to read.  Found at tbplofftheshelf.com, it includes interviews with authors, book reviews, book lists, a Young Adult section, and our archive of this column!

The Library’s website has a page devoted to advising readers, which you can visit at www.tbpl.ca/readers.  Here we have curated a list of useful websites, with information like books in series, bestsellers, and the National Reading Campaign.  It also leads you to other pages on our website focussing on Children’s, Young Adult, and Indigneous Literature.

Speaking of Indigneous Literature, have you visited our Indigneous Knowledge Centres (IKCs)?  They’re located at each of our locations, and are organized by topic, so it’s really easy to find things.  All the fiction books in the IKCs are by Indigneous authors, providing an authentic perspective.  If you listen to CBC Radio’s Up North show on weekday afternoons, you will be familiar with its host, Waubgeshig Rice. Waub’s book, Moon of the Crusted Snow may be found in our IKCs.  In it he tells a chilling tale of life on a northern reserve following a wide-spread power outage. The resilience, resourcefulness, and close relationships of the people who live on the reserve are revealed during the story.  This book left me wanting to know what happened next, and I’m pleased to report that Waub is planning a sequel.

If you prefer serendipity when choosing books, ask staff where the carts of recently returned items are at your favourite Library location.  These carts are often the first stop for avid readers!  Also look around for the displays that we curate at each location, and feel free to take a few books from them.  We always have a stash ready to re-stock!  Library staff track the popularity of our displays, and the most popular has been a colour-themed one.  Have you ever asked us for “that book with the red cover”?!  We can probably find it!

Joanna Aegard – www.tbpl.ca. If you have a comment about today’s column, we would love to hear from you. Please comment below!