Books recommended by what they share

Most recommendation lists are built from what other people bought, or what shares a shelf tag, or what the same author wrote next. Those lists answer a different question from the one a reader actually has, which is: what will feel like this felt?

books-like.com starts from one book — the one you loved — and names three more chosen for what reading them is like: the style, the sensibility, the psychological texture, the kind of attention they ask of you. Setting, period, and plot are ignored unless they happen to matter. Every recommendation comes with its reason spelled out, so you can judge the match before you commit an evening to it.

The library covers notable fiction — books the world has found worth writing about — and grows outward along the recommendations themselves: each book’s page leads to three more, and most of those lead onward again.

It is foolish to think that you have to read all the books you buy, as it is foolish to criticize those who buy more books than they will ever be able to read. It would be like saying that you should use all the cutlery or glasses or screwdrivers or drill bits you bought before buying new ones.

There are things in life that we need to always have plenty of supplies, even if we will only use a small portion.

Umberto Eco