Choose Your Next Adventure: How to Find Your Next Great Read

You’ve just finished reading a fantastic book and you want to read another like it, to recapture the feeling of total submersion in a gripping plot with interesting characters. But it was the last book in the series. Or you’ve read everything written by that author. Or it’s an author’s debut. Or you want something in your favorite genre, but fresh and new. What do you do?

Don’t worry, the Library has answers to all of those questions! Let’s take a look at three ways to find your next great read.

• Recommended Reads - Our Recommended Reads lists are a great way to find books in your favorite genre. The Forsyth County Library website offers book lists created by library staff for Kids, Teens, and Adults. Looking for your next Horror fix? Browse the Horror recommendations and discover a new author. Has your middle schooler read all of the Harry Potter books? Check out the “If You Like Harry Potter” list and look at read-alikes that also provide magic and adventure. Run out of dinosaur books to read to your voracious toddler? When you find a book that piques your interest, click the link and it will take you straight to the library’s online catalog where you can place a request for the book.

• NoveList - The NoveList database is available through the library’s website at any time. Simply log in with your library card number and PIN. You can use this database to search for books, read reviews, or discover read-alikes according to author or title. In the search bar, type the title of a book or an author that you enjoyed. 

Click on “Title read-alikes” or “Author read-alikes” to see a list of similar books or authors. 

Select a book cover or author name to read more about the book and see the similarities between the two titles or authors.

When you find something interesting, check for it in the library’s catalog and place a request.

• Personalized Reading Suggestions - If you are looking for more specific reading suggestions, fill out a survey listing your reading preferences and you will receive an email with a list of recommendations from library staff within a few days. You can select your age, format preference, fiction or nonfiction, and share any other relevant details.

• Bonus Option: Visit your local library and ask a librarian for a good reading suggestion! We are always happy to help and love suggesting books that fit exactly what you are looking for.

Melissa Gunter
Outreach Specialist

Adult Fiction Staff Pick: I Will Kill Your Imaginary Friend for $200 by Robert Brockway

I try not to judge a book by its cover, but Robert Brockway’s horror-comedy I Will Kill Your Imaginary Friend for $200 (opens in a new window) caught my attention for, I think, obvious reasons. This book did not disappoint either—its concept is as original as its title.

Perfect for: Readers searching for an unsettling, dark humor (and yet, somehow still heartfelt) novel.

When forty-something Maksim “Ivan” Ivanov is not delivering food to make ends meet, he is instead acting as a contract killer for the imaginary friends of adults who struggled to let them go as children. The money is better but the stakes are higher, so Ivan sets a couple of rules for himself. First, he will not take on dangerous assignments. A talking ostrich is one thing, but a giant, angry bear is out of the question. Second, he will not kill a child’s imaginary friend. After all, children need their imaginary friends, like Ivan once did. Yet, after Ivan meets eight-year-old Kay Washington, whose imaginary friend proves to be dangerous to both others and herself, he accepts that, sometimes, rules are made to be broken.

Readers, tread carefully. The friends in this story may be imaginary, but the subject material is very real. Though humorous, this horror-comedy is not a cozy read and deals with a variety of heavy topics, such as isolation, loneliness, and self-harm. Brockway broaches these difficult matters in conscientious ways, but if these subjects are upsetting, then it might be best to set this one aside.

If you enjoyed: My Sister, the Serial Killer (opens in a new window) by Oyinkan Braithwaite or You’d Look Better as a Ghost (opens in a new window) by Joanna Wallace.

I Will Kill Your Imaginary Friend for $200 (opens in a new window) is available at the library in regular print.

Brianna

Information Specialist

Sharon Forks Library

An Afternoon of Jazz with Dwan Bosman Sunday, April 19 at Sharon Forks Library

An Afternoon of Jazz with Dwan Bosman (opens in a new window)

Sharon Forks Library presents an Afternoon of Jazz with Dwan Bosman on Sunday, April 19, 2:00–3:00 p.m. Mr. Bosman will perform the music of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Charlie Parker that jazz lovers of all ages can appreciate. 

There is never an end. There are always new sounds to imagine; new feelings to get at.

John Coltrane   

These illustrated biographies from our juvenile collection highlight the stories and artists behind some of the iconic jazz artists that inspired Dwan Bosman's own musical journey. 

Spirit Seeker: John Coltrane’s Musical Journey by Gary Golio; Illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez (opens in a new window)

Vibrant acrylic paintings and mixed media illustrations reveal saxophonist John Coltrane’s musical and spiritual journeys. This biography describes Coltrane’s musical calling, and the thrill of playing alongside his heroes like Dizzy Gillespie, John Hodges, and Miles Davis. The book also describes Coltrane’s spiritual journey, revealing how his battles with addiction led to him losing his job playing with the Miles Davis Band, and how that setback changed his life. Coltrane returned to his family roots and spent time in meditation. After overcoming his addiction, he was able to perform even better than before, revolutionizing jazz, recording his own record, leading his own group and becoming a jazz legend of his own.  

Birth of the Cool: How Jazz Great Miles Davis Found His Sound by Kathleen Cornell Berman; Illustrated by Keith Henry Brown (opens in a new window)

Birth of the Cool describes Miles Davis' musical journey from listening to the music of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington on the radio, receiving a trumpet for his thirteenth birthday, feeling overlooked in the high school band, and discovering bebop. Miles Davis' lucky break came when he was asked to fill in for an absent musician and got the opportunity to perform with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Bird Parker. But Miles Davis had his own ideas about music and became a master at improvising short, soulful solos. Miles Davis even developed his own style of music,—cool jazz and variations like modal jazz, hard bop, and fusion all inspired by the sounds of his youth. 

Alicia Cavitt

Information Specialist

Sharon Forks Library

Event Image Credit: Forsyth County Public Library