# If you like (X) then you may like (X) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 30, 2010, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-like-x-then-you-may-like-x/548528 "2010-07-30T00:21:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-like-x-then-you-may-like-x/548528/1 "2010-07-30T00:21:10Z")
Yanno, how Amazon recommends other similiar books. Welllll, is there something better than that? I was reading [Lemon Jelly Cake](http://www.amazon.com/Lemon-Jelly-Prairie-State-Books/dp/0252061632/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280449149&sr=8-1) and wanted another book along that vein. ( the author only wrote one book before she died, which always bums me out.) BTW, I think it was **Delphica** who sent me this book originally, and I want to send her smoochies forevermore for it. I wuvs it. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-like-x-then-you-may-like-x/548528/2 "2010-07-30T00:34:09Z")
Your library may have some readers’ advisory databases, which can help with that sort of thing. (How about _The Great Brain_ or the Betsy-Tacey books?) ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-like-x-then-you-may-like-x/548528/3 "2010-07-30T10:50:28Z")
I want something better than that too! Amazon might as well just be giving me random product recommendations for as good as theirs is! Your title reminded me of one of their recent recommendations: _Pro [ASP.NET](http://ASP.NET) 3.5 in C# 2008: Includes Silverlight 2, Third Edition [Paperback]_ recommended to you because you purchased: _Pro [ASP.NET](http://ASP.NET) 3.5 in C# 2008: Includes Silverlight 2, Third Edition [Paperback]_ Wow! \*That \*was useful! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-like-x-then-you-may-like-x/548528/4 "2010-07-30T10:53:09Z")
There is something they should be able to do quite easily: when I’m logged in, remove from the list of recommendations any book I purchased from them. It’s not like they don’t have the info! ---
**Author:** ![Rala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@Rala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rala)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-like-x-then-you-may-like-x/548528/5 "2010-07-30T11:47:27Z")
Librarything has recommendations too. Some are from the site, and some from members. I’ve always thought they were pretty good. [Here’s](http://www.librarything.com/work/96297) the page for _Lemon Jelly Cake_. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-like-x-then-you-may-like-x/548528/6 "2010-07-30T13:10:58Z")
> [@Rala](#): > > Librarything has recommendations too. Some are from the site, and some from members. I’ve always thought they were pretty good. [Here’s](http://www.librarything.com/work/96297) the page for _Lemon Jelly Cake_. oooh, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Emily\_Litella](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emily_litella/32/3370_2.png) [@Emily\_Litella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emily_Litella)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-like-x-then-you-may-like-x/548528/7 "2010-07-30T17:59:33Z")
When you sign into your amazon account there’s a box near the top that says “Improve your recommendations” that lets you tell them what you liked best and what they should and shouldn’t use for their recommendations for you. I’m not sure if this is the same thing **Nava** said? ---
**Author:** ![hobscrk777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a6a055/32.png) [@hobscrk777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hobscrk777)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-like-x-then-you-may-like-x/548528/8 "2010-07-30T18:45:16Z")
Here are some book recommendation sites I use: [http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/search](http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/search) > **[The Book Seer | What should I read next](http://bookseer.com/)** > > Read a great book and wondering what to read next? Ask the famous bookseer Library Thing Shelfari ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-like-x-then-you-may-like-x/548528/9 "2010-07-30T19:33:57Z")
[Lifehacker](http://lifehacker.com/5595842/five-best-book-recommendation-services) just did a piece on book recommendation services; [Goodreads](http://www.goodreads.com/) seems to have won the vote. Other services (besides Amazon) mentioned:[ul][li][Shelfari](http://www.shelfari.com/)[_][LibraryThing](http://www.librarything.com/)[_][GetGlue](http://getglue.com/)[/ul][/li]I find Amazon tends to blindly recommend all of any author’s back-catalogue once you’ve indicated you like one of their books, which I suppose is logical but doesn’t help in trying to find new authors. The recommendation engine does sometimes kick out something within the same genre by similar writers, which may or may not be useful. I joined Goodreads some time ago, but haven’t really taken to it. It’s a cross between a social site and a book service, complete with a news feed. I admittedly haven’t spent the time to set up my preferences to make it more useful for me. I just recently joined GetGlue, which is about more than books - it’s a social sharing site (again with a news feed), but takes in the entire universe of entertainment. You “check in” when you’re doing something (watching TV, movies, listening to music, reading a book, etc.), and you rate things on a simple like/don’t like basis (you can also write reviews if you like). The service as well as other users will then offer suggestions based on your ratings. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-like-x-then-you-may-like-x/548528/10 "2010-07-30T19:41:19Z")
> [@Just\_Ed](#): > > [URL=“[http://lifehacker.com/5595842/five-best-book-recommendation-services](http://lifehacker.com/5595842/five-best-book-recommendation-services)”]\I find Amazon tends to blindly recommend all of any author’s back-catalogue once you’ve indicated you like one of their books, which I suppose is logical but doesn’t help in trying to find new authors. The recommendation engine does sometimes kick out something within the same genre by similar writers, which may or may not be useful. > \ Yes, that is one of my other pet peeves about them. I am already savvy enough to look for other books by an author I like - give me someone new.