Online algorithm for literature recommendations?

[mhyrrbabe]

I recently read an article about algorithms used to recommend movies on Netflix or potential partners on dating sites. I was wondering if such a thing existed for literature. I am an avid reader, but I will be laid up for several months and need to create a "deep" reading list - I thought the "if you enjoyed this book/author, you should try this one" would be a good approach.

[billl]

Amazon.com has some stuff "sort of" like that. I've bought some stuff on Amazon, and sometimes it recommends other books--but I don't usually like the recommendations. Maybe I just haven't bought enough to give the algorithms enough info. Anyhow, unless you've already bought a lot on Amazon, this feature wouldn't be of use to you.

However, there are some good (sometimes) lists made by users of Amazon.com. If you check some books that you've enjoyed on the Amazon.com website, there will often be one or more lists associated with that title. (Near the bottom of a book's page, there'll be something called Listmania!) Click on the list, and you'll see other recommendations in that genre. From there, you can check the books and read other people's reviews of the books for more info.

[Syd A]

The best way to do that would be simply to ask people in sites like this one for their recommendations. The Amazon algorithm was meant to make you buy more books. I am often offended by the recommendations it gives me.

[billl]

Again, I wasn't recommending the Amazon algorithm, just steering away from it--although if it were good, I think it would be even more effective at selling books for them. :rolleyes5:

Personally I've only ever found the Listmania! thing useful.

[Calidore]

Amazon's algorithms also keep recommending to me books/movies I've already bought from them. Nor can they algorithm me an income capable of buying all the stuff they think I'd like.

[mhyrrbabe]

Ok - Syd A - taking you up on the suggestion, following are books I've enjoyed recently (in no particular order) - and I'd appreciate suggestions from authors other than those mentioned below, since in many cases I've already read multiple works by each.

At Home at the End of the World - Michael Cunningham
Portrait of a Lady - Henry James
Suite Francaise - Irene Nemirovsky
Atonement - Ian McEwan
The Glass Room - Simon Mawer
Norwegian Wood - Haruki Murakami
Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
What is the What - Dave Eggers

And some short story collections:
The Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien
Lost in the City - Edward P. Jones
Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri

[Syd A]

Ok - Syd A - taking you up on the suggestion, following are books I've enjoyed recently (in no particular order) - and I'd appreciate suggestions from authors other than those mentioned below, since in many cases I've already read multiple works by each.

At Home at the End of the World - Michael Cunningham
Portrait of a Lady - Henry James
Suite Francaise - Irene Nemirovsky
Atonement - Ian McEwan
The Glass Room - Simon Mawer
Norwegian Wood - Haruki Murakami
Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
What is the What - Dave Eggers

And some short story collections:
The Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien
Lost in the City - Edward P. Jones
Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri

Just to be clear, my suggestion was that you ask for advice from people who read this forum. I didn't mean to suggest that I, personally, would necessarily be able to help.

Advice: if you are looking for suggestions, start a new thread and be a bit more specific with your questions.

[OrphanPip]

You seem to be into pomo, particularly magical realism. Maybe try J.L. Borges and Italo Calvino, the major English translations out there are quite good.

[ladderandbucket]

This is quite amusing for five minutes:

http://www.literature-map.com/

Can't say how accurate it is though. I mostly hear about books from forums like this - or just browsing amazon for hours on end when I'm supposed to be working.