Tuesday Thingers: Recommendations

Today's topic: Recommendations. Do you use LT's recommendations feature? Have you found any good books by using it? Do you use the anti-recommendations, or the "special sauce" recommendations? How do you find out about books you want to read?

Do you use LT's recommendations feature?
Yep. I love it.

Have you found any good books by using it?
A few - Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo, Fablehaven by Brandon Mull, and The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer were recommended, and all were pretty good fits. I've got way more on my to be read and wish list that I've yet to read, including Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B. Ross, The Wish List by Eoin Colfer, and The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman.

Do you use the anti-recommendations, or the "special sauce" recommendations?
I've looked at the unsuggester for kicks, though I think it's fairly useless as an actual tool. I mean, I'm supposed to look to it to what? See what not to read, right? But the thing is the titles are either completely obvious like A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature or The Voluptuous Vegan: More Than 200 Sinfully Delicious Recipes for Meatless, Eggless, and Dairy-Free Meals (really??) or are totally inaccurate like quite a few Neil Gaiman's that I would totally read and The English Patient which is actually in my library.
On the other hand, I think the member recommendations are pretty helpful.

How do you find out about books you want to read?
Recommendations from places like LibraryThing and Amazon, for sure. I think LT is probably more accurate because Amazon takes into account things I've purchased for myself as well as my husband and my kids. LT's recommendations are based solely on my books. Another thing I like on LT is being able to see what other people have in their libraries, and if I find someone whose taste seems pretty well in line with my own, I'll peruse their choices for suggestions. I also read reviews on the blogs I read. And, if someone I know suggests a book, I'll pick it up sometimes, but that doesn't happen too often.

Oh, and I'm always open to recommendations from you all!