Librarians always have our eyes peeled and ears perked in order to discover the next book to add to our to-be-read lists. Have you ever wondered how your New Ulm librarians discover all of the books that we read and recommend?

First of all, we’re always recommending books to one another, and to the public, through conversations, displays, posters, and the TV display near the service desk. We also sneak our recommendations into our weekly News and Notes and Wowbrary newsletters. To subscribe to News and Notes, visit www.newulmlibrary.org and choose “Stay Connected.” To subscribe to Wowbrary, visit www.newulmlibrary.org and click on “Wowbrary” at the bottom of our page. Many of us also use the Libby app to access our digital collection and find readalikes offered with our choices there.

If we still can’t find enough books through library recommendations (let’s face it; we’ll never get enough books!), we turn to other sources to keep us reading.

Some swear by Litsy, a social media platform that resembles a book-focused Instagram. You can follow friends and family, as well as authors or other well-known book lovers, to see their posts about what they’re reading. As a bonus, you’ll often find cute pets cuddling next to their owner’s latest read.

I like to use Goodreads to track what I’ve read, track what I want to read, and find readalikes for books I really enjoyed. Each year I set my Reading Challenge and try to beat my goal for how many books I want to read during the year. You can follow friends and see what they’re reading and how well they’re doing on their own Reading Challenges. You can also ask other users for recommendations and vote in the Goodreads Book Awards each year. I often have a long list after just seeing the nominees!

Many of us subscribe to email newsletters to receive a constant supply of book recommendations. Some of the ones library staff enjoy are Book Riot, Library Reads, BookPage, and Literary Hub. These newsletters always have me adding items to my to-be-read list (and pestering our purchasers with suggestions).

There are also plenty of podcasts that recommend and discuss books, including Slate’s Book Club, Fully Booked, BBC Radio 4’s Bookclub, Inside the New York Times Book Review, Meet the Author, and more.

Now that you have some ideas, go forth and discover books. And make sure to bring your recommendations to the library!