This week’s article is from Sage, one of our brilliant circulation clerks, who may be too humble to let you know that he created a lot of the resources mentioned:

Has this happened to you? Some days, I walk into the library or pull Libby up on my phone, and I’m immediately struck with choice paralysis. It’s wall-to-wall books, magazines, movies, audiobooks, and games, and honestly? I’m drowning. I want something new, but I don’t know what. 

So, what do you do when faced with reading choice paralysis? I have a couple of tools I like to rely on: I’ll ask a librarian (we’re pretty cool) or browse the shelves and see if any titles catch my eye, and when I really want to find something interesting, I use our Reader’s Advisory resources. 

Reader’s Advisory resources are a wide range of tools we keep on hand to help folks find their next favorite story – and it’s one of my favorite parts of working at the library. These displays, flyers, brochures, and websites offer ideas for when your “To Be Read” list just isn’t cutting it. 

In the Library 

If you’re in the library, our displays are a good place to start. Downstairs, you’ll find our “Marketplace” display in the center of the floor behind the Adult & Young Adult new items. In the main walkway, located between the vending machine and the fishing poles, you’ll find our “Cafe” display. Each of these feature books on a specific, rotating theme – this month, we’re highlighting books, movies, and audiobooks related to Black history and women’s history. This is the perfect way to browse quickly by topic and cover for those days when you want to see what “jumps out” at you. 

If this isn’t quite what you need, our Reader’s Advisory brochures might be a better fit. These don’t limit you to a single topic each month. We’ve carefully curated a selection of audiobooks, e-books, and print books by topic and currently offer two rotating series: Representation Matters and Find Your Next Read. 

Representation Matters features items from our collection, divided into fiction and non-fiction titles that are all by and about the communities highlighted. Currently you can grab our Black Histories and Black Futures brochures, Latinx Fiction and Non-Fiction Selections, and Native American Fiction and Non-Fiction Selections. Past and upcoming brochures include Neurodivergence, Deaf Pride, AAPI Fiction and Non-Fiction Selections, Arab and Muslim Fiction and Non-Fiction, and Jewish Fiction and Non-Fiction. 

If you want to find something more specific, check out the Find Your Next Read brochure series, which highlight books by genre: currently you can grab our Young Adult Horror, Thrillers, and Mysteries trifold, which breaks recommendations down by specific subfields. Are you looking for a murder mystery? A serial killer story? A supernatural horror? A monster-focused horror? A thriller? We’ve got you covered. Like the Representation Matters series, Find Your Next Read is a rotating resource, so please ask us to print you a copy if you missed a topic or want to get your hands on one of our upcoming brochures early. All of our trifolds are great for those days when you wish you could search for something by topic, genre, or vibe, but wading through the stacks (especially in the Fiction section!) feels too broad.    

Online Resouces  

As much as we love to see our library patrons in person, as a modern library we’re well-equipped with online resources as well. Rainy day? No need to get out of bed to get your next book. We offer e-books, audiobooks, and videos from Hoopla, CloudLibrary, and Libby for OFPL patrons – and we are also happy to help you find just the right choice for your next read.   

My favorite places to check when I’m deciding on my next read are FantasticFiction.com, Whichbook.net, and Literature-Map.com. They make finding a new book easy, intuitive, and incredibly specific.  

FantasticFiction.com is always useful: are you looking for upcoming releases? FF has that on its homepage. Do you want to find all the different series an author has written? Easy! Search by author and all the series will be listed, including what order to read them in (chronologically) and when they were published (this one is helpful for all those authors who write a series and then release prequels or novellas that take place in between books). My favorite feature is the ability to see what books an author has reviewed: I’ve found a lot of good titles that way, especially in small or specific subgenres.  

Whichbook.net takes a different approach, letting you search by “mood & emotion,” “character & plot,” and even region (Are you really enjoying Nigerian authors right now? Do you want a UK author?). Each recommendation includes a short summary and similar books, so you can see what else you might enjoy.   

Finally, LiteratureMap.com asks you type in your favorite author and gives you a sprawling map of similar authors. The closer the author names are on the map, the more likely folks are to like both authors. This is a great way to find names to plug into Fantastic Fiction.    

No matter which route you choose, from browsing online to asking a librarian to give you a personal recommendation, one thing is for sure: at the library, we have something for everyone.