For Book Recommendations, People Are Always Better Than Algorithms

The best kinds of books are the ones with attributes that are unquantifiable, which is a big reason why people are so much better at recommendations than algorithms are. There are so many different things to like (or dislike) about a work, special qualities that go beyond plot and setting and genre that can’t be revealed from metadata: voice, tone, philosophical outlook. What is unquantifiable is horrifying to the corporate overlords, of course, but it’s the magic that connects readers with particular books.

I’ve been asked for book recommendations online since the days when Tumblr was the hottest thing on the internet, and I’ve learned a few things about my audience. I’m not on TikTok, so the people who come to me for recommendations are probably not plugged into BookTok (not that there’s anything wrong with that!). They seem a bit more engaged in the book world than the people who read along with celebrity book clubs that dominate the morning news shows. They likely seek modern literature (another tricky definition, but let’s say 20th and 21st century), but I’m still always happy to recommend Bleak House.

Over the years I’ve developed a bit of a shorthand for the kinds of recommendations people ask me for and what I think they actually mean they want. The word “fun” comes up a lot, but I think we all have different definitions of what fun is. For instance, fun for me is Lorrie Moore doing wordplay about heartbreak and death. Yours may be different (we live in a new golden age of rom-coms, if a happy ending is essential to you). My goal is to challenge the person who wants a rec, while also being sure to give them what they want.

Below is a list of seven common recommendation types for which I’m most asked, and how I like to respond.

What they ask for: Novels to get lost in but that are still smart.
What I think they mean: By far the most asked for category, I think these folks are looking for literary fiction (which for this purpose we can define as any genre in which the quality of the prose matters) with a strongly constructed plot. Lively yet still immaculately written, these are the holy grail of big fat juicy novels.
Current recommendations: The Book of Love by Kelly Link, Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
All-time favorites: Anything by Sarah Waters, Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter, The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

What they ask for: Literary fiction that’s “fun,” not sad.
What I think they mean: Any realistic fiction is going to be at least a little bit sad, that’s life! Bad stuff happens in even the most fun books, but usually the pacing is brisk or the overall outlook on life is optimistic. Tone is all that matters in determining whether what happens to a character is a comedy or a tragedy.
Current recommendations: Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead, Reboot by Justin Taylor
All timers: Anything by Kevin Wilson or Laurie Colwin, We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry, The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy

What they ask for: Fiction that’s actually funny.
What I think they mean: We’re looking for laugh-out-loud funny, rather than just wry (yes, this is me shading Confederacy of Dunces). Once again, bad things can happen in these books and they often do. But there’s plenty to laugh about while it’s all going down.
Current recommendations: Worry by Alexandra Tanner, Say Hello To My Little Friend by Jennine Capó Crucet
All timers: The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt, The Sellout by Paul Beatty

What they ask for: Smart, not sketchy, true crime.
What I think they mean: Nonfiction books about crime that acknowledge the moral complication of deriving pleasure or entertainment out of another person’s tragedy. The opposite of whatever Ryan Murphy did in his show about Jeffrey Dahmer.
Current recommendations: Evidence of Things Seen edited by Sarah Weinman, Last Call by Elon Green, Savage Appetites by Rachel Monroe
All timers: Anything by Patrick Radden Keefe or David Grann, The Poisoner’s Handbook by Deborah Blum

What they ask for: Sad Girl Books.
What I think they mean: This is a tricky one. Sad girls are, for better or worse, an entire aesthetic and not an entirely new phenomenon, but as a literary genre it skews white and  usually when I get requests for Sad Girl fiction readers are asking for what to try next if they love Sally Rooney or Ottessa Moshfegh. I try to steer them towards character- and voice-driven novels that look at women’s pain, with a gentle reminder that sad women exist across a variety of cultural backgrounds and historical eras. The intention here is not to glamorize such characters, but to make readers feel seen.
Current recommendations: Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter, Post-Traumatic by Chantal V. Johnson, You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat, All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami, trans. by Sam Bett
All timers: Territory of Light by Yuko Tsushima, trans. Geraldine Harcourt, After Claude by Iris Owens, Problems by Jade Sharma

What they ask for: “Fun” history.
What I think they mean: Nonfiction that isn’t dry or dull. Certainly no dad books (books about war, politicians, etc). It’s usually a lot of single topic histories (everyone wants to read the next Salt), and/or books with a bit of a sense of humor about their subject.
Current recommendations: Raw Dog by Jamie Loftus, Butts by Heather Radke, Major Labels by Kelefa Sanneh
All timers: Any Mary Roach,  Sarah Vowell

What they ask for: Hidden gems.
What I think they mean: We live in a time when, unfortunately, most books for the average reader are hidden gems. Sometimes I have to remember that although I may be hearing about a specific book everywhere, I’m also way more plugged in than most. Any book that hasn’t dominated the bestseller lists for weeks is fair game to call a hidden gem, truly.
Current recommendations: Dead in Long Beach, California by Venita Blackburn, Enter Ghost by Isabella Hamad, Creep by Myriam Gurba
All timers: James is great, but what I most love about Percival Everett’s major publisher debut is that, between it and American Fiction/Erasure, there’s a whole new audience for Everett’s entire masterful backlist: The Trees, I Am Not Sidney Poitier, So Much Blue.

Sound off in the comments if you have any any go-to book recommendations I didn’t get to here!