I know, I know. Your TBR stack is teetering already. But on the off-chance that you’re at loose ends and don’t know what to read next, check out the Literature Map. You type in the name of an author and you get a visual representation of other authors that are (I guess) also liked by people who like that one. It’s endlessly fascinating to watch the authors’ names rearranging themselves on your computer screen.
The results are a bit odd sometimes — how on earth did Judy Blume end up on the page for Robert Graves? — and the myriad typos (James Mitchner) don’t inspire confidence. Still, it’s a great way to fritter away half an hour when you should be washing the dishes or helping the kids with their homework.
Or perhaps you’re wondering what music to listen to next?
Pandora.com is a neat website I just learned about. It’s based on the same idea as the Literature Map. You tell it your favorite song or musician, and it creates a “radio station” just for you.
The first one I did was “When I Paint My Masterpiece” by The Band — and the result was song after song that I’d never heard of, by groups I’d never heard of, and it was all great. Then I tried Leon Redbone, and got great results also. And you can come back the next day and it continues where it left off. How cool is that?
7 Comments
Love these sites! ;)
That is way too cool! I love the fact that it can give me a suggestion where to look next.
cjh
I love the literature Map. Fascinating. And my first search turned up another favourite author directly adjacent.
I’m still working on Harry Potter. You’re way ahead of me.
Yeah, it is fun, isn’t it? And addictive, so watch out! :)
Loved The Literature Map! Although yeah, the typos are quite bothersome. I mean Nabakov? Is there actually a writer named Nabakov and I simply mistook him for the one who penned Lolita?
Oh well, I’m not exactly all-knowing :)
What, you never heard of Nabakov? He wrote a book called Loleeta. ;)