Mar 15

BOTNS Podcast #120: Can a computer tell you what you should read?

By Ann Kingman Podcasts Add comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:14 — 16.0MB)

It’s time for The Tournament of Books! Can computers choose your next great read? And 2 books we can’t wait for you to read…

A Literary Competition

A reminder to anyone not attending the BOTNS Weekend Retreat: we will be more than happy to have our retreat authors autograph books for you, if you like. Simply purchase your books through this link: Northshire Bookstore BOTNS Page. When you check out at the website, just include a note to have the books signed and then shipped. Michael and I will be sure that the authors sign the books for you.

March Madness! Not the basketball type. We are fascinated by The Tournament of Books over at The Morning News. The competition pits books head to head in a bracket-style competition.

Do you trust an algorithm?  (6:00)

Jeff Rutherford of the Reading and Writing Podcast sent us a link to an article titled “Whoever Builds A Good Tool To Help Us Find New Books To Read Will Get Rich” in which author Kevin Smokler looked at various book recommendation engines. One of these service is Discovereads, which was just purchased by GoodReads. Michael and I are both skeptical that a computer algorithm could ever replace the human element in book recommendations: trusted friends, booksellers and librarians have a knowledge of the intangibles that we don’t think a computer can touch. But we’d love to hear your thoughts: would you trust a computer program to choose your next read?

Two books we can’t wait for you to read (13:31)

Half a Life by Darin Strauss The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove by Susan Gregg Gilmore

We were thrilled that the recent National Book Critics Circle awards bestowed honors on several BOTNS favorites: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson, and How to Live by Sarah Bakewell. Another book that won, which we haven’t yet talked about, is Michael’s choice for segment 3. Darin Strauss’ Half a Life is a memoir of an accident that happened when Strauss was a teenager, in which Darin’s car struck and killed a bicyclist. The brutal honesty that Strauss brings to this book makes for a powerful and emotional read.

I talk about The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove by Susan Gregg Gilmore. Susan will be one of the authors at the Books on the Nightstand Weekend Retreat, and I can’t wait for you to meet her. This is a novel set in the 1950s and 1960s South, and our main character is a strong young woman named Bezellia who has a turbulent relationship with her alcoholic mother. It’s a fast and wonderful read, and I highly recommend it for reading groups.

 

[image credit: AttributionNoncommercial Some rights reserved by Jenn and Tony Bot
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ittybittiesforyou/4667688200/sizes/s/]

  • http://twitter.com/hipstamom hipstamom

    It’s interesting that Michael used Pandora was as an example of algorithm. Pandora is really good for certain types of music. Some genres repeat songs and mixes and Pandora misses those intangibles. I do think that book algorithms could be improved a lot. A book lover who really understands the nuances of genre could build a beautiful algorithm.

    Sometimes the human element re: reader reviews is sketchy but a trusted professional is a must for finding the right book!

  • Anonymous

    I think that what they can do is to point you towards certain books based on what you have already read and or liked. I like reading a lot of different types of books, but when I do look at what I have liked reading, it generally is in the same sort of genre/type of reading experience. What I think an algorithm can do is make general assumptions of what one would like to read and point the reader in a certain direction. Of course one can never replace the human element, which would be a little more defined than what a computer or a literature web could do.

  • Humphreydunn

    Thanks so much for your recommendation of the Improper Life of Bezellia Grove. Living in Nashville although not a native, I downloaded the audible version and am already a third of the way through. It is certainly a very charming book and the reader has a wonderful southern accent which really brings the characters to life.

  • Spalmer_60640

    I use a variety of sources to find out what to read next:
    Books on the Nightstand podcast (recent discovery)
    Bookmarks Magazine – long time subscriber and I keep all the back issues
    Nancy Pearl podcasts and books
    Friends
    Participation in book group – because I have to read the selection

    And sometimes, as we all know, you pick up a book at a book store, or thrift shop or library or a garage sale and it just strikes you. I’m not sure a computer could replace that and, for me, I find the Amazon suggestions so annoying because they are so mechanically produced.

  • Connie

    Unfortunately, I’m not great at going back to Amazon and reviewing the books I read so most of the recommendations I get are just based on books I own or have bought from Amazon. I may experiment by going to Amazon one day and give a starred review to most of the books I’ve read (and loved) and see if the recommendations get better.

    Right now, I’m a member of Goodreads and I am a member of the 50 books a year group. I get a daily email of all of the posts to the board & I look to see what people are reading and if they’ve reviewed the books. If a book gets really good reviews from a majority of the people who review it, I’ll check the book out.

    Recommendations by Friends or co-workers & from the ppl in my f2f book club.

    I also pay attention to what is in the media.
    I get emails from Amazon of new books released.
    Also Amazon has recommendations from their staff that I look at.
    I just joing BOTNS and will check out books that are recommended if they pique my interest.
    I love the end-of-year “best of” lists as well.
    And of course, I do look at the best seller lists

  • Carlajobratton

    I use several sources for book recommendations. Books on the nightstand of course, good reads, I belong to several reading lists and my friends are great sources as well. Michael, you are going to hate hearing this, I heard a pod cast on This American Life some time back about the guy who wrote half a life. It was wonderful and I will look forward to reading this book. I just finished reading Blood, Bones and Butter by Gabriele Hamilton and also read by her. Loved it, a good recommendation from Michael! I find myself with my m p 3 player plugged into my ears, listening to the podcast and running back to my computer to find a book that either Michael or Ann is talking about, finding it and getting it in some type of audio format. At this very moment I am downloading And the Band Played On, from the National Library Service. Thanks for another great podcast!

  • Vanessa, Boston MA

    Michael – I was struck by your mention of Darin Strauss’s “Half a Life” because as you were describing it on the podcast, it immediately became familiar to me. I remember listening to Darin’s story on This American Life. Ira Glass interviewed him back in 2008. I remember it being a very gripping and sad story. Here is a link to the show where he is interviewed: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/359/life-after-death

  • Jreedwilliams

    I love your podcast and listen faithfully.

    I’m surprised none of your listeners has mentioned the software NoveList, from EbscoHost, a readers advisory software that’s been on the market for at over 10 years. I’m a librarian who’s worked in public libraries, medical libraries and am currently a full-time high school librarian and part-time public librarian. I agree with Ann that people are better at performing readers advisory services than software is. I’ve never found software (NoveList included) particularly effective at getting at what a particular reader will like because of the personal engagement involved between reader and book. Your example of And the Band Played On and subsequent discussion were perfect illustrations. Does one like this particular title because it has elements of political thriller, disease history, gay community history, etc? Subject alone is rarely enough to match a book with a reader. As you know, all sorts of facets come into play — characters, tone, subject, style, format, accessibility, etc. — and a good match requires probing. I haven’t given up that software will be developed that provides as good a service as people, but …

    I get my reading advice from, in this order, reviews (occupational hazard), students (if I expect them to read what I suggest, I do the same…), library “staff favorites” lists, review podcasts (BOTN being my fav), and bookstore staff favorite lists. (Plug here for lists from the Regulator Bookshop in Durham, NC and Charis Books & More in Atlanta.)

    Wish I could make the retreat! I LOVE Chris Bohjalian!

    Keep up the great podcasts!

    Reed Williams
    Pittsburgh, PA

  • http://www.booksonthenightstand.com AnnKingman

    Reed,
    Thanks for the great post! I didn’t think that I heard of NoveList, but then
    I remembered that my local public library had an ad for something on its
    website, and … sure enough, it’s NoveList! I don’t have my library card
    here to play with NoveList, and I think my library needs to do a better job
    of marketing it (it’s very unclear just what it is, exactly), but I am
    looking forward to trying it out!

    It sounds like you have a great set of resources for recommendations, and
    I’m thrilled that you have some wonderful bookstores near you. We’ll miss
    you at the retreat!

    Thanks,
    Ann

  • http://www.booksonthenightstand.com AnnKingman

    Reed,
    Thanks for the great post! I didn’t think that I heard of NoveList, but then
    I remembered that my local public library had an ad for something on its
    website, and … sure enough, it’s NoveList! I don’t have my library card
    here to play with NoveList, and I think my library needs to do a better job
    of marketing it (it’s very unclear just what it is, exactly), but I am
    looking forward to trying it out!

    It sounds like you have a great set of resources for recommendations, and
    I’m thrilled that you have some wonderful bookstores near you. We’ll miss
    you at the retreat!

    Thanks,
    Ann

  • http://epicwritingblog.blogspot.com Epic Writer

    Algorithm Pro: They are impersonal and so I can dismiss it easily and the computer isn’t offended.

    Algorithm Con: Sometimes I’m open to new things that aren’t like what I’ve already read.

    Personal Recommendation Pro: A human can convince me to read something by telling me in their own words WHY I should read it.

    Personal Recommendation Con: Friends tend to check back and ask, “Are you reading X yet?” to which I’m not always sure how to reply, especially if I don’t want to read it…

    Interesting post!

    –Carrie at http://epicwritingblog.blogspot.com

  • http://www.calebjross.com/?utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Name Caleb J. Ross

    Sorry I’m bumping this thread from so long ago. I’m a long-time listener and decided to dig back into the archives.

    I trust an algorithm. But I think there should be an algorithm built to consider some of the more subjective elements of choosing a book, such as cover design. I love hearing about how other readers choose books. I am also a giant nerd and created a Facebook poll a few months ago asking How do readers choose books? Based on this (admittedly small sample) poll, readers do care about cover design. I wonder if an algorithm could use correlative data, maybe by crawling a Flickr account or something, to factor in cover design.

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