How do you know what books to read?

[GoodMorrowFairMaiden]

This may be a very stupid question but how do you know what books are new and what’s popular?
I don’t go to book shops much and often look here for recommendations.
I’m trying to read more and miss the days when a new book was out and you’d just see people reading them on commutes or they were displayed in the window of a book shop as you walked by.

One other source I forgot to mention before is Book Break, which is the YouTube channel for Pan Macmillan publishers. It's run by another BookTuber I watch, who also has her own channel, Drinking By My Shelf. Her reading taste is quite similar to mine too, so often puck up recommendations from her.

A lot of the time I stick to authors I know .

The book threads on here. Book reviews in papers.

I get most of my books from charity shops and for certain types of books I'll go for shortlisted/ winner of the booker or Costa.

I will browse the book aisles in supermarkets and take photos of ones that look interesting. Then will check reviews on Amazon once I’m home. If they’re any good I will put them on my want list.

I also borrow e-books from the library and they have a good recommended and ‘if you liked…’ section.

I go on recommendations or what's recommended in the local book shop.

Sometimes if I get a Sunday supplement with a book section I'll try some of their books.

New and popular books don't appeal to me much because I don't find many of them that appealing.

Book/reading related accounts on Instagram
Goodreads
Bookbub
Facebook reading group

Also, Mumsnet

Book reviews in newspapers and periodicals, browsing in good bookshops, keeping an eye on certain small publishers who publish things I tend to like, friends who review or read long,it’s for literary prizes, plus I generally tend to know if my favourite contemporary authors have a book coming out.

Glance through the weekend paper reviews and take a photo on phone or add to Amazon wish list if anything jumps out and then buy from an independent book seller (thehive) helps with this.

Browse in bookshops, read book reviews in weekend papers, browse the books threads on MN, talk to friends about what they're reading/what they enjoyed, Goodreads, talking to members of my book group.

@PurpleHydrangea1

Also, Mumsnet

Can you recommend any good book insta accounts? I follow a couple but they do not post very regularly!

I have a look at Goodreads, I'm in a couple of FB groups one for crime books and one for general everything. I've used the threads on here too for diverse interests. The Sunday supplements also recommend books so depending if you get a newspaper and what you purchase, there are often a good range of recommendations there. I also find, depending on who's in the supplements, as in who's being interviewed can be really interesting for book recommendations when they give their perspective on a book they have read or reading. Go and have a coffee or tea in Waterstones and they will be happy to recommend books and authors too. Hope this helps xx