Biblio File

Finding a Book When You lot've Forgotten Its Championship

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Library books lined up on a shelf Check out selected results from NYPL Championship Quest 2019, held Baronial 2, 2019, likewise every bit Title Quest 2018.

This is an update of a previous post past Sharon Rickson.

It can be tough to recall the title and author of a volume you read a long time ago—fifty-fifty if it was a book that was really important to y'all. Fiction is cataloged by author and championship, not by subject or plot line, which makes identifying books by but their storyline difficult.

Readers oftentimes inquire librarians for help finding these kinds of books. And we can't effigy out the mystery every single time, but nosotros do have a few tricks to aid discover the reply.

First, pin down everything yous can call up about the book, plot, character names, time period in which the book may have been published, genre, etc. All these details are clues in identifying the title and author of the volume.

Online resources can assist with your search for a one-half-remembered book, fifty-fifty if all you lot have is a bones plot line. Searching yourself is a proficient identify to start; then, you tin can mail service to a listserv or word forum, where someone might recognize it. Or, last only not to the lowest degree, leave a comment on this post!

Before You Starting time

Try Google! Type in everything y'all can remember virtually the volume — equally in, "picture book rabbi animals advice yiddish" — and ringlet through the results. (That's a real-life example of a book a patron was asking for: It Could Always Be Worse by Margot Zemach.)

Yous can likewise try googling one cardinal item you call back from a book. One of our librarians solved a volume mystery by searching "USS You-Know-Who" — the name of a boat in the story that the patron happened to recollect. (Another real-life instance: She Flew No Flags by Joan Manley.)

Crowdsourcing

  • What's the Proper noun of That Book?
    A Goodreads group with searchable word posts and thousands of questions and answers.

  • Name That Volume
    A LibraryThing grouping of ~3K members — many of whom are librarians or library-next — who help solve book mysteries via threaded discussions.

  • The Fiction_L listserv
    Stumpers! Search archives of past questions, answered by an intense book-ish community, or subscribe and mail a new one.

  • Reddit'due south whatsthatbook thread
    A nearly endless thread of users trying to assist other users recollect book titles, including several often requested books. Peculiarly good for science fiction and fantasy.

  • "Stump the Bookseller" web log
    A cool indie bookstore in Ohio that maintains all-encompassing, searchable archives — and offers a $iv service for personalized help. Lots of children's books hither.

  • Big Book Search
    If y'all tin only remember what the cover looks similar, effort this cover-search tool.

Library Databases (log in with your library card)

  • Books & Authors

  • Books in Print

  • The New York Times databases

  • NoveList and NoveList Chiliad-eight (in-library use only)

More Suggestions

  • If you can recollect only one give-and-take, utilize the search role on Goodreads or Library Matter to find long lists of titles with a particular give-and-take.

  • Goodreads' browse-able lists of titles that readers accept shelved in unique categories, such every bit authors' professions or decades of publication, is also exist helpful.

  • For recently published books, the reviews in Booklist Online are cleaved down by detailed genre.

How to Move On

Sometimes, information technology'south just not going to happen, and y'all can't notice that elusive book y'all've been searching for. It's okay! Great news: The world is full of great books! Hither are a few ways to notice more...

  • Check out recommendations from our volume experts here at NYPL. We offer suggestions via blog posts, the Staff Picks volume finder, The Librarian Is In podcast, and more.
  • If you'd like a personalized recommendation, observe us on Twitter or fill out our What Should I Read Next? email form.
  • Desire a brand-new read? Bank check out our favorite New and Noteworthy titles.

Feel costless to leave a comment and tell us about a book you're trying to recall! Our library staff members volition popular in and bank check information technology periodically, and readers of this post are welcome to make guesses and suggestions.