Literature-map

I wonder how people look for a book they would like.  Some people might have friends who also like reading.  Some people might find information on the Internet.  I am lucky to have family members, especially my husband side, who love reading, and they are the main source of my information.  What I noticed recently was that they sometimes talk about a specific book that they really got into, but usually they talk about authors they like.  They say, “I could read what ever he or she writes” or “ I read all books he or she wrote”.  Then, I thought about if I have an author who I love that much.  Yes, I do.  It is Amy Tan, but only Amy Tan.  I thought I want more authors that I would like.

When I was thinking about it and surfing the Internet, I happened to find Literature-map, http://www.literature-map.com.  I went to this site, put Amy Tan in a box and hit “continue”, then it showed bunch of authors’ names I could like.  The center of the circle is Amy Tan, and I assume the author that is closest to Amy Tan is the one I would like the best.  However, it is Wally Lamb!  I bought Wally Lamb’s book a couple of years ago but only read several pages and quit.  The book has been somewhere in a very bottom of a pile.  I checked other authors and found Pearl S. Buck.  Her “The Good Earth” is amazing.  But her name is far from the center.  I also found Dr. Seuss, also far from the center, but I thought it’s interesting his name was there.

Has anyone tried Literature-map before?  If not, try it!  I am curious if you find out this site is useful or not.  I’d appreciate if you’d leave a comment about your result.