Nothing comes close to a good friend recommending a great book. It's my love language. But be careful who you ask, because you might not share the same taste in genre or style.
Books are like music. The best artists and authors aren't entrenched in pop culture or conversations. The fun is in discovering them. That's where artificial intelligence chatbots come in.
AI is a wonderful thought partner and researcher. ChatGPT can search the internet, making it a modern day "library." Try it out when you're looking for your next novel or want to get your summer reads ready.
You can use ChatGPT as a discovery tool to learn about new genres, writers, your favorite author's catalog, Pulitzer prize-winning titles, read reviews and search based on what you want to feel. Even something as vague as, "I want to read something that's devastatingly beautiful."
There's also the option to upload a photo of your bookshelf and ask the AI model for suggestions. It's like having your own librarian or well-read bestie. You only have to use the free version to start getting recommendations.
Literature lovers and large language models
I prefer to use the website version of the model because it doesn't pull from my previous searches as I'm not logged in. It's like opening up a new Google browser -- a blank page to search from.
I have more than one bookshelf, but to test out ChatGPT's chops, I kept it simple by uploading a photo of just one with this prompt: "Here is a photo of my bookshelf. Provide a list of suggestions for books that I might be interested in based on my collection."
I uploaded a photo of my own bookcase to ChatGPT to start getting recommendations.
Its analysis of my bookshelf wasn't bad, recognizing my mix of fiction, nonfiction, self-improvement, philosophy and business-related books. Here are some of the recommendations it made for me based on what it saw:
I like how it categorized the books and helped me narrow down the genre I was looking for -- like literary fiction and coming of age. I replied with more context of what I wanted to read and some memorable books I've read.
Prompt: "I'm looking for a literary fiction or coming-of-age book. I loved Crossroads by Franzen, A Little Life by Yanagihara, The Heart's Invisible Furies by Boyne and The Kite Runner by Hosseini."
Here's some of what it suggested:
It was on the mark because I've already read three out of the 10 books it recommended. You could pick one book that sounds interesting, then ask ChatGPT to tell you more about it, the author, the ratings and reviews.
Here's an example follow-up prompt: "I'd like to read The Great Believers. Tell me more about the book, the author, its critical acclaim and other interesting information."
It gave me a plot summary, the author's career, the awards it won and the inspiration for the story. (Just don't ask it to summarize a book, because ChatGPT's plagiarism protections will kick in at that point.) I then asked the AI chatbot to share some ratings, reviews and what readers have said about it.
I asked the chatbot for the Amazon link, and it gave me all the options -- hardcover, paperback, Kindle and audiobook links. Then, I requested it summarize the reviews on Amazon.
Lastly, I asked ChatGPT to share some of the negative reviews, so I could see any criticism.
Overall, chatting through the book suggestions helped me feel confident in my purchase. I like being able to ask specific, personal questions that wouldn't get answered or aggregated in a Google search.
You could take it one step further and ask ChatGPT to describe your personality based on your bookshelf. Here's some of what it said about me:
"Based on your bookshelf, you seem like someone who is intellectually curious, well read and passionate ... you appreciate deep character studies, emotional depth and narratives that explore identity, relationships and moral dilemmas."
Damn, I feel seen!
I ended by asking ChatGPT what career would suit me (based on my bookshelf) if I wasn't a writer. It suggested a psychologist using narrative therapy, a researcher, a filmmaker, a diplomat, a creative director, a literary agent or a social entrepreneur.
Maybe in another life, ChatGPT.