Comment by Cupertino95014 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by Cupertino95014 | Hacker News Reader

Parent Full thread

Doing a general query here (I won't call it a "poll" since the numbers don't matter):

Do you ever ask a bookstore staffer for recommendations?

I've always preferred to just browse for myself, and maybe read the first few pages. Either I feel like reading it, or I don't. I don't trust someone else to predict which way I'll go.

However, writers of articles like this invariably mention the "knowledgeable staff." I was in a Tucson bookstore near the University and I tried an experiment: I asked for a fiction recommendation. She asked me what books I liked, we talked for a long time, and she came up with "The Orphan Master's Son."

OK, it's a good book, I'm not going to trash it at all. But I just didn't feel like finishing it.

Maybe if I went there all the time and bought a lot of books and they actually got to know me, it would be different.

I'm still trying to get back into reading again, but once at a second-hand bookstore my SO and I overheard the owner talk to another client about a specific series of books and my SO ended up joining the conversation asking about recommendations. IIRC it was a nice chat and she got a couple of good recommendations out of it.

I think as with everything... it depends ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If the person behind the counter is just an employee who has zero or a passing interest in reading, they won't be able to help much.

If the person behind the counter loves reading but doesn't share your interests they may also not be of much help.

Perhaps it's worth asking for a recommendation in a more open-ended way, so that you don't feel awkward not buying it if the book sounds uninteresting.

EDIT: if you're ever in that same bookstore again and see the same employee, you could remind her of the recommendation and mention how you felt about the book. She may have a different book to recommend in that case. Or I guess you could ask someone else - in the end you've learned that this book/type of book is not for you which is just as good to take into account when looking for recommendations ("I liked X, Y and Z but then didn't feel compelled to finish 'The Orphan Master's Son', do you know of a book that I might like?").

Reply on news.ycombinator.com