How to Browse for Books Online: follow the Book Shepherd, advises Griselda Heppel
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| Bookshop browsing: hard to replicate online.... Photo by Alana Sousa from Pexels |
I have Andrew Crofts to thank for the topic of this month’s post. In December 2021, he introduced us all to a new book browsing website called www.shepherd.com. You may think it’s not possible to replicate online the experience of browsing in a bookshop but I’d say this site comes pretty close. In fact, in some ways it almost works better, as, having chosen a topic, you are offered several lists of books to look through, each provided by an author selecting their own top five favourites in this area.
All kinds of genres are covered, fiction and non-fiction, adults and children’s. Related lists are suggested below the one you’re looking at, so you can browse from one to another. As the site grows and more and more lists are added, the experience will just get richer; but crucially, the
structure is designed to ensure it’s not overwhelming, in the way trying to browse books on Amazon or Goodreads or any of the bookshop websites is (believe me, I’ve tried).
Say you want to read some Scottish historical fiction: here are some great suggestions from writer Ursula Buchan https://shepherd.com/best-books/scottish-historical-fiction-from-the-20th-century Or mystery for 9 – 12 year olds? Try Jacqueline West’s https://shepherd.com/best-books/mysteries-to-keep-you-reading-all-night Or the best books about ghostwriting? That’ll be Andrew Croft’s list here https://shepherd.com/best-books/ghostwriting
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| Just happens to be a ghost story for children... The Fall of a Sparrow by Griselda Heppel |
Apart from the fun (and challenge) of narrowing down your favourites on a particular topic, what’s in it for the author compiling the list? Well, you can showcase a book of your own at the top of the page, one related to your list’s theme. And it just so happens that The Fall of a Sparrow is a ghost story for children, so…
www.shepherd.com hasn’t been going long and there are still many gaps to fill. Typing ‘witches’ or ‘detectives’ into the search box, for instance, reveals nothing useful, which surprised me, given the number of brilliant books – for children as well as adults – in which they appear.
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| M is for Autism by the students of Limpsfield Grange School and Vicky Martin |
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| Get listing, fellow authors. Photo by Ivan Samkov from Pexels |
As more authors use their experience to add more lists, the site can only get better; so come on, fellow Electric Authors and other writers, get listing!
OUT NOW
FINALIST in the Page Turner Awards 2021
and the Wishing Shelf Awards 2021
by Griselda Heppel, author of
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