Uncertain, lonely, melancholy and worse bookless perfectly describes the ache when the book we want is unavailable or we can’t quite find our next best read. If you are lost in the stacks, wistful and ready to find a new chapter, we are here to connect you with a new book. Our bookworm librarians are trained to get you back into your easy chair. Bring us your favorite genres, authors and books and we will get to work! If you would like to search like a librarian, we want to share our “not so secret” secrets with you.
The Montana Shared Catalog includes Stillwater County and 16 other libraries’ materials. Not only can you look up if books are available to pick up at our location, but the website and app have other features as well. On the home page it lists all the new cataloged books on our shelves right now. This is a great place to start if you’re not sure what you’re looking for. You can also look up a favorite book or author and scroll down to the tab that reads “Explore Reading Level, Summary, and more.” Here you can see reading and publisher age recommendations, summary, more books by that Author, and at the very bottom of the page explore books you may also like and similar authors. Using the Montana Shared Catalog instantly shows you what is available on shelf and through our partners. With your library card you can easily make holds on books you are interested in.
Another resource we use for adults is Literature Map and Fantastic Fiction. Literature Map is a fun way to explore similar authors. Type in a favorite author, and a visual will show similar authors clustered next to each other on the map. Users recommend similar favorites with each other creating the map. Join in the recommending fun or jump to random places on the map to discover new authors. Fantastic Fictions allows you to follow favorite authors, keep a list of books you want to or have read and more. You can see all the series and books listed under each author. We love this tool because it helps you keep track of interconnected series and what order to read them in. You can discover popular books in every genre and look up similar books and authors.
For young adult readers, Epic Reads is another great resource. You can discover top trending books and over 100 curated books lists. Enjoy articles about Heartstopper, Apocalyptic and Dystopian Novels and more. Slide through their new releases, coming soon and bestsellers pages and you’re sure to find something to pique your interest.
If all else fails, call or stop by the library where our staff will love to assist you. Happy hunting!
