Novelist Plus

If you haven’t used Novelist Plus in a while, you will notice a much transformed interface. Novelist Plus has enriched the screen with useful links and, as you will discover, it has simplified the process of finding series and read-alikes.

One outstanding feature in the current version is the Recommended Reading Lists. These are divided into fiction and non-fiction and can be customized by age group. Adult fiction lists are
arranged according to genre such as Romance, Westerns, etc. Teen and older children’s lists are arranged by topic and also include a read-alike feature heading: “If you liked. “ Young readers 0-8 years have their own topics including Fairy Tales, Stories of the Seasons, or Animal Stories, for example. Thus, in just a couple of clicks you can find suggested readings based on individual interests and age group.

Finding read-alikes has never been easier. You can browse the suggested author read-alikes or search for your own, specifying author or characteristics you would like to see in the read-alike such as tone, storyline, location, etc. For author read-alikes, Novelist Plus offers an analysis of the given author and indicates how suggested authors compare, thus helping you make an informed decision about what to read.

Series are easy to locate as well. Just select “Series” in the search choices and type the name of the main character in the search bar. Click on the series and the books come up in chronological order, making it easy to know what to read next. There are often large selections of reviews to consult and, of course, there is a popularity rating for each book.

Novelist also provides assistance to book discussion group leaders. There are 500 Book Discussion Guides available. Each guide gives information about the author, a summary of the book followed by thought-provoking discussion questions with answers. Finally, suggestions for further reading and additional sources of information about the book are listed.

--Alice R., Reference