A Guide To

Book Hunting

in

Amazon.com

For Dummies

02/21/2011 - Honestly, there should be something here. I'm wondering why there isn't anything useful for folks to read. Well, anyway, dear readers who like wading through the Amazon virtual book-shopping jungle, please do remember that not all books rated "5 stars" or even "4 and a half stars" aren't as good as their fans grade them. It's always nice to do some research on a book first, such as if you encounter the book in a Listmania list, what other books does the Lister recommend? If the rest of the books in that list seem off-color or just not to your palate, there's a good chance the 5-star book you thought was solid gold is just painted coal. However, if the Listmania list has a lot of other good books in it, preferably ones you recognize or have read before and liked, it's a good chance that book you got, with an obscure title and perhaps even no star at all, is a hidden gem. Also, you might want to check on what other books readers added to the shopping cart together with your book of choice. This handy little statistic is illustrated in picture thumbnails of book covers under the headings "Frequently Bought Together with" and "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought." Scroll through the books, don't be content with what's already shown. Move your mouse and click that scrolling arrow! Research always pays off. On a final note, there are some books out there that stand alone - they are destined to find their way to you and you are likewise destined to adore them from the bottom of your heart, even if the rest of the reading world thinks they're a waste of trees. In gist: take the time to wander around the many links to books and lists of books available in Amazon.com while keeping your mind open. It's even better than hitting Google's "I'm feeling lucky" button.

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