Frequently asked questions about BookBrowse.com

Frequently Asked Questions

What is BookBrowse?
The very best books entertain, engage and enlighten. They wrap us in their world, giving us a window into the lives of others or a mirror to reflect on ourselves. These are the books you'll find on BookBrowse. Our mission to seek out the diamonds in the rough from the approximate 100,000 books published each year (in the USA alone), so that you can spend more time reading exceptional titles, and less on books that don't live up to your expectations.

We back each recommendation with a wealth of information you're not going to find elsewhere including our own indepth review, a "beyond the book" article, a range of review opinion from other respected resources (abbreviated to the salient opinion of each reviewer) and an excerpt. We also give you the resources to find the books that are just right for you - such as the ability to browse for books by a wide range of themes including time period and setting (plus, of course, by genre), we suggest handpicked readalike suggestions to other books we think you'll enjoy, provide extensive resources for book clubs, and so much more!

Click here to read a more complete description, including who we are and how BookBrowse got started and grew.

What are the benefits of membership for me? Can libraries subscribe?
Please see our join page for the benefits of membership.
You can also give gift memberships.
Libraries interested in subscribing so that all patrons can access, please go to our library section.

Who writes the BookBrowse reviews? Can I write for you?
BookBrowse's reviews are written by a group of experienced freelance reviewers. If you are interested in reviewing for us please visit our reviewer information form, and if you feel you meet the critieria, complete the form.

Why can't I find the book I'm looking for?
BookBrowse is a curated resource of the best contemporary books, we are not an all-encompassing database of every book published thus we may not list the specific book you're looking for. It would be foolish to claim that we cover every great book (not least because each person's definition will differ on that topic!) but what we do promise is that if we feature a book it is because we wholeheartedly believe it is worthy of note.

Does BookBrowse sell books?
We do not, because we feel that if we did we would naturally tend towards recommending the bigger selling titles. We've got nothing against bestselling authors, and don't hesitate to recommend a well-known author when he or she publishes a particularly exceptional book but, in general, you don't need BookBrowse to tell you about these books, because you're probably already familiar with the author or will hear more than enough about the particular book from other sources. This frees us up to recommend a wider range of authors, including many unknowns before they become household names. For example BookBrowse visitors heard about books by Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code etc.) and Alexander McCall Smith (The 'No 1 Ladies Detective Agency' series) in 2001 - years ahead of the crowd!

What types of books do you recommend?
We recommend both fiction and non-fiction. The majority of books are adult fiction (novels, thrillers, mysteries, historical fiction etc.); about a quarter of the recommendations are for non-fiction titles, such as biographies, current affairs, history and science. We also recommend some books for teens and young adults.

To see for yourself take a look at the full list of categories.

Will I like the recommendations?
If you like to read well-written, thought provoking books that leave you knowing something new about the world then you'll likely enjoy BookBrowse. The book recommendations tend to be relatively literary, but not exclusively by any means. Feeding your mind is like feeding your body, sometimes you're in the mood for a great heavy casserole of a book, sometimes something lighter is more appealing. One of the most frequent comments we hear from people (and one we love to hear) is that they are reading a wider range of books than they did before thanks to our recommendations.

There are errors on BookBrowse, who do I tell?
If you see something wrong please do tell us - including factual errors relating to books and authors, spelling errors, links that don't go where they should, and so forth. Although everything is carefully proofread it is inevitable that mistakes will occur and links to external sources sometimes go bad over time, factual information changes etc. So it is always appreciated when somebody takes the time to let us know so we can correct it.

However, keep in mind that what you see as an error may be a difference between editions. For example, back when the books were first published, we received many emails from UK visitors telling us that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was the wrong title for the first J.K. Rowling book - it's not wrong, it's simply the title used in the USA. Equally, the cover of the book will often vary between the hardcover and paperback editions, and between countries.

Also, if you encounter errors in spelling it maybe that the word is written in a version of English different to the one you are used to. For example, color vs. colour, center vs. centre, skillful vs. skilful, catalog vs. catalogue, encylopedia vs. encylycopaedia, check vs. cheque (the first is American English, the second British English). Even the syntax or grammatical structure may seem odd to you in some cases. For example the Americans say 'I dreamed', the Brits say 'I dreamt', the Americans say 'leaped', the Brits say 'leapt'. Most content on BookBrowse relates to US editions of the books but there will be some exceptions such as we will often include reviews from non-USA sources.

I live outside the USA, is BookBrowse relevant to me?
The publication dates you'll see at BookBrowse, and the book jacket covers, are for USA titles. However, visitors worldwide enjoy BookBrowse and most of the recommended books are available in print in other English speaking countries (although the publication dates may vary) and almost without exception they can be downloaded electronically.

Do you recommmend children's books?
We do include some books for teens and young adults, but rarely for children under the age of 10-12.

How can I get my book reviewed by BookBrowse?
Please see the submission guidelines which will explain how to submit a book to BookBrowse.

How can I advertise on BookBrowse?
For BookBrowse's demographics and rates, please go to our advertising page. You will need to contact BookBrowse directly for specific rates, but this provides a starting point.

How many people visit BookBrowse?
At the time of writing, BookBrowse receives about half a million unique visitors each month - not including search engine spiders and other 'non-human' traffic, which some websites include in their figures. If we were to include these (which some sites do) our stats would be well over 100% higher.

Can I link to BookBrowse?
Yes. Please see this page for guidelines.

Can I copy information from BookBrowse?
All information at BookBrowse is protected by copyright - either BookBrowse's or the original copyright owner's. You may print out an excerpt or reading guide for your own personal use, or to share with a small group, such as a book club, but you may not reproduce it elsewhere, online or in print, without written permission from the original copyright owner or their representative. Copyright notice.

How do I contact BookBrowse?
Full contact information, including email, telephone and mailing address are on our contact page.

How do I contact an author/publisher?
BookBrowse cannot put you in touch with, or forward messages to, authors or publishers. However, many authors have websites, and some provide an email address on their website that you can use to contact them. So your first step should be to check if the particular author has a website. If BookBrowse is aware of an author website, we link to it from the appropriate author biography page.

The established method for contacting authors is to write to them by postal mail, c/o their publisher. You can find the publisher's address by looking in the front pages of the book or by searching online. To find a publisher online, query a good search engine such as Google. For example, type in Knopf Publishing, and one of the top results will be to Random House's website, because Knopf is an imprint of Random House; from there you'll need to find their contact page to get the mailing address. Then write your letter, stick on a stamp and send it to Author Name, c/o Publisher, Address.

Can you give me advice on writing and getting published?
Here are some resources.

How can I tell if a book is a 1st edition?
There is no easy answer to this. However, as rule for books published since WWII in the USA, the words 'First Edition' or a continuous sequence of numbers including 1 (or letters including A) will often indicate a first edition. You should also be aware that there can be multiple print runs within a first edition, and the later printings will be less valuable than the first. Also, be aware that a book may be the first edition in a particular country or from a particular publisher, but not the first edition overall, and the value of the book will vary accordingly. The only sure rule of thumb is to get the advice of an expert or become one yourself. Try the Pocket Guide to the Identification of First Editions.

Do you offer book club recommendations?
Yes! We have extensive resources for book clubs including reading guides, recommendations, online discussions and much more. See our Book Clubs section.

Last updated 2016

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select top 1 ezine_number, ezine_dt, ezine_image, ezine_brief_description, ezine_introduction from ezines where ezine_active_flag = 1 and ezine_type_number = 4 and ezine_dt < getdate() order by ezine_dt DESC

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SELECT a.arc_number,a.arc_client_url,a.arc_active_dt, a.arc_off_ad_dt, b.ezine_preview_number, b.ezine_preview_title, b.ezine_preview_subtitle, b.ezine_preview_jacket_image, b.ezine_preview_author, b.ezine_preview_publisher, b.ezine_preview_publish_dt, b.ezine_preview_jacket_desc, b.ezine_preview_number_of_pages, b.ezine_preview_bb_comments, b.ezine_preview_isbn13, c.ezine_preview_category_name AS "ezine_preview_category", (select count(*) from arc_allocator d where d.arc_number = a.arc_number and arc_allocator_review_approved_flag = 1) as "reviews", (select (CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,0))) AS numeric(12,0)))+ (CASE WHEN right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) > 25 AND right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) < 50 THEN 0.5 WHEN right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) > 50 AND right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) < 75 THEN -0.5 ELSE 0 END) from arc_allocator where arc_number = a.arc_number and arc_allocator_review_approved_flag = 1) AS arcrating, (select (CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,1))) AS numeric(12,1)))from arc_allocator where arc_number = a.arc_number and arc_allocator_review_approved_flag = 1) AS "decrating" FROM arcs a INNER JOIN ezine_previews b ON b.ezine_preview_number = a.ezine_preview_number INNER JOIN ezine_preview_categories c ON b.ezine_preview_category_number = c.ezine_preview_category_number WHERE arc_closed_flag = 1 AND arc_obc_flag = 0 AND getdate() >= arc_on_ad_dt AND getdate() < arc_off_ad_dt ORDER BY a.arc_on_ad_dt DESC

SELECT a.arc_forumidfk, a.discourse_flag, a.arc_promo_text, arc_on_ad_dt, b.ezine_preview_number, b.ezine_preview_title, b.ezine_preview_subtitle, b.ezine_preview_jacket_image, b.ezine_preview_author, b.ezine_preview_jacket_desc, b.ezine_preview_publisher, ezine_preview_publish_dt, ezine_preview_number_of_pages, ezine_preview_isbn, ezine_preview_short_summary, b.ezine_preview_bb_author_link, ezine_preview_bb_link FROM arcs a INNER JOIN ezine_previews b ON b.ezine_preview_number = a.ezine_preview_number WHERE arc_obc_flag = 1 AND getdate() < arc_on_ad_dt ORDER BY NEWID()

SELECT a.arc_forumidfk, a.discourse_flag, a.arc_promo_text, b.ezine_preview_number, b.ezine_preview_title, b.ezine_preview_subtitle, b.ezine_preview_jacket_image, b.ezine_preview_author, b.ezine_preview_jacket_desc, b.ezine_preview_publisher, ezine_preview_publish_dt, ezine_preview_number_of_pages, ezine_preview_isbn, ezine_preview_short_summary, b.ezine_preview_bb_author_link, ezine_preview_bb_link, c.book_reading_guide FROM arcs a INNER JOIN ezine_previews b ON b.ezine_preview_number = a.ezine_preview_number LEFT JOIN books c on c.book_number = b.ezine_preview_bb_link WHERE a.arc_obc_flag = 1 AND a.arc_active_flag = 0 AND arc_closed_flag = 1 AND getdate() >= arc_on_ad_dt AND getdate() < arc_off_ad_dt ORDER BY NEWID()

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SELECT top 10 a.arc_number,arc_promo_text, b.ezine_preview_number, b.ezine_preview_title, b.ezine_preview_subtitle, b.ezine_preview_jacket_image, b.ezine_preview_author, b.ezine_preview_publish_dt, (select (CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,0))) AS numeric(12,0)))+ (CASE WHEN right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) > 25 AND right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) < 50 THEN 0.5 WHEN right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) > 50 AND right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) < 75 THEN -0.5 ELSE 0 END) from arc_allocator where arc_number = a.arc_number and arc_allocator_review_approved_flag = 1) AS arcrating FROM arcs a INNER JOIN ezine_previews b ON b.ezine_preview_number = a.ezine_preview_number WHERE arc_closed_flag = 1 AND arc_obc_flag = 0 AND getdate() >= arc_on_ad_dt AND (select count(*) from arc_allocator d where d.arc_number = a.arc_number and arc_allocator_review_approved_flag = 1) > 1 and getdate() <= dateadd(day,1,a.arc_off_ad_dt) ORDER BY NEWID()

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SELECT a.adid, adweight FROM adsystem a INNER JOIN ad_category_mapping b ON b.adid = a.adid WHERE a.section = ? AND a.active = 1 AND a.start_date <= GETDATE() AND a.adid NOT IN (?) AND (a.viewby LIKE '%n%' OR a.viewby = 'all') AND (b.category_number IN ( SELECT category_number FROM category_book_mapping WHERE book_number = ?) OR b.category_number = ?)

SELECT a.adid, adweight FROM adsystem a WHERE a.section = ? AND a.active = 1 AND a.start_date <= GETDATE() AND a.adid NOT IN (?) AND (a.viewby LIKE '%n%' OR a.viewby = 'all') AND (select count(*) from ad_category_mapping where datalength(category_number) >= 1 and adid = a.adid) = 0

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