There are many online sites to help you find a really good read. Below you will find a selection of the best:

Whichbook

Whichbook is a fantastic new resource for readers. Instead of starting with book titles or authors, readers start with themselves. 'I want a book that is unpredictable, very romantic and a bit sad' or 'I'd like a challenging book, with lots of sex that's also funny.'  

Whichbook enables 20 million different combinations of factors and then suggests titles which most closely match the reader's needs.

Whichbook has been developed with a grant of £350,000 from The Big Lottery. The site has 20,000 individual users every month.

View Whichbook website

Reader 2 Reader

The readers' section of the People's Network, a site for readers to share opinions about books - what they have loved, what they have hated and what they got stuck on. The site features the very popular Bin a Book section where readers can consign the over-hyped, the over-rated and the downright bad.

View reader 2 reader website

Time to Read

Librarians in the North West have pioneered partnership working to encourage new readers into libraries. Time To Read is a partnership of librarians, literature development workers and other organisations engaged in reader development activity in public library authorities in the North West Region. All 22 public library authorities in the region are involved, including Cumbria.   This is their website – it includes a database of books strongly linked to the North West region. Most are set in the region while some, such as poetry titles, venture beyond the boundaries but are written by writers inspired by the region.

View Time to Read website

Find me a Good Read

A site which can help you to find the books you really want to read and which also brings readers together in reading groups, readers days or readers holidays.

View Find me a Good Read Website

BBC

Book section of the BBC website

BBC books

The Poetry Archive

This is the world's premier online collection of recordings of poets reading their work. You can read and listen to contemporary English-language poets and poets from the past.

View Poetry Archive website

British Council

This is the British Council's website for meeting other reading groups online from around the world.

See website

Lit Net

An online literature centre for the West Midlands and beyond. It offers access to a range of services for readers, writers, librarians and literature professionals

View literature website

Reading Matters

An interactive bookchooser to find just the book for you; with reviews, authors and reading lists

View website