Would you let a computer recommend your next book to read?

So how do you decide which books to read? Many of us rely on word-of-mouth from friends or from other fans posting reviews on websites like this one, but some of us are now turning to book recommendation engines. These are social websites which compile the likes of its members to crunch the stats to come up reading ideas for you.

If the thought of your tastes being boiled down to a mere algorithm is distasteful, be aware that there are professional book recommenders. No, it's not a recommendation you get from reading a professional book review. It's a flesh-and-blood person who quizzes you on your tastes and comes up with a reading list for you. We used to call those people librarians.

If that sounds too pricey, you could always turn to free web quizzes like this one which lets you decide which flavour of apocalyptic fiction is right for you.