The genius of organizational systems like the Dewey Decimal System or the Library of Congress, is that like items are shelved together. In librarianship, when someone stumbles upon a new book in the stacks because it was near to another one they liked, we call that “serendipitous browsing.” It can feel as if you’ve achieved a feat of magic, and you might bask in the afterglow for days.
Shepherd is taking this idea into the virtual space by creating “book lists” that encourage readers to find other books similar to ones they already know they enjoy. This is at the very heart of my job as a public librarian—it is called “reader’s advisory” and it’s honestly the highlight of my day when someone asks, "do you have any books like X?”
But today, I get to share a list I had the privilege of making for Shepherd as an author.
My list, “the best science fiction novels that make us meditate on our humanity” looks at books that I love which I’ve found to make me wonder about the whole point of being human. These are just a few of the works that inspired me to write my debut novel, The Switch, and I enjoyed being able to explain why I find them so entrancing. I hope that you’ll take a moment to find a list that speaks to what you—and maybe, you’ll find your next book with a bit of magic and serendipitous browsing.
