"Whichbook employs human readers to classify books along dimensions like moods, levels of violence and sexual content, attributes of the main characters, and length. It's a process Van Riel says artificial intelligence can't yet replicate, though it's still quite mathematical in nature, with new hires guided in tuning their scores to the site's standard. Then, Whichbook users can indicate their own current preferences with a set of sliders to find a set of books that match."
"Whichbook shies away from recommending big bestsellers-since, as Van Riel says, people are generally already aware of them-but it can suggest books similar to current literary hits, or help people find books from particular parts of the world via an interactive map. It's one of a growing number of websites, apps, and online communities helping people find something to read through various mixtures of algorithms and human insights."
Whichbook uses human readers to rate books across dimensions such as mood, violence, sexual content, main-character attributes, and length. New reviewers calibrate scores to the site's standards so recommendations remain consistent. Users set sliders to express current preferences and receive matched titles. The service has operated free since 2003 with occasional library funding and emphasizes a low-pressure, playful, nonjudgmental approach that encourages risk-taking in selection. The platform generally avoids promoting mainstream bestsellers while suggesting books similar to popular hits and enabling geographic discovery via an interactive map. Other discovery paths include influencer-driven communities like BookTok and recommendation subreddits.
Read at Fast Company
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