Get a Personalized Book Recommendations from the Penguin Hotline
About a week ago I received an email from Penguin Random House to give the Penguin Hotline a try. The Penguin Hotline is a site where you can request a list of book recommendations based on a specific person you may want to purchase books for this holiday season (this is not a sponsored post, I just really love books).
The process is pretty simple you go the 'Submit a request' page and fill out the form. Here are the two questions they ask: 1. In general, do you know what this person like to read? Any favorite books, writers or magazines? and 2. Any other good clues? Hobbies, interest, favorite radio, TV, or other passions?
Some of my answers to the questions were: The Royal We, J.K. Rowling/Harry Potter Series, The Martian, Tolkien, and Catherine Mackenzie. I did fill out the hobbies, interest, TV section but I forgot what I wrote.
You can fill out multiple forms for multiple people. I filled out the form for myself just to give it a try and I think my recommendations were pretty good. I don't know how they sort the emails on their end but my recommendations were from a person who works at the Marketing department at Riverhead & Viking books. If I wasn't happy with the recommendation, I could fill out another form (which the hotline encourages) and give the same answer and receive a completely different set of recommendation from someone else.
My personalized recommendations from Penguin Hotline:
Dear Jessica: Thanks for contacting the Penguin Hotline! Who doesn't love a great modern romance?! Two books that I tell all my friends are definite "must reads" are Jojo Moyes's ME BEFORE YOU (which is hard to describe, but it's quite the romance—you could include waterproof mascara with the book for a cute package) and Lauren Groff's FATES AND FURIES, which tells the story of a marriage from two perspectives—it's been compared to GONE GIRL, but sans the murder!
To appeal to your recipient's creative side, Elizabeth Gilbert's BIG MAGIC will inspire her in all aspects, and the book is so stunning it almost feels like you don't have to wrap it! If you'd like to go the fashionista route, #GIRLBOSS by the founder of NastyGal is fun, relatable, and always on trend.
If your recipient picked up THE MARTIAN to read in advance of the movie release, THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN is another fantastic book with a movie in the works right now. Warning: Once one starts reading this book it's really tough to put down.
I hope you have a great time book shopping, and a fabulous holiday season.
Final Thoughts
I am quite happy with my recommendations. I would say a solid 4 out 5. Just keep in mind that all of the recommendations will be titles and books under the Penguin Random House umbrella.
I have #GIRLBOSS on my TBR for a few months now so I will probably go ahead and read that soon. Along that theme, I will also probably be picking up Wildflower by Drew Barrymore which was recently published by Penguin.
My friend The Drowsy Reader just finished reading Me Before You by Jojo Moyes you can read a review of it on her blog so I will also give that a read. I don't know where the Fates & Furies recommendation came from based on my answer and having read the description I will probably skip that one. Big Magic I am on the fence with because I am actually not a fan of Eat, Pray, Love but since it's more of a creative book I might read it.
When I put in The Martian, I was hoping to get a sci-fi book recommendation but the Penguin Hotline staff went to the "movies based on books" route and gave me The Girl on the Train which is supposed to be very good so that will go on my never ending TBR list as well.
If you want to give a loved one a book this holiday season or a list of recommendations for yourself I highly suggest that you give the Penguin Hotline a try. As always, thanks for reading!
Until next time,
 |
| Courtesy of The Penguin Hotline |
Some of my answers to the questions were: The Royal We, J.K. Rowling/Harry Potter Series, The Martian, Tolkien, and Catherine Mackenzie. I did fill out the hobbies, interest, TV section but I forgot what I wrote.
You can fill out multiple forms for multiple people. I filled out the form for myself just to give it a try and I think my recommendations were pretty good. I don't know how they sort the emails on their end but my recommendations were from a person who works at the Marketing department at Riverhead & Viking books. If I wasn't happy with the recommendation, I could fill out another form (which the hotline encourages) and give the same answer and receive a completely different set of recommendation from someone else.
My personalized recommendations from Penguin Hotline:
Dear Jessica: Thanks for contacting the Penguin Hotline! Who doesn't love a great modern romance?! Two books that I tell all my friends are definite "must reads" are Jojo Moyes's ME BEFORE YOU (which is hard to describe, but it's quite the romance—you could include waterproof mascara with the book for a cute package) and Lauren Groff's FATES AND FURIES, which tells the story of a marriage from two perspectives—it's been compared to GONE GIRL, but sans the murder!
To appeal to your recipient's creative side, Elizabeth Gilbert's BIG MAGIC will inspire her in all aspects, and the book is so stunning it almost feels like you don't have to wrap it! If you'd like to go the fashionista route, #GIRLBOSS by the founder of NastyGal is fun, relatable, and always on trend.
If your recipient picked up THE MARTIAN to read in advance of the movie release, THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN is another fantastic book with a movie in the works right now. Warning: Once one starts reading this book it's really tough to put down.
I hope you have a great time book shopping, and a fabulous holiday season.
Final Thoughts
I am quite happy with my recommendations. I would say a solid 4 out 5. Just keep in mind that all of the recommendations will be titles and books under the Penguin Random House umbrella.
I have #GIRLBOSS on my TBR for a few months now so I will probably go ahead and read that soon. Along that theme, I will also probably be picking up Wildflower by Drew Barrymore which was recently published by Penguin.
My friend The Drowsy Reader just finished reading Me Before You by Jojo Moyes you can read a review of it on her blog so I will also give that a read. I don't know where the Fates & Furies recommendation came from based on my answer and having read the description I will probably skip that one. Big Magic I am on the fence with because I am actually not a fan of Eat, Pray, Love but since it's more of a creative book I might read it.
When I put in The Martian, I was hoping to get a sci-fi book recommendation but the Penguin Hotline staff went to the "movies based on books" route and gave me The Girl on the Train which is supposed to be very good so that will go on my never ending TBR list as well.
If you want to give a loved one a book this holiday season or a list of recommendations for yourself I highly suggest that you give the Penguin Hotline a try. As always, thanks for reading!
Until next time,
