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Research Guides

The Good Reads Collection

When was the last time you read for fun? 

At Odegaard Undergraduate Library, we offer a collection of fiction and nonfiction books for students to read for leisure. All the books in the Good Reads collection have been published within the last five years, so find your new favorite book here!

". . . it doesn't matter what books [or magazines] you read, even if your choice is "trashy" Gothic novels.  It is what you make of them, how you behave in consequence, that counts" (230). —Worsley, Lucy. Jane Austen at home: a biography. Hodder, 2017.

Accessing the Collection

  • The Good Reads Collection is located on the second floor of Odegaard, behind the Information Desk. 

  • Feel free to ask someone at the Information Desk to help you browse the online catalog, if the book you wanted isn’t on the shelf!

How do you find the right book for you?

This guide has several different tools that will help you navigate our Good Reads collection.

  • Online Resources — Find websites with book reviews and recommendations, among other tools to help guide your search.
  • UW Picks! — Read recommendations from staff and students at UW. If you have a recommendation of your own, be sure to let us know.
  • Good Reads — Top picks from Odegaard library's Good Reads collection by genre. 
  • International Good Reads — Popular books translated from English and selected by our language professors!

 

What do you do if the books we recommend don’t look interesting to you?

Don’t worry! Every reader has their own taste, and you won’t like every book even if someone else does. Try searching the library catalog for the right book for you!

The UW Libraries Search does not allow search by genre, so using the advanced search tool, change the first drop-down menu to "Identifier, Subject" and include terms such as "Science Fiction", "Fantasy", "Romance", "Mystery" etc.

What kind of books do you like to read?

Let us know what you're looking for!
Essays: 25 votes (8.12%)
Science fiction: 45 votes (14.61%)
Fantasy fiction: 63 votes (20.45%)
Short stories: 16 votes (5.19%)
Historical fiction: 23 votes (7.47%)
Biographies: 20 votes (6.49%)
Romance fiction: 61 votes (19.81%)
True crime: 8 votes (2.6%)
Mystery fiction: 44 votes (14.29%)
Travel writing: 3 votes (0.97%)
Total Votes: 308

Good Reads

NPR Book Reviews