Yesterday JoAnn Ross on 2 B Read mentioned Literature-Map, a tool that allows you to type in the name of a favorite author and find other authors that would be enjoyable to you as a reader. If your author is listed in the database your search will pull up a literature map that has your selected author in the center with other authors you might enjoy floating around it. The closer an author is listed to the author you originally searched for the more likely you will enjoy reading that other author's books.

I wasn't familiar with this website before, so I've been playing around on it to see how good their recommendations are. Some recommendations seem dead on accurate, but others are very bizarre. For example, if you search for Emma Holly the literature map will bring up names like Robin Schone, Thea Devine, and Jaid Black (which seems pretty accurate). However, Lemony Snicket is also listed on the Emma Holly literature map. Huh?

I noticed that the Marquis de Sade was also listed on Emma Holly's literature map, so clicked on his name to see what would happen. I was immediately taken to the literature map for the Marquis de Sade, where things got really wonky. Among the recommended authors were two names that would stand out to any reader: Dr. Seuss and Jesus. Now I know that it has been a while since I read Green Eggs and Ham, but I'm pretty sure that it really isn't the same genre as what the Marquis de Sade wrote. Then again, The Cat in the Hat was one creepy mo-fo.

Has anyone else tried this website and gotten weird results? If not, try it out and let me know what you think.

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