The Billerica Public Library is happy to provide our community of readers with a new and exciting service: personalized book recommendations based on books you like! Fill in as much of this reader profile as you wish, but please be sure to fill in SOME information as a blank form can not be processed. The more information you provide, the more likely it is that we can suggest books you will like. Leave areas blank when you have no preference. Librarians at the Billerica Public Library will use your answers to create a customized reading list for you. We will get back to you in about a week with your list (response time may vary depending on the number of requests received). Information will be kept in strict confidence between the patron and library staff. If you have any questions, or want to follow-up with us, please feel free to send us an email or use the contact form on this web site. Please be advised that this is a new service and we may still have some bugs to work out. We sincerely hope you will give it a try and let us know what you think!

CONTACT INFORMATION

Enter as much information as necessary for us to contact you with your list.

PREFERRED MODE OF CONTACT

(choose one)
Face-to-face
Phone call and paper pickup at library discussion
Email
Are you a local resident and/or patron of the Billerica Public Library? Yes No
DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
(include any information you would wish us to factor into recommendations)
Sex Male Female
Age

GENRES AND FORMATS
For each of the following, mark the button that indicates your interests
Recent Titles High Interest OK No
Classic Titles High Interest OK No
Literary Fiction High Interest OK No
Mysteries High Interest OK No
Science Fiction High Interest OK No
Fantasy High Interest OK No
Inspirational (Religious) High Interest OK No
Historical Fiction High Interest OK No
Romance High Interest OK No
Graphic Novels High Interest OK No
Western High Interest OK No
Thrillers High Interest OK No
Horror High Interest OK No
Young Adult High Interest OK No
Biography/Memoir High Interest OK No
Non-Fiction High Interest OK No
Romantic Suspense High Interest OK No
Action/Adventure High Interest OK No
Multi-Book Series High Interest OK No
Audiobooks High Interest OK No
Short Stories High Interest OK No
 

READING HISTORY
Please list at least 5 of your favorite books and/or authors, and what you enjoy about them

Please list up to 5 books or authors who you have read and have not enjoyed. If you would like, explain why.  

 

TONE, STYLE, MOOD, AND LANGUAGE
Mark your preference on the following scales, grading from 1 to 7 on each preference. If a scale doesn’t matter to you, just leave it blank. 
Happy, Light, Uplifting

Dark, Ironic
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Easy

Demanding
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Funny

Serious
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Safe, Relaxing

Suspenseful, Tense
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Familiar, Typical of its Type

Unusual
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
One Plot Line

Many lines
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Resolved Ending

Leaves You Thinking
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Straightforward Language

Lush, Poetic Language
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Sentimental, Emotional Style

Stark, Realistic Style
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Old-Fashioned, Traditional

Modern, Contemporary
1 2 3 4 5 6 7


How do you like books to be focused? Mark how important each emphasis is to you as a reader.
Focus on Characters High Interest Medium Low
Focus on Action and Events High Interest Medium Low
Focus on Issues and Ideas High Interest Medium Low
Focus on Language and Style High Interest Medium Low

What sort of humor do you prefer? Mark how important each type of humor is to you as a reader.
Quirky Characters High Interest OK No
Clever Dialogue High Interest OK No
Humorous Situations/Events High Interest OK No
Wordplay High Interest OK No
Slapstick/Physical Humor High Interest OK No
Dark Humor/Irony High Interest OK No
Absurd Humor - Bizarre or Surreal High Interest OK No

LENGTH


For each of the following, indicate your preference for the length of a book
Less than 250 pages Preferred OK No
250-500 pages Preferred OK No
Over 500 pages Preferred OK No
 

CHARACTERS
Mark  your preference for characteristics of the main characters about which you would especially like to read. Leaving items unchecked does not preclude them, but indicates no preference for or against.

Just a few characters

Many characters
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Characters who are sure of themselves

Conflicted characters
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
AGE OF CHARACTERS
Under 12 35 to 50
Teens 50 to 65
20 to 35 Over 65
 GENDER OF CHARACTERS
Male Female

 ETHNICITY/NATIONALITY OF CHARACTERS
African-American Latino-American
Asian-American White 
European Native American
Recent Immigrants Other

 CHARACTER RELATIONSHIP STATUS
Singles/Looking for love Married life/ Committed Gay/Lesbian
Introspection/Interior life Divorce/Widowhood Parenting/Family life
Group dynamics/social scene Friendship Odd couples
Professional relations Troubled relationships Enemies

 OCCUPATIONAL FIELDS OR AREAS OF INTEREST FOR CHARACTERS
 

SETTING
Check any setting about which you would particularly like to read. Describe or specify the setting further if you like. Leaving items unchecked does not preclude them, but indicates no preference for or against.

 

United States Specify states, regions, or cities 
World Specify regions, countries, or cities 
Futuristic Places Describe futuristic setting further 
Fantasy Lands Describe fantastic setting further 
Historical Settings Specify historical eras and places 

DEMOGRAPHY OF SETTING
Cities Suburbs
Small Towns Farms or Ranches
Wild Places
Among the Wealthy
Among the working class
Among the disadvantaged
 

PEEVES AND PLEASURES
Content of a certain nature is annoying or upsetting to some readers, while others enjoy these same elements. For each item that follows, indicate whether we should avoid, include, or ignore (not consider) that element in making suggestions. 

 

Sexual Themes Avoid Include Ignore
Explicit Sexual Content Avoid Include Ignore
Rough or Obscene Language Avoid Include Ignore
War Avoid Include Ignore
Violence Avoid Include Ignore
Death Avoid Include Ignore
Disease Avoid Include Ignore
Crime Portrayed Sympathetically  Avoid Include Ignore
Dark or Cynical Humor Avoid Include Ignore
Technology Avoid Include Ignore
Anti-Religion Avoid Include Ignore
Pro-Religion Avoid Include Ignore
Right Wing Politics Avoid Include Ignore
Left Wing Politics Avoid Include Ignore
Addiction Avoid Include Ignore
Other?
 

CONTENT
For each of the following subjects, check "interested" if you want a recommendation that includes the subject, check "avoid" if you do not want to read about the subject. You may leave items blank to indicate no preference.

 

Animals Interested Avoid
Gardens Interested Avoid
Crime Interested Avoid
Disasters Interested Avoid
Men’s Lives Interested Avoid
Women’s Lives Interested Avoid
Minority Lives Interested Avoid
Romantic Relationships Interested Avoid
Childhood Interested Avoid
Coming of Age Interested Avoid
Families Interested Avoid
Senior Lives Interested Avoid
History Interested Avoid
Religion Interested Avoid
Computers Interested Avoid
Military / War Interested Avoid
Books made into films Interested Avoid
Nature Interested Avoid
Outdoor activities Interested Avoid
Sports Interested Avoid
Science and Technology Interested Avoid
Politics Interested Avoid
Food Interested Avoid
Books about books Interested Avoid
Other cultures Interested Avoid
Humor Interested Avoid
Holidays Interested Avoid
Journeys / travel Interested Avoid
Art Interested Avoid
Music Interested Avoid
Medicine and Health Interested Avoid
Other (please specify)

 

EMPHASIS
Mark up to three sections of the form where your answers best reflect your current reading mood.

 

Genres and Formats Reading History
Tone and Style Scales Length
Character Setting
Peeves and Pleasures Content

Anything else we should factor into our suggestions?