If you’ve read more than a handful of books in your life, there’s likely a time you’ve remembered a plot or a character but not the title or author and have tried to find a book from a vague description only. There may have been a conversation or a TV show or movie that reminded you of something you read a long time ago, but for the life of you, you can’t remember its title or author. Or maybe you remember the feeling of reading it and want to re-read it, now from a different, more experienced perspective.
Whatever the reason, it can be quite frustrating to try to find a book from a vague description and nothing concrete to work with – it’s right on the tip of your tongue but keeps eluding you! Don’t worry, though – it can be done. Here are some ideas to help you find that maddening answer you seek.
7 Ways to Find a Book From a Vague Description
- Google Books – A search engine is probably the first place you go to when searching for anything in modern times, allowing you to enter the few details about the plot, setting, and/or characters you can remember to see what comes up. While you’re at it, don’t forget to also search Google Books, which is fine-tuned to, well, books, meaning the results are books, not websites that may or may not have the information you seek.
- Social Media – One of the most positive aspects of social media is the ability to crowd source information. You can tap the brains and memories of your social media friends with a post providing the bits and pieces you can remember. You never know who might pop up with the right title or author name (which is a great beginning!). When you want to find a book from a vague description, don’t just stick to your own circle of friends, though. Book-lover groups love a mystery and a challenge like this, and members are always happy to chime in with ideas. You’ll have the most success if you post in groups specifically for the book’s genre (if you can remember it, of course). If the book is about a particular topic or perhaps was popular at a certain time, you can also look for those relevant groups. For example, Gen X groups are great for finding books that were popular or required school reading in the 80s and 90s.
- Book Sites – Sites specifically dedicated to books and reading often provide functions specifically for the problem of trying to find a book from a vague description. For example, Library Thing has a forum called Name That Book, where users post what they can remember and other users respond with possible options. Similarly, Goodreads has a group called What’s the Name of That Book???WhichBook is a book recommendation site that allows you to enter parameters for a kind of book you’d like to read, but if you can answer its questions with what you know about the book you’re trying to remember, among its recommendations may be the exact title you’re looking for.
- Reddit – There are dozens, perhaps hundreds, of subreddits about books and reading, such as r/books. If you’re comfortable posting on Reddit, this is another form of crowd sourcing the information you seek. You may also be able to find the title, especially if it’s a popular book, by going down the rabbit holes of relevant subreddits.
- Quora – Another crowd-sourcing platform, Quora is known for hosting some of the most specific, outlandish, and random questions and answers a person can come up with. You can post your own question providing the details you know, or there’s a chance someone else has already asked about the same book, so you can also search by topic, questions, and/or answers. Because Quora has a reward system for users providing accurate and helpful answers, you’re likely to find real help rather than snarky, keyboard-warrior-type replies.
- AI – While the use of AI is controversial for creating art, the technology can be useful in other ways, such as finding a book from a vague description or a few details. If you’re comfortable using AI, GrowthSummary is an AI tool that may help you find the book you seek.
- Your Local Library or Bookstore – Often the old-school way is the most beneficial, and of course, there’s nothing more helpful than a real, live human being who knows books – your local book-pusher. Librarians and book store employees are so used to and good at helping people find a book from a vague description, whether it’s about the plot, a character, or just the cover, that they deserve an additional title of “Book Sleuth.” And while you’re there, you may as well pick up a new read or two. You can never have enough, you know.
Trying to find a book from a vague description can be more maddening than naming an actor, TV show, or song because you often have at least some concrete fact to go on with those. Even just a few lyrics can pull up a song title, album, and artist. You also have more visuals to work with, to help your brain connect the dots, while books (except illustrated ones) only have their covers, which may change for new editions or to keep up with marketing trends. Hopefully, the above ideas lead you to the title you’re seeking…and perhaps along the way, you’ll discover some other books to read.
Good luck! And if you’ve found other helpful tools or tips to find a book from a vague description, drop them in the comments.
