Recently, I was approached about contributing recommendations to a new book-discovery website, Shepherd, which aims to recreate the experience of visiting a brick-and-mortar bookstore, where patrons can browse at their leisure or get help or advice from a knowledgeable staffer, should they want that.

With Shepherd, you can search for books by topic. Or you can identify books or authors you’ve enjoyed in the past, and the site will recommend books that might appeal to you based on this information.

In describing the mission of Shepherd, its creators wrote:

Discovering a new book should be a magical experience where the search is part of the fun. That is what we are creating. We give readers fun ways to find amazing books.

The internet is a bleak wasteland for book discovery. Online bookstores sell books the same way they sell toothpaste, without passion. And, Goodreads makes book discovery feel like browsing a spreadsheet.”

At the heart of Shepherd are recommendations by authors, experts, and other creators. These recommendations are organized around various themes and topics, which users can also browse. For example, you might check out “The best fantasy fiction that makes you think way outside the box” or “The best books about the Roman Army from a military historian.”

My contribution to Shepherd was “The best books on confronting trauma or loss.” Here, I offer brief recommendations of books that I discuss in greater depth on my book-review website, Small Press Picks.

Shepherd offers a great alternative to online booksellers and Goodreads, one that, in my opinion, is far more reader-friendly. If you end up checking it out, I’d love to hear what you think!