experiments
Book recommender: user research
Interview about book selection habits, reading patterns, and what makes a book work or fail. Input for the book recommender scoring algorithm.
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Used Claude to interview me about how I pick books, what goes wrong, and what my reading habits look like. Part of the book-recommender project.
How I pick books
- Topic is the primary driver. Prizes and praise lower the barrier but aren’t the reason.
- Two interest threads: how things connect (systems, relationships, taxonomy, ecology) and the craft of language (words, storytelling, beauty of expression). Conversation design sits at the intersection.
- Also: soul, connection, community, humor, intelligence, layers.
What goes wrong
- Topic match alone isn’t enough. The Overstory had perfect topic fit but failed on experience: boring narrative, couldn’t connect, no momentum.
- What makes a book work: compelling narrative, humor, intelligence, multiple layers, pulls you forward. Pratchett is the gold standard.
Reading habits
- Focus is low right now. Need momentum and completion dopamine.
- Don’t want “pick one book” but a reading mix: something lighter to keep going, plus something denser for longer-term reading.
- Fiction is for beauty/escape/narrative. Non-fiction is for curiosity and professional growth.
- Read one hour per day.
- Music is also important.