It has been a long year. Truth be told, it has been a long couple of years. With everything I have been through recently, I have been in the mood for something fun. I am also feeling way too unmotivated to pick my own TBR. But I knew there was a way to figure out how to use AI to choose your next TBR, and I wanted to try it.
Isn’t it wild that AI is just a part of life now? I feel like I am living in a sci-fi movie every time I have a little conversation with the robot inside my computer. It is definitely a strange thing, but something I feel will become a major part of our lives as the technology grows. Don’t worry, I always say thank you after getting help from AI, I’m not taking any chances.
Anyway, the more I played with ChatGPT, the more I realized how useful of a tool it could be. I have used it to help come up with blog post ideas, what to have for dinner, and how to respond to a particularly difficult email. AI can be so useful, so why not use it for creating a TBR!
There isn’t a lot of information out there in regards to how to use AI to choose your next TBR, so I am hoping that through my trial and error, I can figure it out!
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How to use AI to choose your next TBR
1. Choose which AI program you would like to use
I personally use the free version of ChatGPT. I find it to be the best at providing extensive and useful answers while also being cost-friendly. However, I know there are various AI programs popping up, there is even one on Snapchat!
2. Prompt the AI to give you some book options for your TBR
In the chat box, type in what you would like. For example, let the AI know that you would like x amount of books for your TBR in a specific genre or by a specific author. Whatever themes or genres you are in the mood for, type them into this AI.
Here is an example:
“Can you help me create a TBR of 5 books? I would like the books to all be romance/fantasy books. I tend to enjoy stories about werewolves and vampires. My most recent favorite book is Caraval by Stephanie Garber. I would like the books to be published in the past 5 years and I would like them to be written by a diverse set of authors. Thank you!”
The more information you put in, the better the AI can choose books for you.
3. Check out the suggestions AI provides
After hitting enter, the AI will generate a list of books for you. If all of the books are exactly what you are looking for, you are all set and you have your next TBR list!
However, if the list has books you are not interested in or books you have already read don’t stop there! Take the suggestions you like and then prompt the AI to provide a few more. Don’t forget to let the AI know why you didn’t like some of the suggestions so it can learn and provide better examples!
4. Enjoy your next reads!
Once you have poked and prodded the AI until you have a TBR list you are happy with, the next step is to read them! Hopefully, you got some book options that you would have never picked up if it weren’t for AI. Maybe you will find your next favorite read on this list, you never know!
Tips on successfully using AI to create a TBR list
- The amount of information you give the AI about your reading tastes and preferences will directly impact the results you get. The more you give, the more curated the list will be. The less information, the more random it will be.
- AI isn’t perfect, sometimes it will give you repeats, or it will forget some of the stipulations you wanted for your TBR. Just keep asking until you have a list of books you are excited to read!
- You can list the books you have read to the AI in order to create the perfect TBR.
What happened when I used chatGPT to create a TBR for the next month?
After figuring out how to use AI to create a TBR list, I decided I wanted to try it for myself. July starts soon, so why not create my TBR for the month. I plan on reading 5 books in the coming month. These are the stipulations that I input into the AI:
- The genres I am in the mood for include thriller, mystery, and dystopian
- I love books that feel immersive with incredible world-building
- Some books I have already read and enjoyed include The Hunger Games, The Poppy Wars, Lock Every Door, and Ninth House
- I would like the selections to be diverse, with authors of color and authors in the LGBT+ community
I knew what I was in the mood for, but I also wanted to be a little broad. I wanted the results to be books I would never have even picked up if it weren’t for this experiment.
AI-Generated TBR for July
Once I put my prompt into Chat GPT, I got some books I have already read, or books I had no interest in reading. So, I had to do some poking and prodding to get to this final list. Here are the 5 books on my AI-generated TBR list:
1. Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
Click here to check this book out on Goodreads!
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The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
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3. The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
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4. The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi
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5. The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
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I already own one of these books, I was already interested in two of these books, and the other two books I had never heard of. This is definitely a different and varied TBR list, one I would have never created on my own, and I am so excited to get started tomorrow!
So far, this has been a fun experiment. I will be sure to update you at the end of the month with my thoughts on these books. Hoping I find a new favorite book!