Finding fiction (and other books) to read for fun

Although academic libraries aren't laid out like bookstores, you can still use the NYU Libraries' catalog to find recent fiction, or fiction about a particular topic or setting. Records for novels and short stories will usually include the term "Fiction" in the subject headings. Short stories have the subject heading "Short stories." Popular genres of fiction will have their own subject headings (e.g. "Science fiction," "Mystery fiction," "Love stories," "Fantasy fiction," "Horror tales," etc.). Using the advanced search option in the catalog, you can refine your search by adding keywords (place names, nationalities, themes, etc.). Not every work of fiction will be cataloged in detail, but many will.

You can also sort your search results in the catalog using the "Sort by relevance" pulldown menu above the list of results. "Sort by date-newest" will show the most recently published books first. The "Limit My Results" menu on the right side of the search results page lets you narrow your search by subject, author, genre, and publication date.

The NYU Libraries own a number of book-length guides to the "best books" in various categories. You can find many of them by searching the catalog for the subject "Best books." Here are some specific examples of reading guides from our collection:

Search for books, journals, videos, etc. in our local libraries and special collections.