Portsmouth Public Library

What You Like

Let staff help you find enjoyable books to read. Please take a few moments to complete our What You Like form and share your reading preferences with us so staff may create a personalized reading list for you.

We may use this number to contact you with questions.

Fiction

GENRES: Different types of stories
Western stories feature a hero who arrives to right the wrong of the often lawless, rugged landscape of the American Old West. Inspirational novels portray characters overcoming adversity or reaching new levels of understanding, characteristically involving a higher power.
Science Fiction speculates about the potential uses of science and the future of mankind on this world and within the universe. Mystery books involve a detective, either a professional or amateur, investigating and solving a crime in a whodunit setting.
Regional Fiction focuses on the characters, dialects and customs relating to specific regions, including tri-state areas.

SUB-GENRES: More specific types of stories
Romance novels focus on the relationship between two people overcoming conflict to reach an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. Set in various times and places, this genre includes historical, contemporary, time-travel, paranormal and chick-lit. Suspense novels, or thrillers, lead the reader through a sense of anticipation and foreboding as the story builds...will the criminal be caught before committing another crime?
Fantasy is based on magic or the supernatural and deals with the impossible; the realm of fairies, dragons, unicorns and sorcerers. Realistic Fiction has believeable events which can actually occur in life whether in a historical setting (taking place in a remote time) or a contemporary setting (taking place today or in the recent past.)
Historical Fiction is set in the past, before the author's lifetime and experience, and enriches the reader's knowledge of past events, lives and customs.

Non-Fiction

General outline of the Dewey Decimal System:

000 -- Generalities
Includes Aliens, Bigfoot, Computers, Encyclopedias
100 -- Philosophy and Psychology
Includes Supernatural, Psychics, Astrology, Self-Help
200 -- Religion
Includes World Religions, Mythology
300 -- Social Sciences
Includes True Crime, Education, Folk Lore
400 -- Language
Includes Foreign Languages, Sign Language, Dictionaries
500 -- Science
Includes Math, Nature Guides (Birds, Trees, Insects)
600 -- Applied Sciences
Includes Cookbooks, Car Repair, Pets, Home Improvement
700 -- Arts
Includes Scrapbooking, Drawing, Quilting, Sewing, Painting, Landscaping, Music, Sports
800 -- Literature
Includes Poetry, Plays, Publishing, Critical Analysis, Jokes
900 -- History/Geography/Biography
Includes Travel Guides, Military History, Genealogy