Name change: We are now Book DNA!

We are now BookDNA.com, and everything was moved from Shepherd.com this last month. I’m still fixing odds and ends. If you notice anything, please let me know.

What were your 3 favorite reads of 2025?

Share your 3 favorite reads here (1,180+ readers shared so far).

This is about what you read and loved in 2025, not when it was published.

You can also see what readers who loved your favorite book or author also loved to read. At the top of the page, just put in one of your favorite books/authors to get matched with readers who share your Book DNA.

Browse the results from readers who share your Book DNA here! 

My 10 Favorite Book Lists For February…

1. The best books about women telling the messy truth

2. The best books where magic feels dangerous, wild, and weirdly intimate

3. The best books about outrageous dating experiences that lead to life-changing “aha” moments

4. The best eco-fantasy books with forests and gardens

5. The most thought-provoking nonfiction books about the pharmaceutical industry

6. The best children’s detective stories for middle-grade readers

7. The best magical realism books that’ll stick to your ribs

8. The best books to understand modern Iran

9. The best books about life inside and outside of Iran

10. The best books on Iranian history, politics, and culture

Sorry, we are having an issue with our newsletter provider (Beehiiv) and couldn’t do the visual format this month.

What are we working on over the next 4 weeks?

We’re building a smarter, more personal way to manage your reading life, with recommendations based on your Book DNA. Think Goodreads, but rebuilt for readers who want a private space to track what they read, keep notes, and get truly personalized book recommendations, like Pandora or Spotify for books.

The beta is almost ready for early testing! 😀 

In about a week, I’ll email 5 of our beta testers to see if they can do a Zoom with me. We will start slowly, test core features and the quality of the book database, and ensure the UX feels natural. That feedback will help us know what we need to improve.

What is in the next batch of features to add to the beta?

• The improved design motif.

• Imports from Goodreads and StoryGraph

• Public review feature

• User folder feature,e so you can organize how your brain thinks.

• A basic welcome process to help readers get settled in the app.

• Some additions to add improved support for audiobooks.

Want to help us test it?

If you'd like to test the new app as we add features to the beta, please fill this out.

What am I working on in the coming weeks?

I am starting to play with the UX for connecting readers with recommendations from their book twins!

And wrapping up a ton of work on the public review feature, imports, and more!

What am I reading?

I am reading...

• I am working my way through the Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson. I read books 1 and 2 when they came out, but haven’t kept up with releases, and I am doing a big re-read and catch-up.

What have I been up to outside of Shepherd?

I visited Florence, Italy, for a week with my son (his winter break in France). What a stunning city. The food, the gelato, the art, and the history were next level. I hope to return one day to dig into more of the art museums.

I hope Winter is going well for you 😀 
Ben

P.S. Florence in the Winter