One of the widgets I have installed on this blog is YARPP (Yet Another Related Posts Plug-in), which gives a list at the end of each post of other posts on the blog that may be relevant to the reader’s interests if they liked this post. Now that I have well over a thousand review posts to choose from, I decided to check which posts were the most recommended by this tool.
Patterns I noticed: Anthologies do well, probably because having multiple stories means that I’ve used multiple tags that will then intersect with other post’s tags. Having common words in the title helped too, like “stories” or “death.” (Books in the genres I read tend to have a lot of death.) Posts tend to be recommended much more after the date they were posted on than before that date.
Single word titles did poorly as a group; almost all posts got at least one reference link; the notable exception being the eighth volume of Vinland Saga, which was completely overshadowed by the other nine volumes.
The most referenced posts were seldom the most viewed, or necessarily the best-reviewed items. I’m posting the list of posts that got at least ten reference links for your possible amusement or comment. Stats as of July 11 2020.
Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales-119
Great Supernatural Stories: 101 Horrifying Tales-104
Classic American Short Stories-103
The Big Book of Sherlock Holmes Stories-68
The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2014-45
Showcase Presents: Super Friends-33
The Complete Stories of Robert Bloch Volume 3-32
Showcase Presents: Weird War Tales Vol 1-30
Showcase Presents: DC Comics Presents Superman Team-Ups-28
Sisters of the Revolution: a Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology-28
Jewish Noir-26
Showcase Presents: Robin the Boy Wonder Vol 1-26
The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg, Volume 9: the Millenium Express (1995-2009)-18
Essential Defenders Vol 6-18
Shonen Jump Weekly (2016)-18
Black Jack the Movie-17
Dick Tracy-17
Insurrections of the Mind-17
Urusei Yatsura-17
Weekly Shonen Jump (2015)-17
Writers of the Future, Volume 34-17
The 36 Ancient Chinese Strategies for Modern Business-16
100 Wicked Little Witch Stories-16
The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries-16
The Blue Fairy Book-16
Case Closed Vol 62-16
Headstrong-16
Rad Women Worldwide-16
Rin-Ne Volumes 21, 24 & 26-16
The Book of Cthulhu-15
Cat Pictures Please and Other Stories-15
Conjunctions 51: the Death Issue-15
Essential Ms. Marvel Vol 1-15
Futaba-kun Change! Vol 1-15
The Good, the Bad and the Mad-15
Rin-Ne Volume 25-15
Showcase Presents: Superman Family Volume 4-15
War Wings-15
The Black Bat 1: Brand of the Black Bat & Murder Calls the Black Bat-14
Showcase Presents: the Great Disaster Featuring the Atomic Knights-14
Essential Tomb of Dracula Volume 2-13
Galaxy Science Fiction July 1951-13
High Adventure 160: Ten Detective Aces Special-13
Invaders of the Rokujyoma!?-13
Lapham’s Quarterly Spring 2015: Swindle & Fraud-13
Penny Dreadfuls: Sensational Tales of Terror-13
The Phantom: the Complete Newspaper Dailies Volume Two 1937-1939-13
Showcase Presents: the Brave and the Bold Batman Team-ups Volume 1-13
UQ Holder! Vol 1-13
Weekly Shonen Jump (2017)-13
Weekly Shonen Jump (USA)-13
Azumanga Daioh Vol 1-12
Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine July 2016-12
Lone Wolf & Cub Omnibus 1-12
Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics-12
Showa: A History of Japan 1953-1989-12
The Superman Chronicles Volume One-12
2000 AD 2020-24-11
Abraham Lincoln: Selected Speeches and Writings-11
Action Presidents: George Washington-11
Analog Science Fiction and Fact June 2015-11
The Batman Adventures Volume 2-11
Batman & the Justice League Vol 2-11
The Best of Planet Stories 1-11
Case Closed Volume 56-11
Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy Volume 14 1951-1953-11
The Chinese Cat-11
Destroy All Monsters-11
Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine January 1977-11
Essential Captain Marvel Vol 2-11
The Jail Gates Are Open-11
Octavia’s Brood-11
The Penguin Guide to the United States Constitution-11
A Storm of Swords-11
A Weird and Wild Beauty: the Story of Yellowstone, the World’s First National Park-11
Wounded Tiger-11
Batman Archives Volume 1-10
Boy Scouts of the Air on the French Front-10
Case Closed Vol 42-10
The Complete Western Stories of Elmore Leonard-10
A Curious Man-10
Essential Rampaging Hulk Vol 1-10
From the Cross to the Church-10
Great Historical Coincidences-10
Master Keaton, Volume 1-10
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun 1-10
Phantom Detective 2: Dealers in Death | The Yacht Club Murders-10
Project A-10
Rin-Ne Volumes 7, 8 & 9-10
Shonen Jump Weekly USA 2014-10
Showcase Presents: Batman Volume 6-10
Twin Cities Noir the Expanded Edition-10
Vampire Princess Miyu Volume Two: Encounters-10
The Wanderer and the New West-10
Woochi the Demon Slayer-10
Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches 1-10
Your thoughts and comments?
