Bookrabbit hops onto web

A social-networking website for people interested in books has been launched.

Bookrabbit lets users meet others with similar reading interests, join forums and put questions to authors.

To help match users with similar interests, anyone who registers is asked to upload a photo of their bookcase. Bookrabbit then scans the books and suggests other people on the site who own similar titles.

Users can also create their own book categories to ensure they find exactly what they are looking for. Other users can then contribute to discussions and recommend books they find useful.

The website holds information on up to 4.2 million titles. It also sells books, and says it compares prices with rival bookstore Amazon every week.

Kieron Smith, Bookrabbit’s managing director, said: “We have launched Bookrabbit to address a fundamental gap in the online book selling market.

“We understand that if you want to be surprised by books, if you want to experience new authors, if you have a passion for reading, then you don’t turn to a machine, or the dinosaurs of the book trade to help you – you turn to other readers, and what they have experienced through the books they have read.”