In my last post, I likened finding good books to dating, and I promised to share my process for choosing what to read next. Consider me a matchmaker who helps “bind” books and readers (sorry for that). In order to find a satisfying partner for a literary love affair, one needs some method of selection from a multitude of promising candidates – sort of like the method mathematician John Nash (whose life was depicted in A Beautiful Mind) developed for choosing which women he and his pals should pick up in a bar. (Keep in mind, I’m no schizophrenic supergenius, this isn’t anything like game theory, and we are just talking about books here lest anyone is confused and thinks they landed on an Internet dating site).
First, the reader must have a list of things he/she is looking for in a book, and the reader must consider his/her own limitations. Here is what I know about my reading preferences as well as the constraints that work against me:
- I want to read the best new releases when they come out instead of getting on the library’s wait list, but I can only afford one, maybe two hardcovers a month (my limitations are urgency and money). I don’t have a lot of time to research (another limitation), so I will read reviews of only the newest – say, those released within the last three to six months.
- I don’t want to neglect the Classics because a well-rounded reader should make an effort to read what is timeless (if for no other reason than to appreciate references to these works in other literature). I suppose the genealogist in me compels me to read Classics – I think we have better perspective of the present if we know what came before. Mark Twain put it so aptly: “‘Classic.’ A book which people praise and don’t read.” (Ironic that Twain’s books are now classics, and I still haven’t read one.)
- I like reading nonfiction as much as fiction. Learning for the sake of learning is a value to me, and I’d like to be informed by more than just watching the evening news (which I avoid) or searching Wikipedia (to which I’m addicted).
- My children are a priority, and I like to read the books they’re reading and preview things I think they’ll enjoy. Children’s literature and YA are a couple of my favorite genres because the necessary read time is usually minimal.
- I am a writer, and need to read books that inspire and educate me so I’m more productive, creative, and efficient. This type of reading might fall under self-improvement, career, or inspirational, and it helps us contribute our own verses to the world. These materials are most directly related to real-life action. For example, I might be reading Blogging for Dummies right now, which leads me to write a blog.
