There are a number of ways I choose a new book to read. Here are some to consider, maybe a few you haven’t thought of yet.
The spines at the library are well worn. If the book is creased and a little tattered, I assumed a lot of people enjoyed the read. This time I grabbed Catcher and The Rye, I know, your shocked I’ve never read it. Or at least I can’t remember reading it. So it’s in line to read next week.
Returning to a favorite author like Barbara Kingsolver who wrote The Poisonwood Bible, one of my favorite books of all times. I’ve enjoyed several of her books, so I make it a point to read everything she writes. That said, sometimes she tells a story that doesn’t hook me. I usually give a book a good 20 pages to see if it will maintain my interest and if not, I move on. Her current book, Unsheltered, has gotten mixed reviews. I’m going to start it and see how I feel. Hope it’s a keeper.
Recommendations are probably my favorite way to find books. Rather it is from friends, online groups I belong to, or a Goodreads or Book Bub recommendation that strikes my interest. I’ll often post on social media asking for ideas too. Right now I have over 100 books on my Want to Read list on Goodreads, so I haven’t sought out more until I can knock some of these off. It’s really hard not to add to it though!
Local authors! I have started to connect with other local writers and I love to read work by someone I have met (virtually or otherwise). I just picked up Tentacles and Teeth by Ariele Sieling. I saw a presentation by her recently and enjoyed her personality and commentary. Her book is in line to be read after the 3 library books I have. I hate late fines! So gotta get through those first.
Book club picks are also great. We have a group of about ten ladies and we take a poll every month on a new book. Recently we read The Mothers by Brit Bennett, which was a good read, not a page turner but good all the same. Before this, we read Educated, Where the Crawdads sing, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, which were all good reads. Talking about the story in a group setting is also engaging and fun, especially when we add wine and brownies.
I often find I have a long list of books I want to read, but the mood to read them changes. Sometimes I want a thriller, yet other times I want a feel-good drama that will make me sob. I’ll reach for science fiction and other times I want to be teleported back to World War II. I’m a well-rounded reader!
Read anything good recently? Let me know. I’ll add it to my list!
Photo by Alfons Morales on Unsplash
Photo by John-Mark Smith on Unsplash
Melisa Peterson Lewis 