As I write this post, Spring Reading Thing 2010 is already up to 83 participants — very cool! I’ve started to visit around, and I love seeing everyone’s lists.
I usually keep one tab of my browser open to Amazon.com while I’m reading SRT posts, because it seems like every few minutes, I have to pop over to Amazon to research a book, add a book to my Wish List, or stick a book directly in my shopping cart. The SRT lists are inspiring, and they’re dangerous for my book budget!
But all of this book-browsing and book-researching made me wonder…how do you decide what books to read? Or what book to read next? Or how do you pick your books for a reading challenge such as Spring Reading Thing ’10?
Here’s my usual approach:
1. First, I look over my bookshelves. Because I have to admit, I have plenty of books in this house which I still haven’t read. I buy a book here, a book there, put them on a shelf, and don’t get to them for a while… So before I wander too far in search of the next book to read, I start on my very own shelves, and see if something catches my eye.
2. I check my Amazon.com Wish List. Okay, the truth is, I have set up a bunch of wish lists on Amazon. And all of them are loaded with books I’ve heard about, books I’ve read about, books recommended to me by friends, books that sound intriguing. I use my wish lists as a catch-all for “books I think I want to read someday.” Often, when I don’t know what to read next, browsing through my wish lists inspires me or reminds me of a fantastic-sounding book that I’d temporarily forgotten about.
3. I visit some websites and blogs. There are a few book-ish blogs that I visit regularly for information, inspiration, and recommendations.
5 Minutes for Books is a rich resource, chock-full of reviews, thoughts on reading, and community-building activities. I’ve picked up books such as The Hunger Games and The Host after reading glowing reviews on 5M4B — and absolutely loved them. If you love to read, and you haven’t yet visited 5 Minutes for Books, you owe it to yourself to visit them soon, and often!
I recently discovered another site called She Reads, which focuses on faith-based novels. The She Reads team provides book reviews, author interviews, and support for book clubs. I plan to sign up for their newsletter and visit their site regularly, to keep up with the latest in Christian fiction.
Tim Challies reviews a ton of non-fiction, and my book collection has expanded quite a bit, thanks to his reviews.
I also check out what some of my kindred-reading-spirit bloggers have been reading lately. Jennifer, Lisa, Carrie, and Dianne all blog about books (either occasionally or extensively) and I know that my reading tastes have much in common with theirs, so I’ll see if they’ve recently read anything that appeals to me.
And, of course, if we’re in the midst of a challenge — such as Spring Reading Thing 2010 — I visit participants. Talk about a source of book inspiration! Books in all genres, books of all lengths, every type of reading you could imagine — all right there to discover.
4. I wander through the bookstore. Bookstore-browsing is one of my all-time favorite activities. I check out the New Fiction table and the New Nonfiction table, and the Staff Recommendations shelf. And then I just wander around, hitting my favorite sections (such as the Mystery/Thriller section) in search of something new and exciting. That’s how I found the book Number Freak, which I read last fall — a book that might not appeal to many, but that I (because I’m a geek) really enjoyed.
Note: Wandering through a good library can be just as productive!
5. I ask friends for recommendations. If all my various attempts at browsing on my own still leave me unsure of what to read next, I’ll ask my voracious-reader friends for a recommendation. I’m always sure to get some intriguing options.
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I’m sure my approaches to figuring out which book to read next are not unique. I’m guessing that many of you use some combination of friends’ recommendations, bookstore browsing, websites, etc.
But I’d love to hear what you do first. What’s the first thing you do when you find yourself trying to decide what you’re going to read next? Or what’s your favorite way to discover new books?
I usually turn to my book basket but I also love browsing the “popular” shelves at the library. I get lots and lots of titles there. Quite a few choices come from the slog of book tour reviews that come my way, too. Sometimes when I get the Crossings book club catalog in the mail I keep a running list of books I want to read from there.
I depend heavily on recommendations from friends. My pastor has also been a great resource. And I tend to be an “author” junkie . . . if I enjoy a book by one author, I tend to read a string of them – right in a row if possible, unless I’m waiting for them to write another! I like reading Amazon reviews and I love the suggestions Amazon throws at you – I’ve come across many good books that way. I love book browsing also but rarely settle on books to read that way.
Well, I’m never at a loss for books to read, and these days the way I pick them is deciding if an email query is a good fit. I’ve become much more selective over the months/years I’ve been doing it.
But as far as how I pick what to read NEXT — that’s always a biggie for me. I have self-imposed deadlines, but it’s usually what’s calling to me. If I haven’t read fiction in a while, then I’ll grab a novel. If a novel arrives from an author whose previous work I enjoyed, as it did last week, I will often grab for that right away.
But reading lists like the SRT participants and What’s on Your Nightstand each month at 5 Minutes for Books does remind me of those books I’ve been “meaning to read.” I am making an effort to read at least one such book each month, and those are reflected on my SRT post as well.
(Thanks for the linkage!)
.-= Jennifer, Snapshot´s last post ..Three Back at Me =-.
I always check my TBR List and take a glance through the books sitting on my table. My table is usually a good indication of what has captured my interest. I go through it a couple of times a month and purge books I am not interested in reading yet…putting them back on the shelves…and then pulling books from the shelves that I think I’ll want to read very soon.
But mostly I look at my TBR list…I have an Excel spreadsheet that lists them all and I can either put them in alpha order by title or by author.
My approach is pretty much the same as yours. What to read next usually depends on what I’m in the mood for when it comes to fiction: with Christian non-fiction, I sometimes feel “led” or feel “it’s time” for a particular book, and find the Lord has something in particular from that book at that time in my life.
I usually choose a book from my TBR shelf for my “next” book to read (unless a favorite author has something coming out at he time). I fill my TBR shelves from the same sources you described. I keep a running wishlist at Amazon or Christianbook.com, and usually place some of those titles on birthday or Christmas lists or use my Amazon rewards certificate which I get from earning points with their credit card.
I go to a bookstore, spend hours perusing, find what I like, then get on wait lists at the library, or see if my mom, the oracle, already has it.
I also like to check out what others are reading from the “Reading Thing”s so I put links to amazon on each of my books to help people like me–and you apparently.
I usually peruse my bookshelves.. But I also like to go to the bookstore! Basically I do just about everything you listed in your post
I have a lot of author friends. So the first thing I do is see what they’ve been writing that I want to read and/or review. I also am a member of some book clubs and I get asked to do book reviews for various blogs, so those are the next I add to the list. Last, I check out what others in the challenge are reading, see what’s selling, friend recommendations, etc.
.-= Karlene´s last post ..Help! I Need a Play List! =-.
I have books that I set aside in two places to read. I have a shelf at home (I’m only allowed to have one) and one in my classroom. When I’m finished with a book then I usually choose whatever is closest to the edge of the bookshelf. If I’m at school when I finish the book then I choose from the shelf in my classroom and the same when I’m at home. I also have an ever growing wish list at paperbackswap.com and amazon.com. When I have an empty slot in one of my shelves, I replace it with a book that is on my wishlist. I find the books that I add to my wishlist from reading posts on blogs, recommendations from students and friends, looking at lists and recommendations from amazon, and wandering through bookstores (especially the one that is around the block from me). When I find books that I like, I immediately check if they are available at audible.com. I put the ones that are on my audiobook wishlist. I go through more audiobooks in a week then anything else because I have at least a two hour drive everyday.
Pretty much for the last couple of years all the books I read are either for our church book club or for reviews. I only review books I would want to read anyhow so it works out perfectly! There are books that I get from Paperback Swap that I want to have as part of my library, but I don’t have to get books from the library anymore.
The only books I have to research and purchase are ones for my boys!
My first place to look is at my to review pile. Then I look at my Steeple Hill stacks and also my TBR shelves. I still check books out at the library which usually come from reading reviews on other bloggers sites and reading challenges. Between all those places I can usually find something I want to read. lol
Like you I started with my bookshelves. I started pulling books that were not necessarily listed for another challenge (that’s because they are new). Then I go through my TBR list and finally go through the participants lists. This is very dangerous for me and my pocket book as well. I rely on teachers at school to give me suggestions for adult books because I read predominantly YA or MG.
I have a book list broken up into genre’s and numbered. The list is linked in my linkbar at the top of my blog (Nightstand) Since I instituted a buying ban until I’ve whittled down my TBR pile a bit, I’ve been reading my own books. I look at my stack and pick what strikes my fancy. Or use Random.org when I can’t decide. Surprisingly enough, random.org has been agreeing with me. A couple times I decided on a book, then went to random.org and the same numbers came up. Spooky!
I’ve been keeping amazon up in another window as well as I see what other’s are reading and adding all kinds of books to my wish list. I started adding notes about where found or who recommended. At the end of last year, I hadn’t done that and had no idea why I had so many books on my wish list. Didn’t have a clue why I added some and ended up deleting the whole list and starting fresh.
I’m rather bohemian in my approach to my book pile. I scribble down the titles of books I want to check out or look into further and pick up books as I find them–mostly at the library. Sometimes I get to them before they’re due back, other times I have to re-list them. I rarely decide what book is next until I’m finished with the one in my hand–as long as I have a stack to choose from…that stack must never run low!
As that Husband o’ Mine is fond of saying ‘chaos follows you wherever you go’…at least he says it with a smile and a kiss!
I enjoy your blog!!
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Much of my list just came from books I already have on my shelves/in bins/on my to read list! I’d love to be motivated enough to get through them, and this helps!
.-= Andrea´s last post ..Another reading challenge? =-.
Hi,
I usually pick a book I’m doing a review on, some that I need to finish reading, or check out my shelves for a book I haven’t read in a while or one I have yet to read.
.-= Michelle´s last post ..`Here Burns My Candle` (by) Liz Curtis Higgs Review + GIVEAWAY =-.
I get recommendations from friends, blogs I read, etc. I keep a list (and it is very long) in Evernote by books I’ll buy and books I’ll check out at the library. I even keep a list of books that I think my kids might like now or someday down the road. For the reading challenges, I will usually go through my Evernote list and pick whatever books sound appealing at that time.
Review pile is the first on the list, but then there are books that I often like to re-read {and sometimes a book that I’m currently reading makes me want to pull those off the shelf!}.
Otherwise, I hear about books from friends or other blogs, add them to my cart and then buy them {or borrow them} as I can! I found one author last year somehow through blog hopping {Kaye Dacus} and have enjoyed her writing, so she’s become one that I add to my pile now too.
I’m always up for a good book suggestion!