"How do I choose my books?", You ask

In my eagerness to tell you about my current reading for the new year, I only briefly mentioned my process saying that it was “simple, but it does take a little time.” Then I rushed on and began describing my books. Sorry about that. Today’s post hopefully will make up for that.

           From just where do I get my book candidates? They are only candidates at this time. Very seldom do I know immediately what my next book is to be. Sometimes the book is one that I have wanted and just bought, usually by mail, and usually from Barnes & Noble. I say sometimes because usually I order more than one book at a time and they get put into a reading order. I say sometimes because often I’m just into another book and it will take me in another direction. This is another way, quite often actually, how my reading is chosen. I want to read another book on the same subject, or as oftentimes happens, an interesting fact or story is mentioned and I am off looking at it for awhile, noting that I want to learn more about it. And this happens in fiction as much as it does nonfiction.

          The third way I choose my reading is from my reading lists. I have two; one for fiction, and one for nonfiction. These lists contain my “current” library. That means books that I actively have displayed in my home, be it the loft, living room, bedroom, or shelves in the garage. Within each list I am always updating the lists, adding and deleting, as well as designating which books are to be considered as “next-reads”.

          The fourth way I choose my reading - it is an extension of the reading lists - is usually the way I come up with my reading. Simply, I look at my shelves and piles of books. I see titles that I have forgotten, but often I will see books from my reading lists and newly purchased ones. I find the visual experience of looking at a book cover or even the spine usually makes the book more appealing to me than seeing the title in a list.

          So now I have my book. How do I begin to read it? First, I read the flyleaf and/or the back cover. Next, I read the acknowledgments, and then the bibliography. I look for books I have already read as well as some possible new ones (I re-check this after I have read the book as well). Fourth, I read any preface or forward if present. Next is the introduction (my college history professor often took his test questions from introductions). And lastly, I begin to read the first few pages. If I am not interested in about the first ten pages, I’ll put the book down and take it out of the reading pile for now. Sometimes when I have completely made a mistake about the book, I either give it away or donate it to the local library at which I volunteer.

          As you can see from the above paragraph, it leans towards nonfiction, but the first – flyleaf/back cover – and reading of the first few pages apply to fiction as well. But my library of a few thousand books are heavily skewed towards nonfiction; probably two-thirds at least.

Like I said, simple.