A coworker recently asked me how I learned about new books to read. This is not the first time someone has asked me that question. I stammered a bit as I tried to come up with an answer; I always have trouble coming up with an answer. How do I learn about books I want to read? I have arranged my life so that books are so integral to it that I somehow just know. But the knowing has to come from somewhere, doesn’t it?
There is no book fairy leaving books or lists beneath my pillow at night, though wouldn’t that be cool? I definitely learn about books from reading blogs. Very dangerous places, blogs. I subscribe to Bookforum and benefit both from the articles and the advertisements. There’s also the Sunday New York Times Book Review. I subscribe to a couple publisher blogs and publisher email newsletters. I appreciate a book with a good bibliography. I own several books that are nothing but lists of books. I was an English major and still have lists of books professors in college recommended. When I have the pleasure of going to an author reading, I pay attention to who they say they are reading. I sometimes find out about a book from a publicist’s email. My idea of a good time is spending hours browsing in a bookstore. I have a husband who loves books as much as I do and has his own sources.
I ended up just telling my coworker that I learn about books from reading blogs and book reviews. Perhaps I have trouble giving more information than that because people who ask that question may read but aren’t obsessive readers and it doesn’t seem like they would understand. Otherwise why would they ask such a question? I imagine if I start to detail all my book sources or make a flippant remark about book fairies the response would be a scared look as the person slowly tries to back away from me.
I’m sure some of you have been asked where you learn about books. Do you have a hard time answering like I do or do you have a ready answer that makes you seem “normal?”
It’s such a difficult question to answer in any succinct way, and yet, it is a GOOD question — especially if asked by someone that does not live and breathe BOOKS as we [the Addicted Booklovers -- the "obsessive" ones] do.
I myself do not have a ready answer. I’m not sure I’ve been asked the question. My answer would be convoluted, as is yours. It would involve so many things.
A side issue, and this has happened from time to time — is, someone will SEND me a book [a gift maybe] and I sooooooooooo do not want to read the thing, it is soooooooooo something I would never read or buy or want to buy or read or even LOOK at…… and they KNOW I am reader — and so, how do you not read the thing?
Your answer to your coworker is much the same as I would answer someone. A booklover always feels they have a sense of being “in the know”…. you have favorite authors, favorite subjects / genres — plus, there is the blogworld, and recommendations from people. I, for one, was amazed to find out that you read Lewis’s Till We Have Faces as a result of reading of my own love for that novel.
Amazed, and yet the same has happened for me. Reading books because a blogfriend had endorsed them.
[I love the way you have the snowflakes trailing across your blog... it is so nice].
Maybe you should just tell them you can tell a book that you want to read by looking at it: if it has a cover, and is filled with pages of writing, then you want to read it.
It is always strange to think about how we come upon the inspiration to read any particular work. I find that the ways I discover them are quite varied and would defy simple explanation.
I suspect the underlying question is how do you find books that *you* want to read, that you are pretty confident you’ll enjoy. Books don’t have massive marketing campaigns behind them, so it’s harder for people to know what to expect from a book than from a cheeseburger or iPhone. Add to that the taboo against revealing too much about a book, and reading becomes an even riskier venture. The reader is asked to fork over time and money with little knowledge of what sort of experience they’re in for. Some readers are adventurous types who like to be led somewhere unexpected, but I think most of us try to get some idea of a book’s contents or at least a trusted friend’s recommendation before committing to it. I personally do a whole lot of research before buying or borrowing a book, and one major source for me is Amazon. I find the reviews incredibly useful, and the related books links and member lists often lead me to great books I’ve never heard of. It’s as much a Wikipedia of books as an online retailer.
I think if someone asked me that question I would also point them to the public library. My library has displays of popular new books and staff picks, as well as brochures with suggested titles for different subjects, and there are similar resources on the library’s website as well, not to mention the helpful librarians themselves.
Or they can just read your blog.
This reminds me of going into the library when I was in my early teens and looking at the adult books, all arranged by author names on shelves where I couldn’t even see the pictures on the cover, and wondering how on earth one knew what to read. How did I get from there to where I am now?
I haven’t got a clue. I think it happened by osmosis!
Or, well, really it happened from trying one book, and it leading to another and then reading reviews, and getting recommmendations and university reading lists, and then finally blogging (which is the source par excellence of further reading!). But yes it takes time and thought. It’s the same process as people go through to follow a favourite sport, or learn how to tinker with cars or manage to end up cooking bouillabaisse soup, or whatever. I’d tell your coworker to come and read your blog, Stefanie! That should get him/her started.
Nowadays I would just say: from book blogs. But less than three years ago I had never read a book blog. And I still had huge lists of books I wanted to read! Some were from books friends and family recommended to me. Others from books I spotted on shelves in bookstores, but wanted to read from the library before committing money to owning them. Some I jotted down from seeing other people reading them in public (the bus, mostly) and being curious. And many, many titles piqued my interest when I found them mentioned in other narratives, or listed in resource lists of nonfiction books I enjoyed. So I guess the answer is a lot more complex than I’d thought!
For the last year I’ve found book blogs, such as yours dear Stefanie, a constant source of juicy books to read. There are so, so many talented, well-read bloggers who not only know about worthwhile books, they are able to articulate their thoughts about them. I am lucky, though, in that I seem to have friends and family who also love to read, and generally pass along their recommendations to me. I seldom get my reading list from the best seller lists I see in the newspaper and at the bookstore. When I do read a bestseller, I am often disappointed (the most recent case in point being The Thirteenth Tale – although I loved Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, which I think may be on some bestseller list somewhere.) The Internet is a remarkable source for reading lists. And then, of course, there’s the good, old-fashioned library populated with librarians who are there because they love to read.
I get a lot of my books from just browsing the bookstore. I especially like the “new paperbacks/hardbacks” tables. I also read a lot of book reviews online from blogs, newspapers, magazines, Twitter, etc. Additionally, I browse online bookstore catalogs. I always check out Amazon’s monthly Magnificent 7 selections and I occasionally read BN.com’s newsletter for other book recommendations. And, of course, I learn about some books from other books.
I think one of the reasons why we sometimes find it so hard to explain how we find out about books because it’s often really organic. For instance, I read Wilkie Collins “Woman in White” for the first time because I read “The Thirteenth Tale,” which mentioned “Woman in White.” And, I read “The Thirteenth Tale” because so many bloggers raved about it. One book often leads to another even if we don’t get to that book months after the fact, which makes it hard to remember how we got there in the first place.
I think the best answer to give someone when they ask this kind of question is the ones that are most likely to help them, or the ones that are most accessible to them. I always browse at the bookstore, read book blogs, check with what my friends are reading and hit sites like goodreads, and even amazon to see what they reccomend based on stuff I have looked at before. These are the answers I give when people ask me how I find books I like.
I do look at catalogs when I order books for my job (I’m a librarian) and occaisionally get to talk to a publisher. But for most people, these aren’t really accessible to them; so it’s not something I would reccomend.
My favorite reccomendation is to start a book club with friends, but not the kind where everyone reads the same book and discusses it. I think the best method is when everyone reads a different book, you meet talk about the books you’ve each read and then swap if you want. (This helps avoid the pitfall of everyone trying to find a copy of the same book, and in the long run can save everyone some money.)
Book blogging has opened up my reading a lot! But still I have so many books I want to read for my lists (Nobel prize, general classics lists, New Lifetime Reading Plan and other reading books lists) that I could just keep reading those books for the rest of my life. Do I need to learn about new books? Sigh. Of course I feel I do.
Like others, I find most of my book recommendations from blogs these days, but I’ve also relied on awards lists, newspaper and radio reviews (NPR, mostly), and even good catalogs like Bas Bleu and the now defunct Common Readers. And then there are recommendations from friends and just browsing in the bookstore or library (although when browsing I rarely end up with something entirely unfamilar). And that’s pretty much how I answer the question when someone asks. I think heavy-duty readers are just on the alert for good books to read.
Blogs, of course! But. Although that’s where I learn about most books, how I choose from among them what I’m going to read is something a little different. It still has to click with me in a very special way, and I’m unable to define those criteria.
I really like the idea above that it’s organic. One book leads to another, it mentions a book, then you read an interview with the author and he mentions a book, and some blogger happens to be reading that book, so you consider what they’re reading next…
It is so hard to answer that question as you say, without seeming strange. It’s kind of like when none reader people ask you what you read and you’re reluctant to say anything specific because you know they will judge you on the few books you mention then and there.
Like everyone else above it’s a big old mixture for me (although I’m mostly avoiding publisher catalogues because I might spend all my savings). I also find it really helpful to keep a notebook full of every book I’ve thought ‘hmm that’s interesting’ so that when I do have money, or people ask what I want for a bday I don’t have to hunt around for book suggestions. Blogs are brilliant! I’d never find out about half the books I read now without blogs.
I never know what to say to this either. I think it’s because I rarely feel like I’m purposefully searching for new books, they just jump out at me. I wonder the aisles of bookstores and libraries and pick up bags of books at library book sales. More recently I’ve been reading book blogs, and I subscribed to Bookmarks magazine for a while but realized I was just reading the books recommended in it that I probably would have read anyway. I also do what a few people have mentioned – I read books that are mentioned in other books. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn made me really want to read David Copperfield. The Reading Group made me want to read several books, including Heartburn by Nora Ephron and The Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears that I probably wouldn’t have read otherwise. Finding a new author I like makes me want to read other things by that author, and I may check the author website if it’s a current author to see what they like to read. My problem has always been having too many books to read, not finding new books. But this question is one of the reasons why I started my blog – people kept asking me this, or asking what I’ve read recently – I wouldn’t know how to answer. I read several books at one time, and read an average of 8-10 books a month, so how can I answer that quickly? Will I sound like a snob if I say the history book or classical selection I’m reading? It’s funny that that question throws me too.
Cipriano, I’m glad I’m not the only one who can’t be succinct with this answer. And I so know what you mean about someone giving you a book because they know you are a reader. It’s even harder if they tell you it’s a book they love. Glad you like the snow. It’s compliments of WordPress and doesn’t need to be shoveled.
Bikkuri, LOL! You are right, we learn about books from so many different sources that it is hard to be specific.
Sylvia, you gave me a chuckle. I am not surprised at how thorough you are in researching you reading. Sometimes I think I should be more careful. I think though next time someone asks me that question I am going to refer them to you
Litlove, I like osmosis for an answer though I am sure the other person would not like it. I never thought of book selection as something learned but it makes sense. For better or worse my coworkers all know about my blog because of the Wall Street Journal, and I think that is what prompted the question in the first place.
Jeane, it is a complex answer! Maybe I should stop worry about explaining it all and just say from blogs. That would be easier. But then I can hear the next question: how do you know/find what blogs to read?
Grad, you are such a sweetie
I hope you count yourself among the insightful readers and bloggers! You are right, the internet is a marvelous place for book lovers.
J.S, I think you have hit the nail on the head with your organic observation. That rings exactly true to me, well said!
Rosalia, what a marvelous librarian you are! You are right to suggest telling them about sources most accessible to them. And book groups are great places to learn about new books. I know my reading lists get plumper from them!
Rebecca, oh you are right. Before blogs came along I had lists long enough to keep me busy for a very long time and now it’s even worse and I haven’t even tried very hard.
Teresa, I used to love the Common Reader catalog. I miss it. NPR is great too. I love when they have authors on.
Isabella, you make a good distinction between learning about books and deciding what to read. One of the things I love about reading is how one book leads to another. I used to think I’d keep track of that somehow but have never figured out how. It would make a fascinating study.
Jodie, yes it is not only hard to say where we learn about books but also the seeming strange part that makes it hard to answer. Most people don’t read like we do and for some reason I don’t want them to think I’m weird. But maybe I should stop worrying and embrace it!
Lindsey, I’m glad books jump out at you too! I hear you on having too many books to read. I could stop discovering new books right now and just read the ones on my lists and still have some leftover when I die. It’s great isn’t it?
Your post is interesting because it has revealed to me just how much time it takes to build up all the sources of information I have. It’s not really simple at all to figure out what to read. I have books and authors I know from college and grad school, knowledge which obviously took a lot of time to acquire, and then I’ve figured out which newspapers and magazines and reviewers to trust, which also takes a lot of work, and now I know which bloggers I like to pay attention to, and figuring out the whole blogosphere takes a lot of work as well. When people ask me that question, I start to explain about blogs, but it’s a little difficult to tell people where to start. I suppose the best thing is to give people an idea of the magazines and papers out there and the blogs and to tell them to explore.
I’m always interested by how one book leads to another. I’m reading the Uncommon Reader right now and there are a number of books mentioned there that I added to my list. I totally second your comment about blogs leading to books. It IS very dangerous. I can end up with a list of 10-12 books that I have to read after spending time on only a few book blogs.
I get this question a lot, too (even from other library staff!) and I always have a difficult time coming up with a succint response that accurately conveys the multitude of ways I find out about books. I typically end up saying book reviews and from friends who are readers (I include book bloggers in both of those categories – and since most people don’t know what a book blog is, it wouldn’t do any good to differentiate book blogs as a source).