Picking a great one

Lots of you apparently want to know how I decide what to read. It's more of an art than a science, but here are my general rules:

1) Get lots of recommendations from friends. Just yesterday, for example, my friend Sarah sent me the list of what her book club was reading and followed it up with an email of what she and her mom and several of our other friends had read recently. I'm sure that once I get through the six books I got from the library on Monday, the two or three that were already on my bedside table, and the ones I know Eddie will get me for Valentine's Day, I'll go back to that email and look into some of those books. But you have to know what kind of reader the person is who is recommending the books. I can be pretty sure that if Sarah recommends a book I'll like it. Same with my friend Janet or my mother-in-law. If my (wonderful, adorable) godmother recommends a book I'll probably think it's a little bit corny. My mom's recommendations can be hit-and-miss, but they've been getting better lately. So if you like romance novels and you're getting recommendations from friends who love science fiction, just be aware.

2) Check out amazon.com and bn.com. Amazon will recommend books for you based on what you've bought in the past, so that's good if you usually shop for yourself but bad if you usually use Amazon to shop for Christmas presents for your grandparents. Barnes and Noble has easily accessed categories of recommended books, award winners, and bestsellers. I also love their "coming soon" lists (though I can't believe that one of my very favorite authors came out with a new book in November and I just found out yesterday-- where was I?). When I read those I can tell which of my favorite authors are coming out with new books and I can be one of the first people on the list to reserve them at the library. I also like to look at the reviews on those websites.

3) If you're in a bookstore and don't know what to get, look at the covers (duh!). People in paperback marketing know what they're doing and know their audiences, so if a cover appeals to you, chances are it's a book you're going to like. I also look at the reviews on the back cover and on the first few pages of the book. If a book has been reviewed by authors whose names I recognize and enjoy, then I'm more likely to buy that book. If the authors don't look familiar or look like they write weird things, then I'm less likely to buy the book.

4) See what Oprah is reading. I love that Oprah and the Today show and Good Morning America have (or have had) book clubs. In fact, back when I was in grad school I was a hair's breadth away from doing my master's thesis on the phenomenon of the Oprah book club. But that's another story. Anyway, I've found some great books from the tv book clubs, and the books usually have stickers (and are prominently displayed) if they've achieved that honor.

5) Read a few pages. Or a chapter. That's what the comfy chairs are for in Barnes and Noble. If the story looks interesting, pick it up (or go home and reserve it from the library). You can even read the first few pages of most books on Amazon. And if you get it home and it's painful, don't be afraid to set it down and quit. Last year I read 2/3 of Moby Dick (after reading Ahab's Wife, which is a fantastic story) and I finally decided I just couldn't read another page. I was already more than 400 pages into it, but I set it down and didn't look back.

So yeah, that's it. I'm by no means an expert, but I do love to read....

--originally published 2/1/06