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I asked Twitter for guest blogs on how to choose what to read next. (I am all too often seduced by 3 for 2 tables in bookshops and end up reading things I didn’t really want to read at all, and don’t especially enjoy.) Here’s one perspective, from @ProofersR_us. I like it very much.
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Forget quantum physics or Einstein’s theory of relativity, ‘what do I read next?’ is one question that even the most intelligent of minds will struggle to answer! Of course you can ask your friends for suggestions, or use websites such as www.whatshouldireadnext.com that will give you an automated answer. However have you ever tried thinking about what it is that makes it difficult for you to decide what book you should read next? Do you know that while most people have a favourite author or have a favourite genre of book, many people will still be besotted with books written by totally different authors or from a different genre, depending on the situation?
People read books for a vast number of different reasons. So, before you embark on the tedious process of deciding what to read next, one of the best things to do is to ask yourself what purpose YOUR next read will be serving (and bear in mind that the answer to this question won’t always be the same). If you can answer this question, I firmly believe it will fast-track you throughout the process of choosing your next book. For example, if you want your next book to take you away from the real world, a fantasy novel of some kind might be just what you’re looking for. If you want to read a book because you’re in need of a good laugh, there are plenty of good humour novels out there.
Now on the other hand if you need to have some reading material at hand to help you through a tough patch in your life, fiction novels such as Playtime by Stephanie Fox which is about a boy who’s been abused, or We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver which describes a mother’s need to come to terms that her son is completely out of control, are probably just the kind of thing you want to be reading. You’ll be amazed at how easily you can bond with some of the characters in these types of books, and how some of the characters can almost become like a best friend, that you want to treat as a confidante!
Perhaps you feel like exploring the world, or are in the mood for going back in time, in which case a book by an international author such as Khaled Hosseini or Vikram Seth would be ideal; or Dissolution by C.J. Sansom which will take you back to the Tudor times. Have you on the other hand, just gone through a major life event such as moving house or changing jobs? In this case a bit of familiarity is just what you need. So try reading a book by an author whose books you have previously read, or even a book you’ve read before – you’d be amazed at how quickly you suddenly start to ‘feel at home’ in your new environment!
I hope that my suggestions will give you some ideas of how to decide what book you should read next.
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Serena Alam is a biomedical science graduate, specialising mainly in neuroscience, and has been working as an editor in the UK publishing industry since 2005. She has co-authored an article about post-herpetic neuralgia which has been published in The Cochrane Library (http://mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clsysrev/articles/CD004846/frame.html). In her spare time she also writes articles about books or publishing. You can email her here, She can be contacted at: copyeditor08@gmail.com. follow her on Twitter, and keep an eye out for her new blog: http://alamse.blogspot.com.
I can wholeheartedly endorse Serena’s recommendations of Vikram Seth, Lionel Shriver and C.J. Sansom. Khaled Hosseini is sitting on my shelf waiting for his moment, and I’d never heard of Stephanie Fox, so I might well give her a go!
If you’d like to share your thoughts on how to choose a book, please email me 300-500 words on the subject, and I’ll publish it here on the blog. Reading a book is a big investment of time and I think it will be interesting to find out what different people’s processes of choice are.
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