Before DJ, with much more time on my hands, I would scour bookstores and the library, taking my time to decide on a few books to purchase or borrow. I was known to walk out of the library with five books at once. I would read anything, really, even if I wasn't feeling it. As Elise recently said, "Life is too short to waste time on a book you're not connecting with," and I couldn't agree more, kids or no kids.
These days, I find myself relying heavily (almost solely) on suggestions from friends online. It's nearly impossible, when I see someone I admire online posting about a book they loved, for me not to look into what the story is about. Having tried to read one of Jojo Moyes books over a year ago and not getting past the second page, I probably would never have picked up Me Before You, if it weren't for Meg.
And what a terrible shame that would have been, because it was so stunningly sad and incredible.
Anyways, it got me wondering about how you all find and select what books you read? I'd love to hear from you.
Life
is too short to waste time on a book you're not connecting with. - See
more at:
http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/golden/page/2/#sthash.iizYozVw.dpuf
Life
is too short to waste time on a book you're not connecting with. - See
more at:
http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/golden/page/2/#sthash.iizYozVw.dpuf
Life
is too short to waste time on a book you're not connecting with. - See
more at:
http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/golden/page/2/#sthash.iizYozVw.dpuf
Life
is too short to waste time on a book you're not connecting with. - See
more at:
http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/golden/page/2/#sthash.iizYozVw.dpuf
I'm the same! I follow so many people who are readers, and I listen to a books podcast, so I'm never short of book ideas. The trick is to figure out which people share your taste.
ReplyDelete(I'm halfway through Me Before You right now and I'm bracing myself for the emotional ending!)
Book podcasts?! Do you have a favorite you want to share so I can check it out?
DeleteI'm not Kathleen, but I listen to Books on the Nightstand and highly recommend it. In fact, if you go back a handful of episodes on their website, you willl find an episode about Summer Reading Bingo. You print off a bingo card and read a book that matches the category in a square. Addictive and fun.
DeleteI definitely do the same as you mention - I have a notes file on my phone, and every time someone I like mentions a book on a blog/twitter/instagram, I add it there. More recently, I'm finding that I don't even read much of the book jacket descriptions before jumping in; if it's on my list, it's probably because someone cool liked it. It's led me to some surprises (with Me Before You, in particular - everyone was loving it but I wasn't really prepared for how emotional and sad it was when I picked it up and didn't read the blurb) but it adds a layer of mystery. I've also been using goodreads for years to track and rate the books I read, and when I'm considering a book, sometimes I'll see if any of my friends there have read it and liked it before committing.
ReplyDeleteYes, I track all of the books I read (and most of what I want to read) in Shelfari. I love the idea of having a list on my phone though! I may have to do that !
DeleteThis book was incredible. I love everything JoJo Moyes writes. How I find books? Through your Instagram feed. (I'm not kidding.)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.goodreads.com/
ReplyDeletehttp://bookseer.com/?title=Me+Before+You&author=Jojo+Moyes
http://www.openingthebook.com/whichbook/
:)
I'm the total opposite – I don't really take recommendations to heart, at least not just on the recommendation itself (I think because I'm really picky about what I think is "good" or "realistic"). When someone recommends a book to me: If the title catches my ear then I'll look the book up, and if the cover catches my eye then I'll read the inside flap, and if that catches my attention I'll browse through a few pages and go from there.
ReplyDeleteMostly, though, I slowly shop the shelves at B&N each week on my way home from work. I'm totally one of those people that judges a book by its cover, so if the cover design doesn't catch my eye, I probably won't ever pick the book up. But it's not JUST cover design. If the cover catches my eye, then I flip through it and wait for it to "grab" me.
Also, I hardly ever read The Big Books–you know, the ones that everyone else is reading. I like to read unique things that are less well known so that when people ask me what I'm reading or for suggestions, I have something a bit different to offer. The exceptions: Gone Girl and Me Before You (although I read Me Before You last year-ish before it blew up this spring).
I usually browse https://instagram.com/explore/tags/currentlyreading/ and pick new books base on their covers.
ReplyDeleteOk wow, I'm going be religiously following that hashtag now!
DeleteI use a combination of things. Friend recommendations are at the top of the list, followed by blogger or people I follow on Instagram's recommendations. I like Elise's posts too because the suggestions other readers have are great in the comments section. My librarians are super nice and help me find books I'll like when I am in a rut or can't think of a book. Last resort is to look up a book on Amazon that I liked then look at the suggested books under them. I've found a lot of good books that way. The only problem with that is that sometimes I end up reading the same topic/genre for many months in a row before I realize I've read a whole lot of fiction books about WWII. Social media does make it easier for me to find books though.
ReplyDeleteI'm in 2 book clubs and honestly that's a lot for me to keep up with to start, so probably 50-60% of my choices come from there. I find the rest online, usually from bloggers mentioning something (like Elise) or from friends on Goodreads.
ReplyDelete