Finding Great Books and Making Them a Part of You!

Recently, at a New Year's Eve party, while having a conversation about books, one of the guests asked me what was the best way to find a good book. She told me that she often stands looking at the shelves not knowing where to begin.

Later, in one of my writing classes, it happened again. A student came up to me and asked where he could find some good science fiction books and how could he tell whether or not that particular science fiction book was the one he was looking for?

When I thought about it, I came up with several ideas.

Here are some How-To’s on finding that book you are looking for:

1)Know what kind of books you like. Find that section of the library or internet site, etc…

2) Ask everyone you know that reads to suggest a few good books---friends, teachers, etc…Get recommendations!

3) Look at the cover. Does it catch your eye?

4) Is the title interesting to you?

5)Read the summary on the inside flap. Does it intrigue you?

6) Look for any illustrations. Do they work with the text?

7)Check out the return cart! A lot of good books are checked out, NOT sitting on the shelf.

8) Read the first sentence in the book. Does it intrigue you? This is a sworn-by-method given to me by one of my friends, who insists that it works every time.

9)Read other books written by your favorite authors.

10)Check the back cover for other book selection suggestions. Many websites where you buy books will give recommendations.

11) Read book reviews in the newspaper or consider getting a magazine which discusses current books like BOOK magazine.

12)Read about your hobbies or other special interests.

Now, if I am asked to lend one of my favorite books, I always have to look inside of it first---just to be sure that I haven’t annotated it too much. I have a tendency to write so much in the lines of my book, that it would surely be a distraction to another reader, and they might learn more about me than I am ready to share.

As Mortimer Adler stated in “How to Read a Book,” you can lend a friend your car or your coat, but since books are “as much a part of you as your head or your heart,” how can you lend them a well-read book? Maybe this is not a problem you have experienced yet.

IF not, once you find the book you are looking for, how can you make it a part of you---a well-read book?

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