How to Find Good Books

While it's fantastic that we have so many books so readily available to us from so many different sources, sometimes this can lead to a problem of just too much choice.  So today I'm going to try to give some advice on how to (hopefully) pick out the best books.  I'll try to avoid the really obvious suggestions of recommendations from friends, family, etc.

Read the middle pages

If a book doesn't seem like it's going anywhere or doing anything by the middle, then what are the chances that it will suddenly decide to pick up in the home stretch?  And, are you really going to want to read through to the end to find out whether it does?

Judge a book by it's cover

It's a really bad idea for life in general, but it can be applied really well to books.  A lot of time and energy goes into designing every cover, because publishers recognize that often people will be skimming though dozens of books, and they want theirs to stand out. 

One thing that I think should set off some pretty massive warning bells is when the name of the writer is written in bigger font then the title (I am looking at you, Nicholas Sparks).  What are they selling, the book or the writer?

Holiday reading

The summer holidays can be the best time for reading.  However, especially if you are flying abroad, then there will be a limit on how many books you can bring, which is annoying for those of us who read a lot.

So, here are a few quick pieces of advice on how you can reduce the number of books you have to pack without running out of things to read.

1. Start Afresh

If you are in the middle of a book, then it's probably better to start a new one.  The weight of the pages that you have already read is dead weight.  For obvious reasons, a paperback is better then a hardback book.

2. E-readers 

I personally am a supporter of the paper book; they don't run out of battery or hurt your eyes, and I think that it's easier to form an emotional connection with a book if it doesn't occupy the same space as a hundred other books.  Maybe that's a bit materialistic of me, but I just enjoy the feeling of reading a paper book.  However, I understand that there are a lot of advantages to e-readers, and going on holidays is one of those times where it can be great to have one. An e-reader and a charger are far lighter then most books, and you can bring as much reading material as you could possibly need with you.

3. Slow reading

While everyone has their own reading pace, this pace can also change depending on what book you are reading.  For example, when you read a fast-paced book, then you might read more quickly, either consciously or subconsciously, because you want to get to the end, or find out what happens next.  However, if you read a novel that's very introspective and thought-provoking then you might spend more time digesting the ideas and thus read more slowly.  While there is nothing wrong with either type of book, it might be a better idea to bring a book that you think you will read more slowly on holiday, so it will last longer.

4. Buy a book while you're there

If you're on holidays somewhere were you have some knowledge of the local language, then it might be a great idea to buy a book in that language while you're there.  You might only be able to read children's books, but it can help to learn the language.  I would particularly recommend this if you are on a student exchange.

5. Join the library

If you are going on holidays in your home country, you might not need to go through a long, complicated process to borrow some books from the local library in the place where your staying.  This helps reduce the number of books you have to bring and is better for the environment then buying a brand new book.