The Reading Pantry: How to Choose What to Read
I’ve done it both ways. I’ve read books at the whim of a recommendation from someone I follow on Instagram, and then a book that randomly popped up in between funny reels of dogs. And this year I did it the other way, planning my year of reading in advance. In conclusion, both ways are fine. However, one way is better than the other and in this essay I’ll tell you why. lol.
In all seriousness the struggle of choosing books on a whim can be quite taxing and disappointing at times. I’ll admit that back in my 20s it felt fun to see a book on a random influencer’s vacation post with a recommendation from them like, ‘this book is changing my life’ and then pick that up and start to read it. But these days, I have very little time to waste on books I don’t enjoy, so I’ve taken a different approach.
I’m going to give you my easy-peasy steps for how to choose what to read and if you stick it out maybe it’ll improve your reading life just a teensy bit.
The Basics
I like to start at the beginning but if you want to plan your reading for the year now, great! Now is always the best time start something new. In December I usually take a few days to make some reading plans for the upcoming year.
First, I start with genres. I list out what genres I usually like to read. I actually write them down, on paper. With space in between, obviously, to fill in the blanks.
A more basic tip: If you’re not sure what genres you like to read, go back and find the last three books that you gave five stars, the ones you still think about every so often and write down their genres.
Second, I open my ‘want-to-read’ lists on Goodreads and Fable*. And I just…start…scrolling.
*I really like both of these apps for tracking my reading and making lists. They are both a little clunky to get used to, but once you do, it’s quite simple from there. I’m trying to put some distance between Goodreads and I, because they are owned by Amazon and I’m trying my hardest to cut them out of my life.
Another basic tip: Rather than immediately going for the add to cart button whenever I see a book I’m interested in, I head to the apps I shared above. I look it up, read the summary and either add it to my ‘want-to-read’ list or don’t. This way, when I go to plan my reading I have a curated list of books I’ve already decided I’m interested in.
Other Methods
Here are a couple of other easy ways to find books you might like to read.
Choose your two very favorite books from the last 2-3 years. Look up those authors and peruse their catalog, see if they’ve made any announcements about new books on the horizon.
Check the book content creators you follow. Little tip: when I first started seeking out book influencers I was very drawn to the list makers and the roundup girlies. But I’ve found over time that those don’t work for me and I’ll tell you why below.
Ask your friends who are smarter than you or who you know read, what books they like. I have several family and friends who are always the ones I ask about what they’ve read lately that they loved. Their recommendations have almost never failed me.
How to Know What You Like
To be frank, the only way to know what kind of books you like to read, is to read books of all different kinds. I have learned that I love celebrity memoirs, mostly. But other memoir doesn’t interest me a ton. I have also learned that while I love a good mystery or thriller—gross, gore, and dark are not my thing. I like my bad stuff to be bad-lite.
Finding Your Curators
Something to watch out for are the synopses and blurbs that are meant to let you know if this might be a book you’re interested in. However, the purpose of those blurbs is not necessarily to give you an honest look, but rather to tease you into reading the book.
For example, this is the description of Sally Rooney’s Normal People:
Normal People explores the complex relationship between two Irish high school classmates, Connell and Marianne, over four years of their young adult lives. Despite their contrasting social statuses and personalities, they are drawn together and find no other relationships as fulfilling.
While all the things said there are true, it creates the perception that this book could be a romance or a YA romance when, in reality, Rooney’s prose and plot creation are quite dry and dark and twisted.
Of course, you can always read more in depth descriptions to get a feel for a book, but take this as a warning that the brief description on Goodreads or Fable may not encapsulate all that a book is.
As I said before, when I first started looking for book creators/reviewers to follow I was drawn to the list makers. I’m not sure why, maybe it was the mass of options they were handing out for ‘books I might like if I also like the beach and a pina colada,’ but I quickly learned from my mistakes.
Most of the ‘list making’ reviewers are doing google searches to give you a list of books that might be similar. And they likely haven’t read most of the books they’re recommending. But as I’ve read more and perused more of their lists I found some interesting discrepancies.
They generally use a very popular book to hook you:
If you loved Where the Crawdads Sing, you’ll love these books…”
But then I notice I’ve read some of the books they are putting up as comparisons of the really popular book and they don’t quite seem to match up in similarities. Often there are books on the list that I really didn’t like.
Instead you should seek out book reviewers that post longer form reviews of books they have actually read. Sometimes they are gifted books, and good reviewer wills say as much in their review. But many reviewers are just posting reviews of what they read because they like to share with others. Here is a list of some of my favorite follows to get recommendations and reviews from:
Meagan’s Book Club Meagan is forever honest and I appreciate it so much. She reviews a great balance of different genres.
Everyday Reading Janssen gives very quick and tight reviews of some very popular books but not generally popular in the mainstream. They are often books getting passed around in the avid reader communities.
Keep a Book Out Aimee gives great reviews of not only adult books but also books for all ages and she hasn’t missed yet.
CMBC My love of celebrity memoirs drew me to the CMBC ladies and I’m grateful that I don’t have to read every celebrity memoir and only the good ones.
Mike’s reviews are storied and thorough and thoughtful. The perfect way to give book recommendations.
What’s Emily Readin’ Emily is also honest in her book reviews, which I very much appreciate.
Ananascanread I am fascinated by Ana. She is a very different reader than I and that’s why I love reading her reviews. It’s good to have balance.
In conclusion, best of luck with your reading planning and I hope you have the best weekend ever and do something that feels super relaxing to you and you get to breathe and feel the sun on your sparkly skin.
Talk to you in about a week in your ears for the next episode of the podcast!
