While I have forgotten the book that triggered it, I will never forget the feeling of immense freedom when I first realized after graduating university I would no longer be “forced” to finish any book I didn’t enjoy. When the epiphany hit, I threw the book across my room and didn’t pick it up for a couple of days — I just smiled at it sitting there against the wall as I thought, “Life is too short for crappy books.”
As long as I can remember, I’ve had more than one book on the go at any time. Right now, I have bookmarks in at least four books — all non-fiction — and I am not sure what my next fiction book will be, after the emotionally draining experience of The Fault in Our Stars.
Which led me to ponder: how do I select books?
Sometimes, I let a book find me — TFIOS found me because Kiddo brought it home; though it had been on my radar, I hadn’t gone out of my way to pick up a copy because I have stacks of unread books at home. Yesterday, someone left a copy of Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep on the free table at work so I grabbed it and I am debating tucking into that rather intimidating tome next.
I also let books find me by, well almost divination. I will wander down to our bookshelves and just look at them. Often as not, one will stand out or catch my eye and almost always I will pick it up, feel its weight, read the blurb and know, “this will do.” That’s how I finally got around to reading Clive Barker’s Weaveworld — which I loved thoroughly and finished last weekend.
Of course I may return to Susan Cooper’s Dark is Rising series — I read the first book last year and have the remainder of the series lined up and ready to go. I promised a friend she could borrow my copies when I finished… but I have four books to read. However as kid-lit, they are at least easy reads.
Since last fall, I’ve also been following along with the Evil Book Club of Evil through Tumblr — I’ve read a few great books that I wouldn’t have otherwise picked out including Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard — but this month’s was one I’d already read and had no particular interest in re-reading, Neil Gaiman’s American Gods.
And then there is the ever-growing collection of e-books in my Kindle reader. Last year, especially, I was downloading several titles per month. Most were free, some were 99 cents, some $1.99 or $2.99, a few I splurged at higher price-points. I find, though, that I read non-fiction easily in my e-reader software, but the fiction titles continue to pile up. This is likely because I prefer to read fiction in bed and printed books are just a little better suited to that task.
Basically, I am surrounded by stacks of books — at home and at work — and yet still can’t seem to resist popping into the public library or bookstores, or checking out the book section of thrift stores, because hey, more books is always good, right?
I know I will never have enough time to read everything I’ve collected.
Even if I stopped buying books today, I am not sure I would get through everything on my shelves or in my Kindle that is yet-to-be-read, but I am OK with that because it means I have choices. Tough choices maybe, but I won’t bother finishing any crappy book, and that is a guarantee.