How to choose what to read next
When there are so many books - how do you select the next one? Plus: what I've been reading lately, should you be in need of inspiration - including two of the best books I've read this year - so far
Well, well. How do we feel about the very partial, American, testosterone-heavy New York Times list of the 100 best books of the 21st Century? It caused quite the furore-which was, I suspect, very much the point. Clickbait for the win these days. I bet you, like me, have been mentally compiling your own (far superior) list ever since. What would be on yours?
We’re well into July now, which means we have reached the time of year when it is advisable to up your reading time and limit your social media use: the latter may lead to teeth gnashing on account of those who spend the whole summer on a jaunt abroad/on a yacht. It is one of my life goals to be the type of person who decamps for the entire summer. I wouldn’t mind working. It is, in fact, part of the dream that I become that person who gets up early and writes with a strong coffee before the heat of the day becomes overwhelming. Probably whilst wearing a winsome cotton nightgown. In reality, I will mostly spend the summer shuttling between the tennis club and my desk; and encouraging more reading and less screen time - a noble endeavour echoed by parents everywhere. Thank heavens I have plenty of books to keep me company.
And so onto today’s subject at hand, which I’ve been thinking about this since my last post. Because one thing I failed to address - tut, tut - is that sometimes you grind to halt in a state of overwhelm at the sheer volume of (ahem) volumes in the big, wide world of books. When there are so many books to choose from how do you decide?
[Item (as the Provincial Lady would say): there is no such thing as the wrong choice, in my view. And if it doesn’t feel right, you can always veer off course and go down another track.]
And I realise that I automatically ask myself four questions…
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