How to Choose Which Books to Read
A post about my reading habits with top tips to make your own reading more fun this year
At the turn of the year, many people set themselves a reading goal in terms of quantity, eg “I will read 52 books in 2024”.
This always strikes me as an odd approach, because surely the joy of reading doesn’t increase according to quantity?
It’s not like pledging to lose x pounds in weight: a pound of flesh = a pound of flesh, (although a pound of muscle is very different from a pound of fat).
This numeric approach can distract people from thinking about how much they’ve enjoyed the books.
It risks turning reading into a box-ticking exercise rather than the adventure that it should be.
It also encourages readers who are running out of time to reach their goal to pick shorter books towards the end of the year, even when they might rather be getting stuck into a more substantial tome.
How I Keep Track of What I’ve ReadI do keep track of the books I’ve read, but only by keeping a list (unnumbered) in a little notebook, inspired by my mum, who has been doing this for years. I like being able to look back and remind myself what I’ve read, especially if I’ve forgotten a title and want to recommend it to a friend or to read more by the same author. The only other detail I include is the month in which I’ve read it.
My reading log-book is getting a little dog-eared after four years of useSome months I read more books that others, because I choose books of different lengths and genres. I read non-fiction books more slowly that fiction, and because I usually find non-fiction more demanding, I tend to read fiction at the same time. Often I’ll read non-fiction in the morning, when my wits are more about me, and fiction in the evening to relax.
How I Choose Which Book to Read NextInfluential factors are:
A thoughtful Christmas gift from my sister who knows how much I love and admire Laura Ingalls Wilderwhat I’ve been given as gifts(sometimes the giver will have chosen something that closely match my interests, other times it’ll be a book they’ve enjoyed)what treasures I’ve spotted in secondhand bookshops or Little Free Libraries
(I often choose books that are out of print and obscure)snippets of “Book of the Week” broadcasts I might have heard by chance on the radio
(I seldom hear the whole series)what else I’ve been reading recently
(I often play book tag, following associations across different genres)
A little more explanation of “book tag” may be needed. For example, after reading Sathnam Sanghera’s history book, Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain…
I started on Vaseem Khan’s cosy mystery set in modern India, The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra…
before travelling back in time to his historical novel set just after Indian independence and Partition, Midnight at Malabar House.
Although both Vaseem Khan’s books are first in series, and I plan to read the rest of the both series as I really enjoyed them, instead my next pick was Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children, about a man born on the stroke of midnight of the day India gains independence.
I’m now thinking I might move on to another book that takes Midnight as its theme. Yes, I have already read Philippa Pearce’s Tom’s Midnight Garden, thank you! But I welcome any more suggestions!
It’s only now I realise that at least three of these books have won major prizes – but lists of prizewinners are never a starting point for me when I’m choosing what to read next.
How will you decide which books you’ll read in 2024? I’d love to know!
IN OTHER NEWSA few years ago, I was surprised to discover that there are a lot of readers out there who love to read box sets of ebooks, and who will buy box sets almost exclusively. When I say “box set”, there’s no physical box involved – ebook box sets are really just a collection of books sold as a single product. (Personally, I have a great fondness for physical box sets of print books, as I wrote about here, when I was self-publishing my first box set of ebooks years ago.)
I’m pleased to announce that Boldwood Books, who now publish all of my novels, have just launched not one but three new box sets of my books – two in the Sophie Sayers series and one for Gemma Lamb. These are all now available to buy on all the usual digital platforms. Just put my name and the series title into the search box of your favourite ebook store to order your copy now.
Next Wednesday I’ll be sharing a sneak preview of my next book, Driven to Murder, the ninth Sophie Sayers Cozy Mystery, which will be launched by Boldwood Books on Friday 26th January 2024. If you’d like Boldwood Books to email you about my new books, special offers and related competitions, you can sign up for their free mailng list here:
In the meantime, happy reading!
Coming soon!
