The Sword and Laser discussion
How do you decide what to read next?
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I keep a list, as well, but I keep it in the notes app on my phone. I don't get as many "for fun" recommendations as it sounds like you do, so I often get to the bottom of this list. If I like the first book in a series, I try to finish that series before moving onto something else. If I like the author, I see what I can read by that author until I get saturated by the style, then I hold off reading more for a bit. Sometimes I just get an urge to read a particular author and pull from my already owned shelf for a while.
I use Goodreads just as Basil, but I try to read in the following order: 1 fantasy (my favorite genre, go swords!), 1 non-fiction and 1 fiction non-fantasy. I have read some stuff that I didn't like that much (usually in the non-fantasy) but I have found a bunch of good authors in other genres.
I keep a list, but only a few of those are in Goodreads. Most of it is on that most ancient of technologies, the pen and paper.I get a lot of my reads frmo the library, so they dictate when reserved items become available, and I also stroll the shelves every now and then and let serendipity happen.
Lisa, I used to marathon series, just like you, but I'm trying something new now, and possibly less exhausting for me. Even if the next book in the series is at the top of my list, I'll read one other book in between. I'm a writer myself, trying to get seriously into writing fiction, and I worry that if I read too much of one author or series, it might affect my voice.
Basil- I agree with it potentially affecting your voice to read too much of one author. I write professionally (peer reviewed) and I am aware that I need a break between reading and writing or I end up mimicking the other author!
I use Goodreads for the to-read list too! Mostly read through the sci-fi/fantasy stuff because friends usually have copies of books to loan me, or they're books I'll buy for my nook. Otherwise I'll wait till the library carries it :|
Despite all my best efforts, I've been unable to discipline myself to any special system of selecting my next book. I keep a wish list on audible that seems to have come to some level of equilibrium... I read (or listen if you're the ticky sort) to two books a month, and I seem to add at a similar rate, so I have about two years worth at any given time to choose from. When my credits re-up, I generally try to get one sci-fi and one "other", but as for which I pick... it usually comes down what I'm in the mood for come the 6th of the month. The only thing I have been fairly successful at imposing on myself is getting through a series before starting another.
I track books I want to read using GoodReads, but that list is approaching 500 at this point. I tend to pick books people I know are reading, or are being nominated for awards and have some kind of timeliness to them. I always prefer to read in community rather than isolated, so the books I know I can have conversations about tend to win!
Like Alan, my choice is determined by what the library has at the moment. I keep my list of to-reads on GoodReads open in one tab and the library in another tab. Luckily our library provides a pretty good selection of audio books from OverDrive. So, not only is my next read determined by what's on my GoodReads list and what's at the library but also by who reads the audio book. I have to admit that the fact that Scott Brick reads the original Shannara series was more of a factor in my choosing it than the actual premise. And I can't pass up a Frank Muller reading, no matter what the book.
Personally from the library I got the book 500 Essential Cult Books: The Ultimate Guide which I got tons of ideas from. Also I read books that are recommended to me from friends. This new year I would like to use good reads for more reading recommendations.
Thunderdome.
Two books enter, one book leaves. That's the one I read next.
Two books enter, one book leaves. That's the one I read next.
Lately I have been using Goodreads and Sword & laser to help spot new books. I am a series follower so a lot of what I read is part of a series. I have a hard time getting into "one off" books.
I try to switch between fiction/non-fiction, or at least serious/fluff when I pick what to read next. My resolution for 2011 would be to only read stuff that's rated 4.0 and higher and according to my to-read list, that's already something like 20+ books.
Sometimes it boils down to, "what's on sale?". For example, I picked upPhysics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration of the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel because it was under $2 on Kindle when I was browsing the physics books. I'll be reading that when I finish A Short History of Nearly Everything, which is the book that got me interested in reading science/physics books in the first place.
I look for a cover with a woman with a tattoo on her lower back. She has to be holding a sword though, not a gun. (Just kidding.)
I keep tabs of books I want in three ways:1) My Goodreads "to read" shelf
2) My Amazon wishlist
3) My audible.com wishlist
When I'm ready to read a new book, first I figure out if I have anything either on my shelf or in my audiobook backlog that I want to read. If not, then I go through my lists and see what strikes my fancy--it might be something that someone's recommended, or something I've been meaning to read for awhile, or it might be random.
It's worth pointing out here that I usually read 2 books at a time--one in audio and one in some printed form (Kindle or dead tree). If I'm ready for an audiobook (which I listen to mostly while at the gym or while driving--if it's something really engaging, I listen at other times while at home, but that's not the case with every book), if it's already in my library, it's a no-brainer, otherwise if I have a credit it's also a no-brainer, but I've been known to not have any credits and pay full member price for books, too.
If it's a printed book, again if I already have it on my shelf or on my Kindle, it makes it easy to choose. Otherwise, books that are available on the Kindle are higher priority as are books I can get at my local brick & mortar store.
Of course, right now I have a bit of a queue:
in print I'm reading Into Thick Air: Biking to the Bellybutton of Six Continents and I'm listening to Good Omens. Once I'm done with these, I have a backlog of mystery/thriller audiobooks that I've already purchased and would like to listen to; our next S&L book will probably be read in print for me. After I'm though my audio backlog, and after Rothfuss' next book comes out, I'm going to dive into the Dark Tower series on audio.
Since I listen to bookish podcasts at work and the Kindle makes it far too easy to buy books on a whim, I inevitably have somewhere between 10-20 books in a collection labeled "Unread". So I don't really need yet another list of "want to reads". Between the podcasts, this forum and a few genre blogs, the collection never really gets much smaller than 10. It's at 21 right now. Oops. I do keep a Kindle wishlist on Amazon so that 1) people can find things to gift me and 2) I can see when certain releases drop beneath the $9.99 mark. I also have a "waiting for Kindle edition list". Otherwise, i don't really track books that aren't in the collection.
My usual method of choosing what to read from it starts with my pre-orders. A good way of keeping the collection manageable is to put those at the top of the list and read them as soon as I finish what I was reading at the time it downloaded. Then I look at what the book groups are reading (Just finished Good Omens and am now on to The Dream of Perpetual Motion for The Incomparable Podcast. Bloodshot is pre-ordered for the 25th, and I should be done just in time to start that immediately.) Then, if there isn't anything I feel should be pushed to the top, I go by mood, or if nothing sticks out, length. I'll pick a shorter one over a longer one if there is no other factors, since it will shrink the list faster.
Which is just a long way of saying, I have way too many books to read and too little time to do it in. But one must find some sense in the chaos. :)
I put the books that i haven't read yet someplace that is always in my line of sight, at least once a day. When i get finished with one, there is that pile staring back at me with those Pound Puppy dead tree eyes, wanting me to pick them next. Otherwise, i'll do a monthly wander through Chapters and if some interesting things pop out, i'll do some online investigating to see if it is the first in a series, etc. Then either buy it shortly after, or put it on a list of stuff to buy.
Otherwise, apart from the podcast, i really don't get much of the word-of-mouth stuff, as most of my circle of friends don't really seem to read anything.
I utilize the "to reads" shelf, but I have so many books on it, I have a hard time deciding what to actually read. Often, I simply pick something that I already own or a book in a series that I'm already reading, but sometimes I sidetrack myself (intentionally) and just randomly pick something else from the list, usually something short and quick.
terpkristin wrote: "I keep tabs of books I want in three ways:1) My Goodreads "to read" shelf
2) My Amazon wishlist
3) My audible.com wishlist"
I use these also, plus Overdrive wish lists from 3 local libraries I download audiobooks from. Typically my next book is determined by which library hold comes in first. S&L's selection gets priority also if I decide to go with it, too.
Thanks to S&L, SFF Audio, other books I hear of on various podcasts, and Goodreads, I have no shortage of books on my to-read lists.
A few years ago I made a promise to myself to read every Hugo winning novel starting back in 1953 with Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man (an excellent book). I've read many of them over the years already but I'm just trying to systematically make it through those that I haven't. I get sidetracked occasionally jumping forward in the time-line (just finished The Wind-up Girl)and then go back. Working on Philip K. Dicks The Man in the High Castle (1963) and John Scalzi's Old Man's War (2006 Nominee) at present. So hard to stay focused on the plan with so much good stuff to read.
Usually, I just browse the book store and look at covers that are interesting and then read the little blurb on the back of the book to make a decision. Recently, I have made an effort to look for books other people are reading (the main reason I've continued to listen to Sword and Laser and joined Good Reads).I use an app on my iPhone called Book Crawler which I have been using to catalog all of my old books, see what books I haven't read, and see what books I want to read. The app allows me to add a book and mark it as owned, unread and a variety of other settings. Then I use Smart Lists in the app to automatically have books in the library show up in the "I own this and haven't read it yet" list and "This book looks interesting, I should buy it and read it at some point in the future" list.
It has barcode scanner support in it which is very important to me - it means I can be in the book store, see an interesting book and add it my phone. I'm hoping that same feature will help me add all of my old books just as easily.
I read through the comments and ratings here, sometimes double check the ratings on Amazon, then add the good ones onto the 'wish list' on my phone. If none of the recent ones turn up I have to read something from the backlog on my bookshelf. Or rather shelves, many of them :)
It's pretty haphazard for me. I'll use recommendations from friends, goodreads, or whim if I see something. I rarely plan my reading in any real form.
I actually have a system for what to read next. It's a sequence: sci-fi, personal development, business, history, classic. Unfortunately, I am not disciplined enough to keep at it. Every time I try really hard, I get about 1/3 into the next book and get bored thinking, "I don't really want to read that, I want to read this instead," and I can't really enjoy it. So I guess you could say I'm back to just reading whatever I want to read whenever I can.
I wonder if Kindle/Nook readers pick books differently then paperback readers. The cover probably doesn't make a big difference with an ebook.
The choice is somewhat random for me. I have a pile of fiction/scifi books. I grab the one that most apeals to me the most at the moment. If the library has one I have been thinking of reading/buying I may read it.
I am a member of three book clubs that I use to keep my updated on new releases and to browse. I also go to amazon to look up authors I like to see if there is something I haven't read. There is also the good old stroll thru the brick and mortar store as well and recently the sword and laser as well.
Tamahome wrote: "I wonder if Kindle/Nook readers pick books differently then paperback readers. The cover probably doesn't make a big difference with an ebook."If you look at the web forums where ebook authors hang out, many are convinced that cover art is still a huge part of attracting readers and will shell out money for good cover art.
Sean wrote: "Tamahome wrote: "I wonder if Kindle/Nook readers pick books differently then paperback readers. The cover probably doesn't make a big difference with an ebook."If you look at the web forums wher..."
Oh yeah I am a sucker for a nice cover. I think that has always been one of the Kindle's biggest failings, you don't see the cover in all its glory.
Since firing up my Kindle a year ago, picking books has been a new experience. Covers? meh! Covers only ever got me to pull the book from the shelf. After reading a couple of pages or the brief description on the covers or back of the book would I commit. My biggest problem with Kindle so far is the lack of maps or ability to move about by page numbers (soon to be or already fixed I hear). Still the map or illustration access is a problem, but maybe that is for another thread. What is important to me now is the use of technology to put books on list (such as this site) and create a list of books that might be of interest or I would like to explore a bit more. The Kindle and ebooks, and sites like this and others, in general has changed the way I pick books though.
Having an e-reader device has changed the way I choose books as well. If it's not available as an ebook, I won't read it. So some of the books that rise to the top of my list get skipped over until they're released electronically in Canada.
That's what the Sword & Laser club is for :)I used to put books on my Hold list at the library and read them when they were available. Now that I have an iPad, I have a pile of sample and purchased books to read. So I've put past and present S&L club selections on my to-read list.
I just finished Game of Thrones and I'm starting #2 in the series, and will also be starting the next S&L club choice (The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms), so I guess I won't have to decide on a new book for awhile.
I use Sword & Laser as well as other podcasts, websites and friends to get a general feel for what is supposed to be good. From this I compile a mental list so that when I go book shopping I can grab some books I remember as well as a couple that just plain look good.
The Sword and Laser
Books mentioned in this topic
Bloodshot (other topics)The Dream of Perpetual Motion (other topics)
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (other topics)
Into Thick Air: Biking to the Bellybutton of Six Continents (other topics)
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (other topics)
More...
Then I sort the shelf by rating, with the highest rated book at the top. If I can get my hands on the top book as an ebook (not especially easy all the time in Canada) I read that one next. If I can't, I go to the second book down.
If the top book is part of a series, I'll read the first book in the series in lieu of the top book, otherwise, I've pretty much enslaved myself to the list.
Here's why: I hear about good books at a rate that's faster than I can read them, which means I'll never get to the end of my list. That's ok. I've accepted that. Keeping a reading list is nothing less than a tortuous sisyphean task, unless you're ok with never finishing it. If I read books in any other order than best rated to worst rated, I would likely read a lot of lousy books and miss out on some great ones. This scheme lets me read the maximum number of books that my peers have deemed good.
So how do YOU decide what to read next?