Read that one?

Anyone with a true love for reading will know this. One good book leads to another. It happens by so many mechanisms. It may be several books by an author that you discovered was great. This is what is happening to me with Alexander McCall Smith. It may also be books that are referenced in other great books. The works of Charles Lamb mentioned 'The Guernsey literary and potato peel pie society' made me go and get all the Charles Lamb books. Although I am not proud of it, I read a lot of Shakespeare only because Agatha Christie quotes him so much.

Since I love bringing up questions, I have to wonder this aloud. What leads anyone to pick up a specific book? I was just looking at the list of books Mr. Obama is reading on his trip. I must say that it must be hard to have an entire nation critique what you read. Imagine resisting the temptation to read a crappy book because it wouldn't look good on the news! Apparently they even compare you with past presidents and judge you. The verdict seems to be that while BO is a more sophisticated reader than GWB (duh!), he doesn't match up to Bill Clinton. Apparently its also a problem he doesn't have a female writer on the list. While the entire nation's freedom lies with you, your own little choices are open to criticism, ridicule and dismissal. And people actually run for president?

But I digress. Coming back to wondering useless things, what leads anyone to pick up a book and read it? I used to read the back cover. It seems that the publication companies (who are asses) have done away with the back cover summary and have put it on the inside cover, which is extremely annoying. If you pick up a book and read the back cover as a reflex (which it is with me), you instead find what the Washington Post said about the book. Very little use, since the enterprising publisher, being very clever, has picked and chosen what words he will put there. Still, the criticisms sometimes do sway me and I read a book because the Newsweek says it has to be read. So I am letting a random critic make choices for the development of my mind? Disturbing thought. What if he was a serial killer on the side? What if all the critics were just posing?

The books I usually regret having succumbed to reading are the ones with the author showing up on TV and touting their book. They dress very nicely and speak on random TV talk shows about their so-called influences and I am sold on them. Only to find that they were talking through their hat. Malcolm Gladwell's 'Blink' is one such. Generalizations galore and blowing things out of proportion. Also crappy are the books which I read when the movie trailer looks good. 'Julie and Julia' to name one. She cooked an entire recipe book. So?

The ones that usually turn out well are the mildly apologetic looking books that stand on the library shelf, usually not in the 'new' rack. Which is where I found 'The Guernsey...society'. A book-lover friend is a great resource, I find. Another great way to find a corker is to look at the library book club list. That means the book has something to talk about, always a good sign. The classics are also where I usually have more luck, since to survive generations, a book usually has to be some good.

However, beyond these vague and unreliable tactics, I haven't found anything reliable to tell me how to choose books. Covers, authors with previous good books, reviews, talk shows, movies- everything can be deceptive. Which is perhaps why its such an absolute joy to find a stunner. Its like looking for a needle in a haystack, and actually finding it.