How do you decide what to read? Of course for most readers it is only a matter of walking into a bookstore and seeing the new books laid out on the table. I am pretty selective, but I can nonetheless leave a bookstore with a pile of books. Reading other book lover's blogs is both good and bad--I get other reader's perspectives on something I also have read, find new and interesting books, but I also find that I am very under-read in so many areas. I try and choose books that have substance, or are well written or well reviewed, but sometimes I just feel like a nice, cozy mystery. This doesn't mean that mysteries aren't well written or have substance, but they generally don't make the big reading lists.
Which brings me to my point--I tend to go in phases where I look for "guidance" in my reading choices. Quite often I end up here scanning the various lists. What better person to go to than a librarian for recommendations. There is really a little bit of everything for everyone here. I tend to use the reading lists mostly. This can be somewhat depressing depending on the list when I compare what I have read to what is suggested. There is Bloom's Western Canon--definitely for true scholars. Then we have Mortimer--much the same. It is good to chuckle to oneself when reading these lists--must keep one's spirits up--fantasies are good sometimes. There is the Harvard Book Store Top 100 List--I might have some chance with this one. A few days ago I was looking at this list. I would have had to start this one a good 15 years ago I think to get through the whole list. 500 books in 50 years. That is a mere 10 books a year, but look at those titles closely. The Talmud!! I might need to do a little additional reading to understand the text itself, and not just when reading the Talmud! If I read 20 books a year and did a bit of an excelerated course I could finish in a mere 25 years and be able to go back to my cozy mysteries before I retire. If nothing else the lists are full of interesting titles.
Perhaps I am better off just reading what I feel like and trying hard to read a "classic" a month! I am currently working on The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers (which by the way is #96 on the Harvard list!). I have many times thought of buying this, but I never would pick it up. Thanks to Reading Matters for selecting this title as the next book club book. This gave me the impetus to buy it. For me it started out rather slow, but I am really enjoying it now. So now that I am back into a "classics" mood, you can see the pile I have to choose my next read from. I also placed an order for a few more books I should have or have read, and can't wait to get those as well. I included a few F. Scott Fitzgerald titles. I have read The Great Gatsby several times, but I am in a bit of a mood for something different by him. Those are on their way, and I am impatiently awaiting my order. I may also opt for a Hardy--I have also been wanting to read Tess of the D'Urbervilles. I really should read both Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina. Decicions, decisions. Any votes for a particular book??