Lately, I've been finding most of my reading at Goodwill, just browsing until I make a random love connection to an author or a title that begs me to pull it off the shelf. That's how I came across two recent titles I've always wanted to own - Autobiography of a Face, and Cinematherapy.
In bookstores, I choose books the way I choose wines: I look at the title and if it resonates, I pull it off the shelf to read the back cover.
All too often, the copy was written by some publishing intern that probably never read the book - "What happens when a (fill-in-the-blank) meets a (fill-in-the-blank) with a (fill-in-the-blank)?" I hate that. Back on the shelf.
I read the first few paragraphs and if the story completely sucks me in, I buy the book. This strategy has served me pretty well - it's how I found favorites like Necklace of Kisses.
Occasionally, I'll take a book home and find that, no matter how promising it seemed, it can't keep my attention. Like Atonement. I just couldn't get through it.
Book Lust librarian Nancy Pearl says that you should use the "Rule of 50" in those situations. If you are 50 years old or younger, give the book about 100 pages before you put it down. If you're over 50, give it 50 pages. Life is short after all.
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