You've finished all of your tasks and you FINALLY have the time to kick your feet up and immerse yourself into a good book. The eternal question makes a reappearance: How can we choose what to read when there is literally an endless amount of books? In this post, I'll share my strategy for some of my past books, as well as open up the question to you, since this is still a work in progress for me!
If you check on the rightmost column of my homepage below the Collage, you'll see that one of my most recent reads was Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. Out of all of the books in the world, why that one? Allow me to share my story, which will probably be relatable for fellow high school readers.
One Saturday morning, I opened up a Princeton Review test prep book for an upcoming AP test in literature. When I made it to the writing section of the exam, it offered a prompt for me to respond to as well as some books that I could use as inspiration for my essay. I took a look at the ones offered on the list and made note of the ones I had read through school, outside of school, and the ones I had not yet frequented. Crime and Punishment was one of the books on the list, which I happened to have in my personal library. The reason I chose that one over all of the others is because I had recently read another Russian novel, War and Peace, and was interested in seeing the similarities and differences between the two classics.
In my approach, I used two techniques that I would like to share with you, as well as one other to make a list of three strategies.
1. Use reading lists, recommendations, and college prep resources
This method allows you to hit two birds with one stone. Not only will you be enjoying yourself with a fresh story, but you can also keep an eye out for those classic "literary devices" and themes in the book that will contribute to your preparation for college level texts. High school is the point where readers should slowly move from plot-based reading to thematic understanding, without completely getting rid of the former of course. Enjoying the plot for what it has to offer is obviously a huge part of reading that should not be overlooked.
While engaging in this process of research, take a look at some of the common themes between the books offered on a particular reading list. For example, my test prep book offered around a dozen titles that all related to a main character that resists society's norms and leads an individual journey separate from their environment. When I looked at some of the other books on the list and identified that they could indeed be classified under this prompt, I thought to myself that it might be worth reading another one that followed the same trend.
If it's not what you're in the mood of reading, move on by all means! Just make a quick Google search: Best books about war... Best books about environmental justice... Best classics... Best feminist novels, etc. You'll find lists where, hopefully, a book that you have read is a part of the ones presented. If you liked that book, then try to give some of the other ones a shot.
2. Similar Authors, Time Periods, Locations, Etc
Another reason that Crime and Punishment struck my eye, as I said, was because of one of my recent reads. This technique is especially applicable if you read books that fit under a subcategory, such as African-American literature, Russian literature, Cold War novels, etc. If you think that there might be other books that have the same origin and speak about the lives of a similar group of people, chances are that you will enjoy those reads just as much!
Time periods can make this process a lot easier, especially if the book was written during a significant historical period. Take A Farewell to Arms, for instance, which was written during the interwar period of the 1920s. If the book appealed to you, other authors during this epoch, like Gertrude Stein and F Scott Fitzgerald might appeal to you. If the early 19th century piqued your interest, try writers from the same time period who were writing about a a diversity of topics, like Jane Austen, Margaret Fuller, Nikolai Gogol, etc.
Finally, the most obvious connection is through authorship. If you liked a book that an author wrote, you might want to try sticking to their style. After reading George Orwell's 1984, I had to read Animal Farm in that instant. I wanted more of what he had to say. It's always good to familiarize yourself with multiple writers, but if you really get to know one style and experiment with different books written by the same person, you can have a strong opinion of which aspects of that author you prefer and what you dislike about them. Only reading one book might not be enough to make that decision.
3. Just for Plain Old Fun and Relaxation
I couldn't leave this one out! A book is a book, no matter how heavy it is. Sometimes, you just have to let go of the struggles and burdens that you are facing in your everyday life and immerse yourself in a good novel, one that has an exciting plot and completely pulls your brain out of the regular world. It can be a pretty magical experience. The idea of "being on the edge of your seat," not being able to wait for the next chapter in a book, can be very exciting and does not necessarily need to be accompanied by literary analysis.
As students, we process the act of reading as work since it has been turned into a laborious task through school. We can't forget that one of the greatest liberties we can indulge ourselves with once we retire is to read. As I see it, one of the most logical steps one can take after they have left their footprint on earth is to look at what other people have said, to become cultured into a variety of thoughts and ideas before we leave this earth.
3/1/20