2025-05-06
(last updated 2025-05-06)
reading
If you don't read very much and you feel overwhelmed by the number of books you feel like you should be reading, I have a pretty simple strategy for how to pick books worth reading: pick something that's been on the shelves in high street book stores for years.
It's really that simple. Books that have been on sale in physical stores for a long time must be good enough to have some cultural sticking power which means they're probably worth reading. The best case is that you've read a classic book that is culturally relevant and you enjoyed it. The worst case is that you've read a classic book that is culturally relevant and you're more informed for it. And realistically if you're reading for fun then you don't have to finish anything, you can just give the book a go and put it down if you hate it. I've been doing this for a while now and I've been much better off for it. It removes a lot of the decision paralysis about what to read. Now I can settle for just picking up a copy of something like 1984, Pride & Prejudice or War & Peace.
An extension to this idea is that you also pick books that people in your bring up regularly. Using this addition has a similar tradeoff to the above: if you read a book that someone recommended to you and you hate it, you have at least gained one new thing to talk to them about. If you love it, then you had a good time and you've still got the conversation point! I have also applied this idea to more types of creative work than just books. I wouldn't have watched Breaking Bad, The Silence of the Lambs or Memento if I hadn't been given glowing recommendations by my friends.
There is one (possibly huge) caveat to this approach: I feel very strongly that it's important to read & engage with creative works that are part of modern culture. If you aren't interested in reading to understand the zeitgeist (which is a totally valid reason to read!) then this method may not work so well for you. But if you do give this a go, let me know how it works out for you :)