Jerome Tisne/Getty Images
Jerome Tisne/Getty Images
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As a kid, it was easy for me to find books I loved. My favorite stories were filled with magic, adventure and possibility, like Around the World in 80 Days. And I had all the time in the world to search for those tales at the library and school book fairs.
As an adult, though, I get into reading ruts. I don’t have as much time to dig around for books, and I’m not as sure of what I’ll be into.
Traci Thomas loves recommending books to people like me who can’t decide on what to read. She’s the creator and host of the podcast The Stacks, where she talks to guests about new titles (she recently interviewed former Georgia state representative Stacey Abrams about her new romance novel) and offers quirky book lists such as short audiobooks to help you hit your reading goals and great books to re-read with your toddler.
Thomas is confident that with a bit of soul-searching and a bit of luck, you will discover a book you’ll enjoy and want to finish. “There are so many books in the world, and there are books out there for you. Trust your gut,” she says. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Interview highlights
Go ahead, judge the book by its cover
I am the queen of “judge a book by its cover.” The reason you can [do that] is because there is a lot of effort and marketing that goes into making covers that tell you what’s in the book, what kind of person it’s for and what to expect.
When you start to look at the books that you’ve loved in your life, you might notice some trends. When I look at my bookshelves, I have the most black books and the most red books, but I don’t have a lot of green books. Whatever they’re doing with the marketing for green books — not for me.
I don’t know if you should use a cover to pick a book 100% [of the time]. I have read books with gorgeous covers that I did not like. I have also read books that had embarrassing covers that I loved. But if you’re at a bookstore and are trying to decide which of the three or four books to buy, pick what speaks to you and jumps out at you.
Just because Oprah liked it doesn’t mean you will
People get into reading ruts because they try to read whatever they saw in The New York Times or Oprah’s Book Club, even though it’s not anything that they would normally want to read.
I encourage folks to trust what you like over trying to read with Oprah Winfrey because she’s picking the books that she likes. Unless you have the exact same taste as Oprah, you might not agree that the book is great — and it might be difficult for you to get through it.
Ditch the book if you find yourself scrolling through Instagram
You know if you don’t like something. If you’re falling asleep, checking your phone or rolling your eyes as you’re reading the sentences, that might be a good sign that you don’t like what you’re reading.
So put the book down. Save yourself. There are too many books in the world to read. That is called “cultivating taste.”
Zero in on what you like
You know what you’re drawn to. Like, I know I want to see the “Barbie” movie. So what are some books [that take place during the time era when you might have been playing with Barbie]? What are some books that have hot pink covers?
Articulate what it is that you’re looking for. Are you looking for something with a lot of plot? Something romantic? Something nonfiction about public schools? Do you want to read a novel? A play? A collection of poetry? Zero in on what you like.
Pay attention to what’s on display at your local bookstore
Bookstores get to decide what they stock, so they’re going to stock things they think will sell or will be interesting to their community.
[For that reason], I like to look and see what’s on the tables at the front of the bookstore or what’s facing out on the shelves, because there is usually something that’s new and exciting to either the world at large or to the booksellers in that specific store.
Seek the wise counsel of a book ‘magician’
Booksellers and librarians are book matchmakers and magicians. You can go into a bookstore or library and say, “I’m in the mood for something that feels like a long drive on Christmas Eve.” And they’ll be like, “Oh, here you go.” They always come up with something.
Listen to the full podcast episode to hear more tips on how to find the perfect book.
Your turn: Recommend a page-turner
Tell us about a book you read recently that you absolutely could not put down. Email us at lifekit@npr.org with the title of the book and why you recommend it, and we may feature your response in an upcoming Life Kit newsletter.
The audio portion of this episode was produced by Thomas Lu. The digital story was edited by Malaka Gharib. The visual producer is Kaz Fantone. We’d love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at LifeKit@npr.org.
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