Tuesday, December 16, 2008

HOW TO CHOOSE A GOOD BOOK


1) Make a list answering these questions:

What kind of books do you like?

What authors do you like? Research books by authors you've enjoyed in the past. Chances are they'll have another publication that you'll also enjoy.

Is there a type of book, or a specific book you would like to try?

Are there any books in a certain series you would like to read?

What are your interests? Insert your hobbies into your library catalog search and set it to, "Keyword."

2) Search your house. Often times good books will be quietly collecting dust in your own house. Maybe you forgot about one, or someone who is living with you has a couple good books.

3) Ask someone to recommend a good book. You can ask your older sibling, your mom, your dad, your best friend, or even your English teacher. Friends or family with whom you have things in common can often make excellent book recommendations. Local, small bookstores often have wonderful recommendations, and when they get to know you, it's even better!

4) Read book reviews in newspapers and magazines. Read the bestseller lists published in most newspapers or weekly magazines. Find out which new books are making headlines, and why.

5) Join a book club. Being a book club member is often a way to experience new books you might never have had the motivation to read otherwise.

6) See if the library or bookstore has computers. If it does, then look on the library's search engine. You can use the search engine to find a certain book, books by a certain author, or anything as broad as just a certain genre.

7) Ask the librarian or book seller about the location of the books you're looking for. He/she will be happy to help you.

8) Skim through the shelves in the section you're interested in. If you see anything that looks appealing, pick it up and read the back of the book. Skim over the back of the book or the inside flap, wherever the summary is. If that holds your attention, read the first page or so. If it still holds your attention, then it's probably a good book for you. The subject might be interesting to you, but the writing style can be key to enjoying it. If it looks interesting, put it in your pile. Keep doing this until you have a few books.

9) Find a place to sit, or stand if you must, and read the first chapter of each book. Of course, if you have many books, this can be time consuming.

10) Narrow down your stack. If you would rather have book 1 over book 2, put book 2 back. Keep doing this. If you would rather have book 3 then book 1, put book 1 back, etc.

1 comment:

MisY said...

hai rizal,

thx for the tips. u've a very informative blog here. will put ur blog in mylist blog.

TOTAL NUMBER OF BOOKS (AS OF JUNE 2009)

1400
Latest addition (90 fictions from Payless Warehouse)
(10 non fictions from Boosk Xcess @ Amcorp Mall)