How do you choose what to read?

I feel overwhelmed every time I look at my bookshelves.

I try to mix up my reading, although mostly I'll be found tucked up with some SF. I also read Romance, some crime, a variety of non-fiction, and the books my best friend and I decide to read for one of our challenges.

Usually I'll pluck off the shelf whatever book I feel like reading right then. Sometimes I feel like a particular genre and I'll grab something that falls within it. Sometimes I want a particular author.

There isn't really a plan. Probably I could *do* with a plan.

I feel kind of pain.

I choose to read what I write mostly. There might be a few exceptions. Using the site Goodreads and clicking on my "to-read" list, I made a list of all the books I could borrow at my local library. Then I check out two books each time I visit.

Now, it really stinks if the library doesn't have the books on my to-read list. Which ends up leaving me 80+ books I might never get to read.

((I can't just "go out and buy" books, because I can't drive and I don't have a job))

Well, there's always more I'd like to read than there is time to actually read it, but I don't put pressure on myself to read certain works or certain types of books. I figure I've been reading since I was 3 and have probably read plenty of books in any of my choice genres to qualify me to write one. It's not like there's some "must read" list to be a writer. A lifetime spent reading books you enjoy is enough.

This notion that a writer needs to read everything in their genre is an odd one and probably is influenced by the current trend in education to specialize in one career or field, like business. To me, just reading a lot is enough regardless whether the novel is in or out of your genre. My tastes in reading are pretty eclectic. I'll read sci-fi, fantasy, detective, mysteries, horror, thriller, the classics, westerns. To me, its like getting a liberal education, the wider the range of things you know, or read, the more rounded a person, and writer, you are.

Deciding what book to read is often a chore for me. I'll go through my bookshelves first to see if I have an inclination toward one or another. If any fail to grab me, I go to the.bookstore and just scan the shelves, picking out titles or authors that interest me, read a few pages to see if it grabs me. If it doesn't, I keep looking. I can spend hours in a bookstore or library until I find a.book I want to read.

John Ayliff said:

A lot of writing advice says that in order to be a writer you have to read a lot. I love reading, but something that's been bothering me lately is the sheer number of books I feel I ought to read (or feel I ought to have read) in order to be a good writer.

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I feel the same way. I especially get jealous when I see other authors talking about how they read books in a day or a weekend. I think looking at it honestly, reading thousands of books in my genre and out of it would make me a better writer. But what can I do? I can try to read more and faster, but there are practical limits on my time between work/writing/family. So I do the best I can with what I have.

For example, someone who has read every fantasy novel out there is going to be more familiar with the common cliches than me, even if I read synopses on wikipedia or tvtropes. But I can still pay extra attention to what might be cliche or not, and spend extra time trying to put original twists on things. Maybe for someone else that process would just come naturally, but that doesn't mean I can't compensate for it as long as I'm aware of my weaknesses.

Eh, I pick out books by three criteria:

1) Recommendation or buzz
2) Familiar author
3) Book catches my eye (interesting cover art or title, usually, followed by a good blurb)

I don't wander bookstores that often so usually when something catches my eye it's online, either on the library's website or bn.com.

I mean I guess there are a few classics in genres that people 'should' read, especially if it's a particular subgenre but in those cases it's usually just a few books. The idea that someone should read everything in a genre is pretty absurd.

I pick out books through a combination of sources. Sites with lists of the best fantasy and science fiction. Goodreads. Forums like AW.

I wouldn't say you have to read all the classics in your genre, but you should at least have some idea what they're about. The same goes for recently published books. You should know what's currently selling because it will help you identify the best agents for your book.

That's another thing. Being familiar with current authors really changes the agent search. It's great when you can see that agents represent some of your favorite authors. That gives you an opportunity to frame your query in a way that shows you're genre-savvy.

I don't have lots of extra money to buy books right now, although my wish list is freakin enormous. So I go to the thrift store, pick through some books and read the blurbs. I buy books for fifty cents now, although none of them are books I've ever planned on reading.

Honestly, I don't think there's a wrong way to go about reading books. Even reading books outside your genre can help in ways you'd never thought of. As long as you're reading, you're on the right track.

I like to be able to discuss things knowledgeably, so wanting to be well-read in the genres I read is only part of my motivation. But I have a huge to-read list, and there I many books I want to read/to have read for that purpose. These include pretty much all of the things the OP mentions, although for non-fic, I mostly just read whatever I'm interested in at the time.

I find that most lists of best SF are very narrow, with the same books and/or the same writers appearing on most of them. Usually Dune, Foundation, HHGTTG, and others by the male canon. Okay, I've read those. Offer me something different....

I read a lot and I'm a fast reader. I think these two really go together, especially as I've read a lot since a very young age. As a kid, I read in vehicles or while walking. Now I read while waiting. If you tend to bring a book along with you then you'll notice more time popping up here or there that is available reading time. Separate from that, I don't generally write and read back-to-back. But for me, the two don't use the same mental energy.

I don't spend a great deal of time thinking about what I will read. I have things that I read for work, which often includes classics. I have non-fiction that I read to build-up story ideas. I definitely like to do my research prior to writing. I have non-fiction that I read for my general interests. Of course, I read a great deal of SF/F. Occasionally I will feel I'm reading too much fun stuff, and I will purposefully incorporate the not fun stuff so that it doesn't get left behind. Generally, though, I naturally cycle through different things, so making sure I'm reading something in particular is not a concern. I know there will always be more out there to read. I know I'm terribly ignorant in some areas. I just do the best I can and try to enjoy the process.

Don't beat yourself up about the things you haven't accomplished yet.

John Ayliff said:

• The classics of my genre (science fiction and fantasy), especially those that are similar to what I'm writing.
• The latest books and stories in my genre, again especially those similar to my own work.
• The classics of literature generally.
• Non-fiction on a wide range of subjects, so I'll have material to put in my work.

Does anyone else feel overwhelmed by the number of books they feel they ought to have read, or is it just me? If so, how do you deal with this?

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No. I have the problem of finding books I haven't read. But with regards to your list I've a few words.

Why read the classics of your genre or books similar to your own? The classics are likely to be written in a style that's now hopelessly out of date. LOTRs is a good example. It's still a good story true, but I doubt the writing style of the early 19th C is going to help you much in 2014. Also do you really want to end up with Tolkien's or Herbert's or Azimov's material at the forefront of your mind before you sit down to write? I like my present writing to be unaffected by the acknowledged tomes of my genre if at all possible so I don't write a copy of it.

Again why seek out books that are very close to your own? It seems to me that you might appropriate stuff unconsciously and end up with a thoroughly unoriginal work without that ever being your intention.

The classics of literature generally? Only if they speak to you on some level. I have no interest in reading Kafka, which is probably just as well because I'm pretty sure Kafka is the only person able to get away with what he does. Jane Austen is an acknowledged genius of the 18th C but I don't anyone really wants to read about social faux pas in country houses anymore.

Now the last one I do agree with. And to prevent the whole overshadowed/influenced by to a stupid degree, problem of reading bestsellers in my own genre I'm picking up romance and historical novels at the moment while I write fantasy. It's nice to be able to look at a book that flow's well without thinking....omg! I have to change my shapeshifting character because this bestselling author already used it 15yrs ago.

BTW - I read the classics on my genre when I was 13. I ran out of them pretty quickly. It's nice I've got a 30yr gap between the reading of them and my writing.

Plot devices, good prose and interesting characterisation can be learnt from any genre. Personally, I prefer to read outside of my genre because the writing feels fresher and I can look at it with objective eyes.

Neverwhere said:

Why read the classics of your genre or books similar to your own? The classics are likely to be written in a style that's now hopelessly out of date. LOTRs is a good example. It's still a good story true, but I doubt the writing style of the early 19th C is going to help you much in 2014.Also do you really want to end up with Tolkien's or Herbert's or Azimov's material at the forefront of your mind before you sit down to write? I like my present writing to be unaffected by the acknowledged tomes of my genre if at all possible so I don't write a copy of it.

Again why seek out books that are very close to your own? It seems to me that you might appropriate stuff unconsciously and end up with a thoroughly unoriginal work without that ever being your intention.

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Regarding unconscious appropriation: If you don't have at least some experience with the genre, you're just as likely to use tired old tropes because you don't realize they are tired as to appropriate without realizing it because you read some. That's not to say you can't write a good fantasy without knowing the classics. I just find both arguments about evenly persuasive.

The classics of literature generally? Only if they speak to you on some level. I have no interest in reading Kafka, which is probably just as well because I'm pretty sure Kafka is the only person able to get away with what he does. Jane Austen is an acknowledged genius of the 18th C but I don't anyone really wants to read about social faux pas in country houses anymore.

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People have different tastes, but actually novels similar to Jane Austen do a decent business.

Now the last one I do agree with. And to prevent the whole overshadowed/influenced by to a stupid degree, problem of reading bestsellers in my own genre I'm picking up romance and historical novels at the moment while I write fantasy. It's nice to be able to look at a book that flow's well without thinking....omg! I have to change my shapeshifting character because this bestselling author already used it 15yrs ago.

BTW - I read the classics on my genre when I was 13. I ran out of them pretty quickly. It's nice I've got a 30yr gap between the reading of them and my writing.

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Some people prefer not to read in the genre of novel they happen to be writing. Others like to. It's up to the individual to figure out what works best for them. I love to read books similar to my WIP, especially in my world-building pre-writing phase. I find it helps me a lot, and I don't have any particular record of being overly influenced by those books one way or the other. But that's me.

How do I choose what to read?

It's a pretty simple process, to match my pretty simple brain.

- Does the subject interest me? (Or does the blurb do a good job making me think the subject will interest me?)
- Does the author interest me? (More specifically, has the author let me down before?)
- Do the top/bottom reviews set off any red flags? (I try to read a couple bottom reviews as well as a couple top reviews on Amazon or B&N.)
- Is the cover shiny?* (All I ask is a little glitter. Or holographic sparklies.)

Being on a tight budget myself, most of my books come from Half Price Books or the freebie downloads bin at B&N or Amazon. I also work for the county library system, and see a lot of interesting items go through - if I still remember them when I get home, I look up reviews online and consider adding them to the pile of Things I Ought To Get To. Once the physical book pile drops below double digits, I really need to start checking out physical books again; in the meantime, the Overdrive app on my Nook tablet gets a fair bit of use.

As to your list... ideally, maybe one should read The Greats, The Classics, and The Hot List. But, realistically, there are only 24 hours in a day. Do you feel a hole in your education for not having read, for instance, Asimov's robot books? Then read them - especially if you're writing about robots/androids, as his works established a lot of the "rules" that still echo today. (Amazingly, some people think Asimov's rules are real things governing emerging AI machinery... they're in for a bit of a shock...) Have no interest in irreverent British humor? Feel free to skip Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy... or maybe just skim the opening pages at the library, to see if you think it's worth your time to try. Same with the classics. Try a few, but don't feel obligated to choke them all down if you don't like them. As for the current best-sellers... well, if your goal is to be published, it's probably a good idea to see what's out there, what kind of writing or stories are catching people's eyes these days. Just keep in mind that what you're seeing was likely pitched and purchased a year or more ago; if you're watching the best-seller list to chase trends, in other words, you're already behind the game.

* - I plead the fifth on how often shiny covers have suckered me into regrettable purchases...

Neverwhere said:

Why read the classics of your genre or books similar to your own? The classics are likely to be written in a style that's now hopelessly out of date. LOTRs is a good example. It's still a good story true, but I doubt the writing style of the early 19th C is going to help you much in 2014. Also do you really want to end up with Tolkien's or Herbert's or Azimov's material at the forefront of your mind before you sit down to write? I like my present writing to be unaffected by the acknowledged tomes of my genre if at all possible so I don't write a copy of it.

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You can still learn from "out of date" works. Tolkien (who published in the mid-1900's, not the 19th century) may read heavy and clunky today, but the man knew how to build a world. Furthermore, he built that world with inspiration drawn from tales, storytelling traditions, and myth cycles that predated him by hundreds of years... tales that inspired him to create his own epic realm but in a more "modern" fashion, so English-speaking readers of the mid-20th century could understand it. A 21st-century reader, studying his works, can similarly be inspired to create their own world while crafting in a way that will engage current readers. People still can and do enjoy reading Tolkien and many other "out of date" tales - I think most working genre writers can cite at least one of The Greats as their inspiration - but modern writing doesn't seem to suffer for it. It seems a shame to dismiss an older book and the lessons in storycrafting it can teach simply because its writing style probably wouldn't fly today.

Neverwhere said:

Plot devices, good prose and interesting characterisation can be learnt from any genre.

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Very true.

Brightdreamer said:

- Is the cover shiny?* (All I ask is a little glitter. Or holographic sparklies.)

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For me it's particular cover artists. I read the back. Meh. I look at the cover again. So shiny. If it's from the library, it's easy to give in.

John Ayliff said:

• The classics of my genre (science fiction and fantasy), especially those that are similar to what I'm writing.
• The latest books and stories in my genre, again especially those similar to my own work.
• The classics of literature generally.
• Non-fiction on a wide range of subjects, so I'll have material to put in my work.

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* Genre Classics & Classics in General
Personally, I don't bother with the "classics" unless it's something really special. For example, I love The Lord of the Rings, and The Hobbit, but I had a hard time getting through Dune. Enjoyed parts of it, but skimmed a lot. (I know, I know! Sorry.)

* Latest Bestsellers
I do try to read the popular books in my genres, provided it's a sub-genre I'm interested in. I don't like vampire novels, so I won't read them. I love post-apocalyptic and dystopian YA, so I read a lot of those, even though I don't actually write YA. (I mostly write sci-fi romances.)

* Non-Fiction
I don't read as much non-fiction, unless I'm specifically doing research for a writing project. There's a few exceptions, subjects that I feel might help me write better--such as a book on body language, which helped me describe my characters' actions better.

That's a lot to get through, I'm not a super fast reader, and I find that writing and reading use the same kind of mental energy, so time I spend writing is time I don't spend reading and vice versa.

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Really? For me, writing vs reading is totally different. I've been reading since I was three, and I've always devoured books. If it's a really good one, and I have nothing better to do, I'll sit down and read an entire novel in a matter of hours. It takes very little mental energy, especially if it's well-written. I'll be sucked in, and before I know it, I've hit "The End."

Writing, on the other hand, does take effort. Well, maybe not so much writing, as editing. That's hard work!

I have three bookcases in my bedroom alone. Each one is double stacked with books. Used to just be novels, but in the past few years, I've collected a lot of non-fiction, too. Books on writing, naturally, and research books, like the science of time travel, or the realities of medieval life, or whatever I need for my latest work-in-progress. Don't even ask about my Kindle! (I really wish they'd let us organize our books on Kindle. It's so frustrating to have to scroll through hundreds of books, trying to find a specific one, especially if I don't recall the title or author's name.)

So . . . what was the question? Yes, I read a lot.

I write secondary world fantasy, so that's what I'm most likely to read, but I also read some historical fantasy and SF, and occasional works of non fiction (got a book on the history and sociology of swearing of all things) and occasional mainstream fiction.

I've always got far more books stacked up to read than I have time to read them. Lately, the books I've been giving the most attention are debut fantasy and SF novels that have come out in the past few years. I've been trying to focus most on contemporary writers, since I'm writing for today's market and not the one from the days of yore.

I tend to find new books and authors when something that looks interesting is mentioned in a forum (like this one), or an author's blog that I follow, or if it comes up as linked to a favorite author of mine on a web site like B&N or Amazon, or if someone I've met at a workshop or online has a new book out.

If an old favorite writer of mine comes out with a new book that looks interesting, though, I may put everything else down to read it.

I could read a few hundred books a year if I could find that many that interested me, so you can pile on to my reading list and it won't bother me. Other people are different, though.

Shadow_Ferret said:

This notion that a writer needs to read everything in their genre is an odd one

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Genre is about audience/reader expectation. Reading broadly in your chosen genre means you are better equipped to write something that readers want to purchase and agents want to represent.

Neverwhere said:

Jane Austen is an acknowledged genius of the 18th C but I don't anyone really wants to read about social faux pas in country houses anymore.

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Her books are still in print and still strong sellers, so you're wrong.

Neverwhere said:

No. I have the problem of finding books I haven't read. But with regards to your list I've a few words.

Why read the classics of your genre or books similar to your own? The classics are likely to be written in a style that's now hopelessly out of date. LOTRs is a good example. It's still a good story true, but I doubt the writing style of the early 19th C is going to help you much in 2014. Also do you really want to end up with Tolkien's or Herbert's or Azimov's material at the forefront of your mind before you sit down to write? I like my present writing to be unaffected by the acknowledged tomes of my genre if at all possible so I don't write a copy of it.

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First off, LOTR was first published in 1954 not 1854. Tolkiens work is not from the 19th century, the 19th century spans the years 1801-1899. His work is from the early and very early mid 20th century. And there are a lot of lessons in how to construct a world from literally the ground up. He made a what was at the time throughly modern myth influenced by history and existing mythology. If someone wants to create the next LOTR and no I don't mean one of the many psuedo ME tales, but living, breathing mythos. His works are something they should read.

Again why seek out books that are very close to your own? It seems to me that you might appropriate stuff unconsciously and end up with a thoroughly unoriginal work without that ever being your intention.

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See below for the answer to this.

The classics of literature generally? Only if they speak to you on some level. I have no interest in reading Kafka, which is probably just as well because I'm pretty sure Kafka is the only person able to get away with what he does. Jane Austen is an acknowledged genius of the 18th C but I don't anyone really wants to read about social faux pas in country houses anymore.

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Uh, 1)Austen still sells extremely well after 200 years in print, 2) have you actually checked the Hist Romance market? A lot of those are Regency Romances in the style of Austen. It a smaller but thriving sub-market of Romance.

Now the last one I do agree with. And to prevent the whole overshadowed/influenced by to a stupid degree, problem of reading bestsellers in my own genre I'm picking up romance and historical novels at the moment while I write fantasy. It's nice to be able to look at a book that flow's well without thinking....omg! I have to change my shapeshifting character because this bestselling author already used it 15yrs ago.

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Doubt this will actually happen. I thumb through my fantasy books regularly whether I'm writing Fantasy or something else. It doesn't influence my stories in any bad way, but I also read outside the genre to pretty much anything including the classics. I don't believe in staying away from what you write for fear it will be the same as everything else, that falls too much into the tropes are bad hogwash in my mind.

That said, I'm reading some adult fiction while I work on a YA Paranormal. Not because I don't want to be influenced but because I enjoying adult novels. I'm planning to read some YA Horror before tackling a YA Horror novel, just so I can compare tropes to adult Horror and what I can bring from one age group to another.

I never really feel pressured. I've read quite a bit over the years as I've always been reading. There are very few times in my life when I wasn't reading nightly. That said, I've hardly scratched the surface. I realize that I will never get to it all, but I can get to what I find interesting. I can get to what calls to me the most at the moment.

For me that means I read a lot of science fiction and fantasy. There are so many different little books I want to read spanning centuries and all sorts of genres. That said, I don't force myself to read anything I don't want to. How on Earth would I enjoy anything, if I feel forced?