Remember that internship I got a while back? Well, I've finally started doing things for it! This week, I wrote an article for an online website. One of my tasks is to write about an article a week on a topic of my choosing, as long as it somehow relates to books. The article I wrote for this week was really quite fun, and I've decided to post it for your reading pleasure. Here it is:
Looking for a Good Book? – 5 Hunting Tips for the Stumped Reader
Don’t you hate that moment when you finally finish the last chapter of a book so good you just couldn’t put it down – and realize you don’t know where you’ll find another page-turner? It’s depressing, the knowledge that you are book-less until the next great read crosses your path. But do not despair; all is not lost. Here are five tips to aid you in your quest for a good book.
1. Explore the author – Most authors don’t write a single masterpiece and call it quits. Take Barbara Park, author of the Junie B. Jones books, for example. She has currently written twenty-seven books, and is probably still going! And she isn’t alone. Chances are that if you find one book by an author, you’ll probably find at least one more written by the same person. So if you liked the first book, explore. You never know what other good books he or she may have published.
2. Ask the librarian – Librarians are the hidden treasures of the literary world. Many of them studied literature for years in college, and some even specifically focused their studies on how to be a librarian. They know so much about books it would blow your mind. And they are generally more than willing to help if you just ask. So ask! They can point you in any direction you choose, from new releases to classics, murder-mysteries to romance novels – you give them an idea, and they can help you find it.
3. Look up book lists – TIME Magazine-ALL-TIME 100 Novels; Newsweek’s Meta-List of Top 100 Books; The Modern Library: 100 Best Novels; these only scratch the surface of the plethora of book lists out there. How do you find these lists? The way you find almost anything else these days: search for them on the internet. You’ll find more good reads than you could hope to get through in three lifetimes.
4. Join a book club – Thought book clubs were only for your grandma and her friends at the country club? Think again. Look for a book club at your school, your local library, your community center – or get your friends together and make your own! Participating in a book club not only exposes you to good books, it also adds an event to your social calendar. With the potential for good books and good friends, and maybe good refreshments if you’re lucky, book clubs are a great option for any reader.
5. Browse the shelves – If all else fails, just get out there and start looking. Head to any place with bookshelves, be it the library, the bookstore, or your neighbor’s personal collection, and search. Pick a letter and head down that row, or choose a genre to browse through; anything to get you searching. If you find a book that looks interesting, check it out. There’s a good chance you’ll find several not-so-good books, but with a little patience, you’re bound to find even more really good ones.
There you have it: five tips for the next time you have a book drought. Hopefully at least one will lead you to yet another great read.
Today I'm grateful for the opportunity I have to write. Since I'm only taking one class this term, and that one class is Spanish, I've had no opportunities to write anything in English, and I'm actually a little sad about it. So it's great to be able to write fun articles about libraries and recommended summer reads. Even though no one may read them but the few who read this blog, at least I'll enjoy writing them.
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