how do you decide what book to read next?

One question that I’m always asked is how do I decide what book to read next.

Honestly, it depends on a variety of factors.

Books I check out from the library:

Since a majority of books that I read are borrowed from the library, I usually read whatever book is next available on my hold list. If there is a book that you want to check out that is not currently available, my library lets you put the book on hold and you basically get in line. When the book is returned to the library, the next person in line is alerted and they can then check the book out.

When I want to read a popular book and know that I will have to wait a long time for it to become available to check out, I will usually put the book on hold and get in line. I normally have about 10 books or so on hold and then when a new book becomes available, I go and pick it up from the library (or download it to my kindle). Sometimes it’s fun because I will forget that I put a book on hold, especially if I have to wait months for it, and then when I get that email from the library, it is a little surprise!

I also keep a For Later list on my library page. This is really just a to-be-read list where I keep track of books that look interesting that I might want to read. A lot of times when I am looking for something new to read I will scroll through the For Later list and see if something catches my eye. Most of the time, whether I check a book out will depend on if the book is available now or if there is a wait for it.

Books that I’ve checked out from the library usually get read first, because I only have them for a specified time. Even though my library has eliminated late fees, I still try to return checked out books on time. So anytime I have multiple books to read, library books are read first.

Holiday reads:

For my holiday reads, I also keep a running list of holiday books that look interesting and then I will usually just go through that list and pick out 4 or 5 to read. I try to look for books that are new or published in the year I am reading. Some holiday reads are holdovers from previous years, especially if I don’t find enough that I want to read from the current year. This hasn’t really been a problem in the past few years though.

When I’m deciding which holiday books to read, again this depends on which books are available now from the library. Sometimes, if I am being proactive and see that a book has a waitlist, I will put it on hold in October or November, so that it is ready to be checked out in December. A lot of the holiday books are available in mass-market paperback so if there is one that I really want to read, sometimes I will just go and purchase it instead of checking it out from the library.

Books that I own/buy:

I have a lot of books I own that I haven’t read yet. I also frequently buy books that I know I will want to read in the future. Just because I buy a book doesn’t always mean I’m going to read it right away. For instance, I have a book on my nightstand that I bought last summer when I went to Victoria and I have yet to start reading it.

If I don’t have any books checked out from the library, I will then browse my bookshelves and nightstand and choose a book to read from there. A lot of times what book I pick will depend on what I’m in the mood to read. And then I just look for something that catches my eye.

A lot of people keep spreadsheets and lists of books that they own and the order that they are going to be read in, but I can’t do that. My mood changes all the time and I know that I wouldn’t always feel like reading the next book on the list. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve checked out a book from the library or bought a book and it’s just sat there for weeks because I wasn’t in the mood.

Bookclubs books:

There are two ways that a book can go straight to the top and definitely be the next book I read. One way is if it is a book club book, especially if book club is meeting soon. If I haven’t read the book yet, and bookclub is coming up, everything gets put on hold until I do.

Books in series:

The second way a book will move to the top of my reading list is if it is part of a series that I am into. If I read the first book in the series and I’m dying to know what happens next, I will go out and find the other books in the series and will read them right away. It doesn’t matter if I have other books checked out from the library or if I’m even in the middle of another book. I will go and finish the series first.

Q: How do you decide which book to read next?