I’ve previously mentioned that my ongoing project for this winter has been to gather all my books from around the house and put them in some semblance of order. As I go through this, I’m constantly discovering books that I’d forgotten I have. And then I want to put them on my reading list.
But I can’t just drag them back upstairs, or what happens to all my careful sorting? So I’ve borrowed that old wedding rhyme to help me decide what I should read next. You know the one: “Something old / Something new / Something borrowed / Something blue.” This is my version:
Something old — This includes almost everything on my selves from the 20 years since we moved into this house.
Something new — Much as I enjoy revisiting a tale, it’s important for writers to keep up with what’s currently being published. For this purpose, ‘new’ is a book published two years ago or less.
Something newsprint — I’ve read comics for ages and also subscribe to several magazines. This prompts me to keep up with the issues.
Something true — All great stories include Truth, but in this case I’m referring to nonfiction.
Something friendly, made by you! — Lots of my friends are writers, and I try to support them by buying their work. I also run programs at my local convention, and it’s good to know what my speakers’ areas of expertise are.
It doesn’t go in that strict of an order. I just got done reading Something True, and I’m now in the midst of Something Newsprint (the latest Mother Jones Magazine.) Something new will probably be next. Perhaps the bigger challenge is to be sure I put them back on the shelves after I’ve read them.
How about you — do you have your own rhyme to decide what to read next?
Did you know I have an author newsletter? You can join! I’ll even give you a free e-book for signing up. Just click here.
Wyrmflight 
Leave a Reply