Choosing a book

If you read a large amount of books you'll find that one of the most common problems is choosing what to read next. You don't want to start on a book, only to abandon it halfway through. Then it's better to make sure that the book really is worth your time. Over the years I've developed a technique that works excellent for me. Which is not to say that it's foolproof, or even that it will work for you.

The most direct way is reading reviews or through recommendations from friends. This method has two obvious problems. Reviews concentrate almost exclusively on new releases, and they are not of much use if you're interested in books older than a couple of months. The other thing is that even though a reviewer or a friend is giving a book high praise, your tastes may not be similar. Better just to rely on your own judgment.

Here is the method I use. It involves four steps. As example of a book that I've used these four steps on, I'll use Special Topics in Calamity Physic by Marisha Pessl.

The cover
The cover is the first thing I see, and I want it to intrigue me in some way. I go by the assumption that the author has chosen cover art, that expresses in some way the themes in the book, and the story it's going to tell. I know that there are probably cases where the marketing department screws the author over and goes with something hip, but in most cases I trust that the author has some say in the matter. The cover doesn't have to be pretty, as long as it says something about the book. The cover design on the 2006 Penguin paperback of Pessl's book is gorgeous and it looks worn down, as if it has appeared from a different age.

The title
The title should pull you in, and somehow hint at everything that you'll read about, should you decide to pick up the book. I've always found that there are two types of titles that really hook me. The first is the one-word title. It can be simple, elegant, and still have layers of meaning. The other type is the long title. There is something aesthetic about the long title. Complexity is more easily achieved in a long title, and that is an excellent opportunity to let the readers in on what to expect. Pessl's title has a nice rythm. Two long words, one short, and then two long ones again. It looks good on the cover and the spine. It has a certain flair and rolls nicely off the tongue. It worked on me, and as I read the book, the title became more and more meaningful.

Plot description
Next step is reading what the book is about. You should have some idea about what stories you like reading, and just as importantly, what stories you don't like. This is often a gut reaction and there's not really a formula. Here's the plot description that got me hooked on Pessl's book:

“She found her teacher dead – hanging by a piece of electrical cord. The North Carolina police think it was suicide. Her former friends – the Bluebloods – blame her for being there. And her father tells her to leave it alone. But Blue van Meer is a student of books and can't let a mystery go. Because all her life puzzles, both complicated and intricate, have littered her path – her mother's death in a car crash; a childhood spent roaming from town to town; her dad's serial affairs.

Are these fantasies of a teenager too lonely or too clever for her own good? Or has Blue stumbled on something so dark, so devious that her whole world is about to be flipped upside-down?”

The fact that I ended up reading this book is interesting, because I'm not too fond of reading crime novels. But the mention of a main character who reads, did it for me. I have an affinity for books that in some way discuss literature in a fictional context. The hint at brutality in the death of the teacher was also interesting. Finally the set-up did not hint at a typical crime novel.

The final test
This is the final step in the process. I read the first page in the book, and then I flip to a random page in the middle of the book and read that as well. If these two pages are written in a style that I like, and the story still works for me, then I'll read the book. This final test is simply the book equivalent of the movie trailer. It is a way of making sure that the characters work, and that the author has a grip on the story.

That's it. Relatively simple on paper, but as with all things creative and pertaining to taste, a foolproof formula is very difficult to develop.

Summerhouse

I've been spending the weekend in the summerhouse, and as always I come more than adequately prepared. Two bags filled with books, since I find that a nice selection to choose from makes the whole reading experience more enjoyable.

Last night I finished reading a biography on the Danish author Tove Ditlevsen written by Karen Syberg. To say that Ditlevsen had a rough and sad life would be the understatement of the century. Interestingly enough, as with so many of the great artists, her writing is at its very finest whenever she hits a rough patch. It wasn't even my intention to start on that particular book right now, but while visiting my parents last weekend I saw the book, and started reading in it, during a quiet moment in their backyard. And thus my interest was sparked. My mum had discarded the book, for the time being, due to the very depressing nature of the text. That never stopped me though. Having only read a couple of Ditlevsen's books and some of her poetry it was fascinating to get a guided introduction to not only her life, but also her work. Syberg does a great job of showing how events in Ditlevsens life gets transformed into literature. The book has pictures throughout and it is heartbreaking to see how this once beautiful woman was completely deteriorated by her fifties. The book manages at the same time to include a portrait of the times in which Ditlevsen grew up and came to the height of her popularity. After having finished reading the biography, I've begun reading Ditlevsen's own books. Stocking up at my local library during the week, knowing that I would want to immerse myself in them after finishing Syberg's book.

As always I'm reading several books at the same time. The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich is another one I'm reading right now. I haven't heard of Erdrich before, and the reason I picked this particular book up, was an author recommendation on the cover. Normally I don't go by these famous people recommendations as a barometer for picking books, but when Philip Roth says, "This is Erdrich's dazzling masterpiece - her imaginative freedom has reached its zenith" I listen. I'm a little stuck at the moment. She's playing around with her narrators, something I usually find interesting, but for some reason her way of doing it isn't working for me. I'll finish it in the next couple of days though. I've come to far to stop now. But I'm seriously reconsidering my decision of listening to Roth.

Another book I just finished that also has an interesting way of shuffling narrators is Invisble by Paul Auster. By far one of his most powerful books, and a story that in many ways was startlingly original. A story of a young man, dreaming of becoming a poet, who witnesses an act so violent and ruthless it changes his life forever. The structure of the book is brilliant and I plan to read it once more to really appreciate what Auster achieves. I wish I could say more, but feel as though it would ruin the book. Needless to say, it goes places I would never have imagined, and I'm thankful for that.

Yesterday I went to the local bookstore here by the summerhouse. It's a very small store, and it has a very small selection of new books. What's interesting, though, is that like a hidden treasure chamber, they have a small back room filled with used books of all kinds. As always I never have enough time when browsing through shelves filled with books. This being a small town the stores close early, and as closing time ticked nearer, I seriously considered ripping random books off the shelves and just going for it. I composed myself though, and ended up leaving with nine books. Among the more interesting acquisitions was a handbook on making 8mm films released by Kodak here in Denmark. The book does not credit any author, and was released in 1940. It's a gorgeous hardcover book that gives a fantastic and detailed description of the whole movie making process. This is why rummaging through a large amount of boring books is worthwhile.

Among the other titles I got was a translation of a short story collection by Ivo Andrić called Torso, released in 1966, and Enemies: A Love Story by Isaac Bashevis Singer in a paperback edition from 1980. This together with some essay collections and a couple of travel books from the fifties was my find this time.