How I choose non-fiction is a question that I have never asked myself before. But as that is the subject of this week’s post, so I really had to dig deep and think about what I do when I add a particular book to my TBR. It isn’t really a fully logical process, nor is it completely random, it is kind of a hybrid of both.
After reading in excess of 3500 books, I know what I like and more importantly, I am very aware of what I don’t like. This doesn’t mean that I won’t give books a go though.
So how do I pick the non-fiction books that I want to read?
Firstly, I select by genre. I have two genres, travel and natural history, that I will almost always add regardless of who wrote it, bar the very odd exception. Other favoured genres include science, history and biographies.
Secondly, if it isn’t a book from those genres, then it needs to be doing something else to attract me. Is it a book by an author that I have read before? Is the subject something that I am interested in or as happens sometimes, does the cover look good enough to make me want to pick it up and investigate it further.
Thirdly, I scour the catalogues that publishers publish twice a year and drag from them a list of books that I want to read. I publish these as my anticipated books for the spring and autumn. But I don’t find every book, some I miss and there are publishers where I never seem to be able to find out what they are releasing.
Fourthly, one of the places where I find new books is strangely enough in bookshops. Amazing isn’t it? A well-curated independent bookshop often has gems that I wasn’t aware of, and they get added to the TBR too.
Lastly, charity shops are one of my weaknesses. I am looking for out-of-print books, those rare books that have slipped through the net, signed editions and the joy of finding an absolute bargain. whilst I do buy second-hand books online, I have a list in my head of books that I am looking for and I get a lot of satisfaction on finding a copy.
So how do you choose the non-fiction that you want to read?
Let me know in the comments below.
I am loving the variety of responses to this week. Yours is the most similar to mine, I think, in that travel and nature feature heavily – I also go for a lot of social justice stuff. I daren’t go through the publishers’ catalogues, but because you do, I see stuff here that I then want!! I get a lot of recommendations from blogs I read, esp in Nonfiction November, and I also get some offered via Shiny New Books, and by publishers now on NetGalley, too.
Most of the books that I find in publishers catalogues tend to go in a spreadsheet and may get read sometime in the future. I rarely use Netgalley now as it was getting out of hand!
I pinch LOADS of ideas from you Paul. And I love it when you go through the catalogues!
Thank you Penny. At least I know someone thinks that it is worth me doing it
Definitely worth it!
Now blushing a bit