Starting a New Book

I tried and tried to find a weekly meme for Wednesday. Trying to come up with my own topics is hard! I haven't had a lot of time to read in the last week *sob* so I don't even have any books to review. When I get back from Vegas I'll have at least two though. Or at least that's the plan.

I thought I would discuss the occasional difficulty of starting a new book. I'm sure I'm not alone in this. You know that feeling of complete connection that sometimes you have with a character or set of characters? Sometimes I end a book and have found myself so involved with the characters that I almost grieve a little. There's a bit of a mourning period. I can't just put down one book and pick up the next. It doesn't work like that for me. I need time to process.

Then again, I need to read. Often when I pick up that next book, I have a hard time getting going. The characters seem unfamiliar (they are) and if it's a different author, the rhythm of the words are different. It's one of the reasons that I like to read a series of books. I know that I can pick up a Stephanie Plum book at any moment and fall back into the rhythm with Stephanie, Morelli and Ranger almost instantly. The characters are comfortable and friendly. It's a nice feeling.

I'm looking at that list of books I made yesterday for the A to Z challenge and wondering how I'm going to handle all the new authors and new books. Not all are unfamiliar but there isn't a Stephanie Plum book on that list yet which tells me that I'll be making new friends in 2009. That's not a bad thing.

My Shelves

I have three bookcases that I use for books. I need quite a few more if I'm honest, I just don't have the room. My little house can't handle much more furniture. Each one serves a different purpose and I really am not happy with how it's organized.

In my living room I have a nice new tall bookcase that I love. It's functional and it's visible and it's just right. It has five shelves. The top shelf holds my most favored books of the moment. Currently it is holding the Lord of the Rings trilogy (told you I'd love it when it was over), the Twilight series, the Harry Potter series and The Tale of Despereaux. Nothing else will fit. Some of those books are big!

The second shelf from the top holds all my travel books. My Frommers guides, my Hawaii for Dummies book, my nifty little maps, and a few others. I don't like this shelf because it looks messy. Some of the books are outdated and some just need to be purged. I have about six books on Hawaii alone and as I have no immediate plans to go back, I'd probably be fine getting rid of a few.

The third and fourth shelves contain my "to be read" books. These two shelves are full of James Patterson, Janet Evanovich, and a whole assortment of others. I love these two shelves because they are full of possibilities and remind me that I'm in no danger of running out of books. I love picking a new book to read from one of these shelves. Sometimes I sit on the floor and stare at them. It's an illness.

The bottom shelf is not just books. It's the toy shelf for when my niece comes to visit. I've got children's picture books and a big toy box that fits neatly into the large bottom shelf. I like this one too because it serves a good purpose.

My two other bookcases are in my bedroom and they are a mix of old and new books. I can't stand it. The disorganization is driving me crazy. One shelf has books that I've been meaning to read for years and yet I never even consider them when I look for a new book. It's very frustrating for me. I just don't know what to do with them. My goal this weekend is to go through them all (again) and try to purge some. Really, books should be read and they aren't doing me any good collecting dust. Somebody, somewhere will enjoy them.

Decisions, Decisions

It's always hard for me to figure out what to read next. I tend to try not to read serious books back to back. I often need a break. For example after reading The Memory Keeper's Daughter, I went right into Queen of Babble in the Big City. Easy transition huh?

Well, I have a dilemma. I'm almost done with Such a Pretty Fat, Breaking Dawn comes out on August 2nd. If I want to start Breaking Dawn on the day it comes out, and I finish Such a Pretty Fat on Thursday (estimation), I will need a book I can finish between this Thursday and Friday of next week. If I pick a book I know I can finish, I might finish it too soon. If I pick a book that's a little longer, I might not finish. Do you see my problem??? This only happens once in a great while. Thank goodness. I'm also putting books aside to take on my cruise in September (no hard backs, nothing boring). I put a lot of rules on myself.

Selecting What to Read

How do you choose your books? I have a hard time. I am generally pleased with my selections but sometimes I'm disappointed. I hate spending my money on books I don't care for. I usually pass them on and hopefully they are enjoyed by someone else. The first selection point for me is the author. I have certain authors that I read no matter what. I'll read anything Nora Roberts puts out. It doesn't mean I love all the books, but I love enough of them to know that it will probably be a good read. The same goes for Sophie Kinsella, Meg Cabot (her books for adults, not teens), and Janet Evanovich. If they have a new book, I'll buy it without even knowing the topic. I can count on them. Other authors, I'm working my way through and will probably get to the point where I'll read everything they've got. Authors in this category for me are Phillipa Gregory and Emily Giffin, among others.

The next factor for me is whether it's part of a series I've read. For example, I'm reading the Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson. I don't plan to read every book he's written, but I like that series a lot. I'm also a big fan of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer so I will definitely be picking up Breaking Dawn. In fact I've already got it reserved. (I just love Edward!)

I also get books based on recommendations. I read reviews in magazines, I listen to my friends, and buy into hype that sometimes surrounds books. I never would have picked up the first Harry Potter book (when they first came out) if I hadn't been hearing buzz about it. Of course the buzz turned into a whirlwind by the 7th book and I was thrilled to be a part of it.

Last but not least, I choose based on the subject. If it looks interesting, fun, intriguing, I'll give it a shot. I have to keep finding new authors to read because sometimes it seems my favorites just don't write fast enough!

How do you choose your books? Share!