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How to Decide Your Next Read

One of the biggest decisions impacting readers is what to read next. It’s an age old question, especially when we have local bookstores, ereaders AND a seemingly endless source of places telling us when new books are releasing. Use one or a few tips below to get you the answer you seek–these questions always seem to work for me!

What did you just read?

I really like reading series, in order. But sometimes if I’ve been reading three or four mysteries, I’ll want to take a break. If it’s a specific time of year, sometimes I will want to read a certain book type more than others (summer tends to be chick lit, winter brings in cozy mysteries). And if I’m on an author kick, I might just go to the next book (or next available book) that they wrote.

Do you have books that are ‘due back’ or need a review?

Obviously you have a limited time for library books and review books–since you’re dealing with a finite amount of time I like to think about reading those types of books first. Now, you may be able to renew that library book, but sites like NetGalley and Edelweiss may remove your access to a book from the site by archiving it on a certain date. Note, archiving usually means the book is not available for download after a specific date.

Do you have a specific genre/series you like?

If you have a book genre you are really into, and you have a few different books in the genre, you may want to continue with books in that genre just to keep up your mojo (especially if you LOVE that genre–you tend to enjoy and also read these a little faster one after another, at least that’s my experience).

Are you ‘supposed’ to read something for a friend or club/meeting?

This goes along with due-back or reviews. If you’ve told someone you are going to read a book, or have it for an upcoming book club or book group, I usually will read that a few days ahead of time. Mostly because I want to make sure I have a day or two padded just in case it doesn’t catch my interest right away or if life ‘happens.’

What is going on in life?

Figuring out if I’m going through a rough patch or living my best life will sometimes influence what I’m reading.
Usually one of these or any combination of these help me decide what I’m reading next. And there’s always coming back to a book later if I’m not in love with the first 50 pages.

Do you have a tried and true method of figuring out what to read next? Drop it in the comments below.