Last week I was at a lovely party. The condo was right on Provincetown Harbor, so we watched sunset and moonrise (though actually not in that order) while we ate, drank, and chatted together. The major topic of conversation was, of course, THE WHALES. There’s a pod of them off Herring Cove right now, accompanied by dolphins and gannets, and everyone is spending their time out there with binoculars and cameras.
But as the evening wound down I found myself in conversation with Char Priolo, host of a radio show called Sail Away Ladies, who last November interviewed me about Open Your Heart with Reading. “What I love about your book,” she told me the other night, “is all the authors it introduced me to! I’ve been reading books by people I never would have found on my own, and I’m loving it!”
That conversation made me wonder how it is that we all find new books to read, especially now as browsing in bookshops is regarded by some as an antiquated pastime. How do we move beyond our familiar literary circles and try something new?
(If you’re at a loss for reading material, by the way, do check out Nancy Pearl, a librarian who’s written a series of books that … recommend books! Book Lust is the title I reference most often, but there are others. She might be able to kick-start your reading.)
Most of us listen to recommendations by friends, family, and coworkers (at that same party I got a line on some birdwatching books I’m saving my pennies for now!); often we read reviews of books in the newspaper or online. Sometimes we stumble upon them: I was looking for a book by Ian Rankin when I picked up my first Phil Rickman, and he has since become one of my absolute favorite authors.
I’d be interested in hearing from you. How do you find new titles or authors to read? Have you read something recently that excited you? Tell us all about it!
-Jeannette Cézanne
www.jeannettecezanne.com
Posted by: Opening the heart — jcezanne
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