By now you may have realized how much I love to read, and reading is a constant source for new quests. Many blogs, podcasts, and websites are dedicated to the next book you should read. During this time of year, there are many special edition lists—the best books of the previous year, list for upcoming new releases. But why wait until someone tells us what to read? How else can we discover a new book to read without feeling overwhelmed where to start. How can we find something we don’t know we are looking for?
With that in mind… I wanted to share a game I’ve played for the last 20 years, give or take a few, to find books that expanded my reading list. A game I invite you to try — see what you discover. Walk into a bookstore or library— yes this works best physically— think of a letter in the alphabet, chose the first that comes to mind. The next book you read will be written by an author whose name begins with that letter. Take a direct route to that letter’s section in the bookstore/library, be it fiction or nonfiction. You may choose to peruse only one or both sections. Peruse the titles, read the dustjackets and when one strikes a chord, read it. I have found not only some of my favorite books but favorite authors that way. This is the game I play and invite you to try. It’s a little treasure hunt, and those are always fun no matter your age. I never know what I’m supposed to find until I’ve found it. When I do, internally I am skipping towards the register with a mischievous smile like a Cheshire cat. Externally…I calmly walk to the register like an adult. Random strangers need not know how quirky I am, that’s reserved for my friends that love me because of it. This game unfortunately does not work so well for online platforms because there is nothing random about searching for books online. In both physical and electronic mediums, all online stores require you to have some fraction of a clue to what you are looking for. If they are making ‘random’ suggestions it is based on pushing certain books onto you that they need to sell. Even if you peruse ‘your suggestions’, if you are a customer with an account, at best the algorithm will feed you books similar to what you have already read. The point of this exercise is to step out of your comfort zone. Besides, there is something unexplainable about the physical book sitting on a shelf. At least it is for me. Some books call out to me, in a way that is difficult to put into words. Usually, these books are exactly what I needed to read at that moment in my life. So put on that mask and take a stroll in your local bookstore or library. Some of life’s greatest treasures start from a seemingly random moment.
Sense of Wonder 