While we’re on the subject of finding a new read, I am reminded of a tweet I sent a few weeks back about how trying to find a new good book is a lot like dating. Sometimes too much like dating. You know, something about the spine sitting there on the shelf among all the others attracts your eye. You pull it out, look at the cover, find that appealing. Hmm, yes, good looking cover. You flip it over and check out the back. Interesting. Open the book and engage casually with a few random sentences. You decide to make the next big step and take it home with you, just to see how it goes. It’s sort of slow at first, or possibly it starts with an incredibly enticing first line. It’s engaging enough that you continue reading, maybe even curl up in bed with it.

Then at some point halfway through you realize you haven’t paid any attention to the last four pages. Are you committed to this book? Do you give up and put it down, even though you’ve invested a fair amount of time already? After all, the last one you brought home was one sad story after another. At least this one is only sort of boring. Is there a chance it’ll get better if you just stick with it?

Of course there’s always the possibility this is the one. You can’t stop reading, immersed in the intensity of the story, enamored with the skill of the author weaving an absorbing tale. When you really think about it, it’s a good thing finding a great read isn’t really like dating in that we happily share our favorites with our friends. What’s your favorite book of all time?

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