Formula to Never Buy an Apathetic Book.
Every time I see shelves full of books inspires me to buy books and read and read until my eyes get tired, or I fall asleep. I have tried. I usually buy 3 books instead of one when I go to a book store and, I must confess, hope that one day I have the time to read them.
My bookshelves look beautiful with so many books, but I die of shame every time I have guests and ask my opinion about a book there, and my answer is: I haven’t read it. Some people have asked me to borrow a book because they know I will never have time to read them, and I must give those unread books a chance to live and be read.
The titles are exciting, and the covers are even better, but sometimes, after 30 or so pages read, I realize that it’s not what I expected, which makes me leave the book.
The other day I went to a book store; it was one of these small stores where the owner is the one attending and making all the magic happen. I found two books that I was interested in to help me with my decision making, but because I was on a budget, I could only buy one. I asked the owner for his opinion about either of these books.
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He said he hadn’t read any of the books but walked with me where the books were; he took one, opened it, and while he opened the book, he explained to me his formula to choose non-fiction books.
I listened like a student to her teacher; he looked at me and made sure I understood every said word.
Non-fiction
Step 1: What question can it answer?
The first thing a title should do is answer that question. The answer that must be found here is if this information will be useful. A little bit pretending you were going to buy that book in the first place: “This book will fill this specific space.”
Step 2: What can it teach me that I don’t already know?
This is very simple, will it add to my knowledge, or will it refresh my memory?
Step 3: Read the list of content
Read the content, usually at the beginning or at the end, read the subtitles’ titles. This is important, not only to help you respond to the questions above but to have a sharp vision of the language used in the book. Is it worth it or not?
Step 4: Read 5 paragraphs of the chapter that caught my attention
When founding an appealing chapter, go to that chapter and read the first five paragraphs; that should be enough to know if the book will go home with you or remain at the book store.
As an additional fact, the owner of the book store gave me his method for fiction books.
Fiction
Tip: Read 10 paragraphs and if I’m still interested, buy it
After reading the introduction, read the first 10 paragraphs of the book, and if I still want to know what happens next, it will be worth it to buy it.
Most non-fiction authors are professionals in a particular subject; they share their knowledge and experiences, which is why they cannot be what you need precisely. So, thanks to these steps, you could take advantage of your knowledge and your money because these books aren’t cheap.
And so you’ll have books that you want to read and won’t stay abandoned on the shelf.
