I like to read. I’ve always liked to read. There are some authors I love and whose books I buy without reading the blurb (Marian Keyes, Tana French, Gillian Flynn), and there are others whose texts I’ve read and reread (Jane Austen, William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie). And I enjoy books in a variety of genres—they all have something to offer.
My TBR pile is significant. I need a friend (hi, L!) to tell me not to buy books whenever I’m near a bookstore (it’s a way to prevent even worse financial decisions). So, how do I decide what to read after I’m done with a story (and I took a day or two to fully process it ending)? A few factors come into play.
The first usually has to do with what I’m writing or editing. I try to avoid overlaps as much as possible because I don’t want to be influenced in any way, shape, or form. So, while I was writing contemporary women’s fiction, I read the Bridgerton series, Stephanie Plum novels, and a few Harlan Coben and Kate Morton texts, among others.
There’s also the question of embarking into a series. During Covid lockdown, and needing a break from reality, I got into the aforementioned Stephanie Plum books. And of course I got as many as I could and read them one after the other. I have a tendency of jumping blindly into series, and sometimes it pays off, big time, like with Charlaine Harris’ vampire mysteries, Shakespeare Landlord, and Grave series. I also got all four Twilight books together, all three Hunger Games parts, and so on…So, if the series is fully available, I’ll stick to it until I’m done (or I might push it back just a bit if I know I’ll have to wait a couple of months for the final entry).
I’ve also jumped into books anticipating the release of a sequel. I got Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín after learning that Long Island would be published shortly (and read them back-to-back). I reread Anybody Out There because My Favourite Mistake was about to be released.
I also have a season-based schedule. I can’t go for summer reads in winter, just like I struggle with watching Christmas movies in July (there may be an exception or two, but for the most part, if it’s the wrong season, I’m in the wrong mood).
Sometimes, I choose what to read if I’ve seen a movie or TV show I loved and what to know what it’s based on. Stardust, Practical Magic, and The Notebook fit into this category.
My mood and certain expectations also come into play. I know that Maggie O’Farrell will break me, so I need to be okay enough for her. The same goes for Celeste Ng. Other times, I just need a mystery or thriller that’ll consume me for a week or so and completely extract me from the world. And there are periods when I just want to laugh out loud or fall in love and I’ve got a general idea of who I can turn to for that.
There’s an exception, though. If a new Marian Keyes novel is published, it immediately takes over the top spot and replaces whatever else was there.
