How to Create Your Own Reading List

So little time, so much to read. Making a list of books to read
for pleasure is a lifelong process.

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Journals
• Palm Handheld Organizers
• Magazine Subscriptions
• Newspaper Subscriptions
• Spiral Notebooks

1. Step 1

   Buy a journal, notebook or electronic assistant and use it for your list.

2. Step 2

   Join the public library, even if you go there just to browse.

3. Step 3

   Subscribe to book-review magazines or newsletters. Scan them for books and authors that interest you.

4. Step 4

   Read the best-seller lists to gain even more suggestions.

5. Step 5

   Investigate award-winning authors and books. Prestigious awards such as the Nobel Prize in Literature, the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award and the Booker Prize signify worthy literary accomplishments.

6. Step 6

   Read up on favorite topics and peruse the books' bibliographies (usually found in nonfiction works), adding titles to your list.

7. Step 7

   Discover your favorite authors and note their other works.

8. Step 8

   Join a book group and get referrals from other readers.

9. Step 9

   Audit or take a class at the local college or adult education program, or visit an Internet chat room or newsgroup. All can offer good pointers to worthwhile reading.

Tips & Warnings

• You will find out about more books than you can possibly read in one lifetime, so focus your list from time to time, according to your interests.
• Going to France? Read guidebooks, historical novels, cookbooks or whatever interests you most about the country: gardening in Provence, winemaking in Burgundy, etc.
• Don't get overloaded. Take suggestions from people whose opinions and taste you trust.