Maybe it’s because I was once a lawyer, but I like making lists and compiling data. I keep detailed lists of my short story submissions (I am proud of my system, which has never let me down, and I’m happy to share!) and I record the number of books I’ve read. This started as a simple list of title and author’s name and has expanded to include date of publication, number of pages, whether I listened to it, read it in a paper copy or electronic, and some bio details of the author, and the date I finished it. It’s a lot! So why should I add more?
Because lately I’ve been wondering about where I find books, especially the books that really grab me. Given how much time I waste am productive online, I would have assumed most would have come from online sources, like Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and book reviews. But when I got to thinking about where the 17 books on 2024’s list so far have come from, I discovered this:
Regeneration, by Pat Barker Key School Used Book Sale
How to Relax, by Thich Nhat Hanh Christmas Present
Crocodile Tears Didn’t Cause the Flood, by Bradley Sides Book Review Request
Speak, Okinawa by Elizabeth Miki Brina Bookstore Browsing
The Woman in the Sable Coat, by Elizabeth Brooks Book Review Request
The Eye in the Door, by Pat Barker Library Search after Reading Regeneration
Maigret’s Holiday, by Georges Simenon My love of Simenon
Between Two Kingdoms, by Suleika Jaouad Audible Browsing
Blind Man’s Bluff, by Baynard Kendrick Bookstore Browsing
Noonday, by Pat Barker Library, looking for Book #3 in the Regeneration Trilogy
How to Build Stonehenge, by Mike Pitts Bookstore Browsing
Something I Might Say, by Stephanie Austin Twitter
HBCU Made: A Celebration of the Black College Experience, edt. Ayesha Rascoe Audible Browsing
Cleopatra and Frankenstein, by Coco Mellors Bookstore Browsing
Foster, by Claire Keegan Friend’s Recommendation
The Family Izquierdo, by Rubén Degollado Bookstore Browsing
Maigret, by Georges Simenon My love of Simenon
Most of my reading this year happened because I was meandering down an aisle in a bookstore and happened upon a book! Only once was I inspired by a social media post. Then there was the serendipity of picking up Regeneration and realizing that I love Pat Barker SO MUCH and want to read everything she’s written… and then, my husband found the entire Regeneration Trilogy in the Little Library in our a neighborhood, completely by coincidence!
I’m going to continue to document this throughout the year, because it is so interesting to me how books land in my hands almost naturally despite how often I look for new titles to read in the usual online spots. A testament to the power of bookstores and libraries and the miracles that come from letting go of the search.