How to Find Your Next Great Read When You Don't Know What You Want

You want to read something.

You might even have a stack of books sitting at home.

But nothing sounds quite right.

Every reader runs into this eventually. Sometimes you finish a book you loved and have no idea what could possibly follow it. Sometimes you've been reading the same type of book for so long that you're ready for something different. And sometimes you just stand in front of a shelf thinking, I have absolutely no idea what I want to read.

The good news is that finding your next great read doesn't have to start with knowing exactly what you're looking for.

In fact, sometimes it's better when you don't.

Here are a few ways to find a book worth taking home.

1. Start With a Feeling, Not a Genre

Instead of asking yourself, "What genre do I want to read?" try asking:

How do I want this book to make me feel?

Maybe you want something comforting.

Maybe you want to laugh.

Maybe you want a mystery you can't put down.

Maybe you want to learn something.

Maybe you want to disappear into another world for a few hours.

Or maybe you want something strange enough to completely surprise you.

That's often a much easier place to start than deciding between mystery, science fiction, history, romance, biography, fantasy, or any of the other labels we put on books.

2. Think About the Last Book You Couldn't Put Down

What was the last book you really loved?

Don't just think about its genre. Think about why you liked it.

Was it the characters?

The setting?

The humor?

The pacing?

The history?

The mystery?

The writing?

Once you know what you actually enjoyed about the book, finding another one becomes much easier.

For example, you may think you're looking for another historical novel when what you really loved was the family drama. Or perhaps you think you want another mystery when what actually kept you reading was the small-town setting.

Follow the thing you loved—not necessarily the label on the spine.

3. Read Outside Your Usual Section

If you always read mysteries, wander over to history.

If you normally read romance, try a memoir.

If you haven't read science fiction since high school, maybe it's time to give it another chance.

And don't overlook the children's and young adult shelves just because you're an adult.

A good story doesn't stop being a good story because someone put an age recommendation on it.

Reading outside your normal habits is one of the easiest ways to rediscover why reading is fun in the first place.

4. Judge a Book by Its Cover

Yes, we're saying it.

Go ahead.

Publishers spend a great deal of time designing covers that communicate something about the book inside. If a cover catches your attention from across the shelf, pick it up.

Then read the back.

Read the first page.

Flip somewhere into the middle.

Does something grab you?

That's enough reason to give the book a chance.

You don't have to justify every book you read.

Sometimes "this looked interesting" is the perfect reason.

5. Try an Author You've Heard About but Never Read

Most of us have a mental list of authors we've been meaning to try.

Maybe everyone seems to have read one of their books except you.

Maybe you've seen the name dozens of times.

Maybe you've picked up one of their books before and put it back.

Give one a shot.

You don't have to start with an author's newest book, either. Sometimes an older title sitting quietly on a used-book shelf is exactly the introduction you need.

6. Let Yourself Pick Something Completely Random

This might be our favorite method.

Walk through the shelves without looking for anything in particular.

Pull out something because the title makes you curious.

Pick up a book because the cover is odd.

Read the first paragraph of something you've never heard of.

Choose an author whose name is completely unfamiliar.

One of the best things about browsing a used bookstore is that the shelves aren't necessarily filled only with whatever was published this month.

Books from five, ten, twenty, fifty, or even a hundred years ago can end up sitting beside something released recently.

That creates opportunities for discovery you weren't expecting.

7. Give Yourself Permission to Stop Reading

This one is important.

You are allowed to stop reading a book you aren't enjoying.

Really.

Reading isn't homework.

If you've given a book a fair chance and you're still forcing yourself through every page, put it down and try something else.

There are far too many books in the world to spend your reading time feeling guilty about one you don't enjoy.

The next one might be exactly what you were looking for.

8. Browse Without a Shopping List

There's nothing wrong with knowing exactly which book you want.

But there's something wonderful about walking into a bookstore without a title in mind.

That's especially true with used books.

Inventory changes. Books disappear. Other books unexpectedly show up.

Something you've never heard of might be sitting next to something you've wanted for years.

Browsing becomes part of the experience.

And sometimes the book you didn't know you wanted ends up being the one you remember.

Your Next Great Read Might Be Waiting in Winnsboro

If you're still not sure what you want to read next, come browse.

East Texas Book Company is a small independent bookstore located inside Finders Keepers on Main in downtown Winnsboro, Texas.

Our 225-square-foot booth is filled with an ever-changing selection of used books, remainders, children's books, fiction, nonfiction, cookbooks, collectibles, and other interesting finds.

We can't promise you'll find the exact book you came looking for.

That's part of the fun.

You might find something better.

East Texas Book Company

Inside Finders Keepers on Main

304 N. Main Street

Winnsboro, Texas

Monday–Saturday • 10 AM–5 PM

Can't make it to Winnsboro? You can also shop books online through our Bookshop.org storefront or find your next audiobook through Libro.fm.

Happy reading.