The Book You Didn’t Know You Were Looking For

A little browsing can lead you beyond your usual reading list.

I’m a sci-fi and fantasy kind of guy. I also read business books, but those are about the only genres I usually stick with.

Recently, though, I joined a book club. That’s had me reading books I wouldn’t normally pick up—romance, historical fiction, and things outside my usual reading habits.

It’s helped open my eyes. I don’t have to give up the genres I love to make room for something different.

Sometimes, finding your next book starts with giving an unexpected one a chance.

Start with what catches your attention

You don’t need a reading list to browse. A cover might catch your eye. A title might make you curious. An unfamiliar subject might give you a reason to pick up a book and take a closer look.

Read the description. Open it to the first page.

You don’t have to commit to finishing it right there. Just see whether it makes you want to keep reading.

Try a shelf you usually pass by

My book club has given me a reason to step outside my usual genres. Browsing can do the same thing.

If you normally read mysteries, take a look at history. If you love novels, browse memoirs. And if you’re like me and tend to head straight for sci-fi and fantasy, spend a few minutes somewhere else.

You don’t have to change your reading habits completely. Give a different kind of book a chance to surprise you.

Let browsing be part of the experience

Finding your next book doesn’t have to be another task to finish.

Take your time. Revisit a favorite. Explore a subject you know nothing about. You may leave with the book you came for—or one you wouldn’t have thought to look for.

I still enjoy sci-fi, fantasy, and business books. But my reading world has gotten a little bigger, and I’m glad it has.

Come browse East Texas Book Company inside Finders Keepers at 304 North Main in Winnsboro, Texas.

You never know what you’ll find.