I somehow wondered whether deciding to stick to booklists and recommendations as much as I do is just a very lame excuse for not having to choose by myself.
I think maybe it is, but maybe it's a good thing.
It's a good thing because I realize that there are a whole lot of books out there that I would never read if I would just read the back cover. I would just put them back on the shelf and buy something else. Or maybe, even worse, I wouldn't even pull them out and read what's on the back cover. Because after all I do judge a book by its cover. How else could I do it? I have to judge it by something and when I'm in a bookshop all I do have is the cover and the blurb on the back cover. There's not much else to judge it by.
Sticking to booklists and asking for recommendations and vowing to read them all is a great way to discover books I might never have noticed browsing the shelves in a bookshop. Maybe there are a few books that I won't like as much, but think of all the great books I will read. Don't they totally make up for the few not-so-great ones?
Maybe, just maybe, in a perfectly twisted way, sticking rigidly to my booklist makes me a lot more open to new discoveries than if I would do it the usual browse-choose-and-buy way.
So, be prepared for a second round of "What Shall Jamie Read?" once I'm done with all the books of the first round. Because I've tasted blood and I'll be back for more.
