How I Decide What to Read

People sometimes ask me how I decide what to read; here are some answers. Sometimes friends tell me about a book they loved, and/or think I will enjoy. I often browse in bookstores and libraries. I always watch out for new books by my favorite authors. However, the most common way I learn about new books, and choose what to read, is by reading many book reviews in many publications. For example, I subscribe to The San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times Book Review, The New Yorker, New York, San Francisco, The Atlantic, The Nation, The Progressive, Ms., Threepenny Review, The Women's Review of Books, and Vanity Fair, all of which publish book reviews. I also get publications from some local bookstores, notably Book Passage and Books, Inc., with suggestions of recommended new books. If I see a review of a book that looks as if I would like it, I immediately jot the title down and, most often, request it at my local library. Or if it looks like a must-have/must-keep book, I go to a local independent bookstore and buy it. If a book looks as if it could be interesting, but I am feeling ambivalent about it, I often wait to run across another review, or look up reviews online, before I decide if I want to read it. In other words, I always have my antennae up, looking for great new titles to read!