1. What are your friends reading?

Sometimes it’s worth asking your friends what’s sitting on their coffee tables.  If they are in your circle, chances are their interests won’t be too quirky for your liking.  And even they are, imagine the talking points and connections you’ll develop as you share ideas from your mutual reading.  Furthermore, asking for a friend’s reading list and actually following through with it offers them a sense of worth and validation.  I’m not typically a fan of pop psychology, but I do see the value in this.  When someone trusts my recommendation, I find it encouraging!

2. See the end-caps at bookstores.

Ok, so bestsellers aren’t always the best books.  But when a work sells well, there’s usually a good reason for it.  It may simply be because it’s a well written piece of literature!  If the book is pushing a certain agenda that you don’t agree with, remember the value in familiarizing yourself with “what’s out there” on the subject.  How well you knowing opposing viewpoints reveals much about your objectivity and critical thinking skills.  Reading what’s being read by others will also make you a well-rounded person.

3. Watch for suggestive adjectives in books.

If you are in a research field or want to further your expertise on a particular topic, you must have a highlighter ready for titles associated with adjectives like classic, monumental, definitive, controversial etc.  What an author is doing when they use such language is revealing what previous works have influenced their thinking.  For this reason, you should pay close attention to foot notes/end notes, and bibliographies.  If you want to read responsibly, you should always view books as pathways to other books!

4. Ask the experts.

If you’re clueless about a subject that you want to know more about, ask someone who knows.  This may take some courage, and even more humility.  But using the line, “Hey, do you know any good books on (subject)?” is a healthy habit.  Still, you should expect referers to be able to explain at least the main idea (thesis) of the book.  If they cannot, it probably wasn’t written clearly, or it wasn’t good enough to remember!