To Read or Not To Read: A How-To Guide on Picking Your Next Book to Read

Imagine you just finished the last page of a book you have been loving. You feel satisfied with the ending and so glad you picked the book up and read it. For a few minutes, you simply reminisce about how great of a read it was. Then you remember you still have some time before getting started on whatever item of your to-do list was next. Of course, you already know you want to keep reading, so you look over to your bookshelf and see your pile of TBR books (whether it is physical or digital, e-books) staring back at you. They are all pleading with you to pick them up and read them, but which one do you pick up next?

We have all been there. We finally finish a well-recommended book and love it, but then we are faced with the dilemma of what to read next. Luckily for you, I have been there so many times before that I basically have a fool-proof method for picking my next read.

Look Through Your TBR

Go through that stack of books or look at your Goodreads shelf

You know the pile you have built up and probably created either by buying books or adding them to your "To Be Read" list on Goodreads? The one that keeps getting longer even though you are constantly reading?

That is the best place to start to look for a new book to read. Those are books that at some point piqued your interest and you added into your personal stock of books you wanted to read one day.

Look through your list or pile and pick out some of the books that look most interesting now. They are probably your best bet for finding the next thing to read. I limit myself to no more than 5 books that I can pick to look into deeper when I am going for my next read. 2-3 is best though because that way you can really look into them and know out of all the books you could have chosen those 2-3 made your top picks list and it becomes easier to narrow it down from there.

If you need inspiration you can check out my extensive Goodreads TBR.

Check on your favorite Bookfluencers

Whether that means a favorite booktube, bookstagram, book blog, or booktok account. See what they are saying about your options.

Is there any better way to find the next big thing than to hear about it from someone else? We as people struggle to make decisions without knowing what other people think of them. Finding the next best read is no exception. Luckily there is an entire bookish community online full of people who read and review often.

Looking toward their expert advice is an excellent way to see what is hot now and use that to decide your next reading journey.

I personally am a huge Bookstagram nerd and some of my favorite accounts are @novelboundpodcast, @bookkiecorner, @kat.readsfantasy, and @BookishBasma.

Relish in your Book Hangover

Let yourself fully process your last read and decide what you really want to read next.

You may be asking what is a book hangover? Well it is the emotional whirlwind you sometimes feel after finishing a book, before Sometimes the best way to know what you should read next is to take a small break between books. Give yourself at least an hour to really process the ending of your last book. See what kind of mood you are now in.

Did you finish a sad, hard book and so now you need a short comfort read? Did you read a super gushy romance and now just want to read something dark and heartbreaking?

Let yourself have that book hangover and really feel the emotions. They can guide you to what you should read next.

Just Read

Pick Up a Book and Start Reading

Remind yourself you can put it back down and switch it out whenever you want to.

This one seems obvious, but it is easier said than done. At the end of it all the only way to really be able to get into a new book is to pick one up and start reading.

I have had to learn that I can give myself permission to not finish a book once I start it. When I switched that mindset it made the task of picking up my next book much easier. I decide which one I want to read next and then pick it up and start. If after a few pages or chapters I am not feeling it I can add it back to the list or even ditch it altogether, but then I can start another book and try that one out.

You can do the same thing. There is no harm in starting and stopping a book a few times before ever finishing it, or even dropping a book completely. There are far too many books in the world to spend time reading something you don't love, so just pick up whatever you have been wanting to most and start to read it, then if it isn't doing it for you try something else.

You can even create a new Goodreads shelf for books you didn't finish or a DNF shelf.