Reading is essential, but how can one choose the right books to read and where can one find them? A few famous people may give you some helpful tips.
● Read books from past eras.
Otherwise, you'd be "completely dependent on the prejudices and fashions of your times," just as Albert Einstein put it. "Somebody who reads only newspapers and books of contemporary authors looks to me like an extremely near-sighted person who dislikes eyeglasses," he said.
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Reading too wide a variety in too short a time would keep the teachings from leaving a lasting impression on you. Seneca the Younger, a first-century Roman philosopher, suggested that "you must linger among a limited number of master thinkers, and digest their works, if you would obtain ideas which shall win firm hold in your mind."
● Shop at secondhand bookstores.
Virginia Woolf believed the works in secondhand bookstores have an attraction which the usual volumes of the library lack. Browsing through these books gives you the chance to run into something that wouldn't have risen to the attention of librarians and booksellers.
● Check out authors' reading lists.
In his 1940 guide How to Read a Book, American philosopher Mortimer J. Adler talked about how to choose books. He attached importance to those that other authors consider worth reading. Mortimer wrote that "one way to understand them is to read the books they read."
● Make the final decision by yourself.
It's you yourself who should choose what, how and when to read. Theodore Roosevelt recommended choosing books on subjects that interest you and letting your mood guide you to your next great read.
A. Interest is the best teacher.
B. Great authors are great readers.
C. Leave some room for older works.
D. Learn more about those great authors.
E. Don't jump too quickly from book to book.
F. There's no "best books" list that everyone should follow.
G. Usually they are much more selective in organizing their collections.
