What’s the process for choosing a book? Let’s plunge into the Deeper Waters and find out.
I walked into my therapy session with a book finishing a paragraph and closing it up.
“How do you choose what books to get?” my therapist asks.
Now that’s a good question.
I was reading a book by Christopher Rufo on how the left took over pretty much everything. I told my therapist that in reading about Herbert Marcuse, who I had heard a lot about before, in the book, I decided to read some of Marcuse’s books. That was a pretty simple process to follow. I just went online and looked for the books at the best prices I could find and ordered them.
Many times I go to Amazon, but sometimes I also go through EBay and through Thriftbooks. (You can use my special code there and we can both get blessed.) I try to look for the cheapest price and when I do, I take into account shipping. Yes, I do order more books than I have time to read. It’s not addiction if it’s books.
So how do I choose from there?
Recently, I had a student at the seminary ask me about Black Hebrew Israelites. I had to say that this is a movement I haven’t looked at much. I went to Amazon to see what books I could find on it. At this point, I usually try to skip the people that are responding to the movement. I go instead straight to the source to find which one I think is best. Not knowing the authors in this area, I would look in a google search and see if the person I found was someone who was a writer in that area. When I had my choice, I purchased it and plan to start it tomorrow.
Also, it’s not always possible, but generally, I prefer to get an academically published book over a self-published one. I say that knowing I have self-published books on the internet. Academic publishers tend to have higher standards as they put their reputation behind what they publish.
Also, talking to friends and family is a great place. If someone mentions a book and it sounds interesting, look it up. If you can’t buy it then, put it on a wish list so you can remember it.
If you are reading a book or as I sometimes do, listening to a book, and they mention another book, look it up. Sometimes in a book I own, I will highlight a book so I can make sure I can come back to it later. Good books will often tend to lead to other good books.
Also, if you have a Kindle, you can subscribe to several email lists. With these, you will get notified of discount books that are on sale every day and also some books that are outright free. That way, if a book I buy isn’t great, at least I didn’t spend a lot on it.
Those are some of my tips with buying books. Check out the author, the publisher, and see what your friends recommend.
Happy reading!
In Christ,
Nick Peters
(And I affirm the virgin birth)
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