Do I like every book that I read?  I was looking over the past reviews that I’ve written for this blog and I realized that all were generally positive.  There are no ruminations that end with me telling people not to read the book.  Is it because I’m not discerning or because I’ve been taught to only say nice things? Or maybe I’m in the employ of the book authors?

The answer is none of the above (although any authors out there – I’m more than willing to accept checks).  It turns out that the reviews are overwhelmingly positive because I only write about the books that are worth writing about.  If that seems a bit unrepresentative, it is.  Although reading any book is never a waste of time, I find that only a certain percentage of the books I read are actually worth taking the time and effort to write a review.  I find I only write reviews/overviews for about 20% of the books I read, so most don’t get the in-depth treatment I give the Book Ruminations

My litmus test is this – after reading the book, do I want to continue to engage with the material? Do I want to clarify my thinking on the book and its subject matter?   One of the biggest reasons I write the reviews is somewhat self-serving – I want to remember the material in the book and my thoughts on it.  I also ask myself if I think that other people should engage with the material as well.  If I think that a book brings up topics that are useful to others, it’s much more likely to be written about.

My challenge to you is this: engage with the books that you read.  Don’t wait for a book review.  If you don’t read much now, then start reading so you can have books that will engage your thinking!  Whether or not you have a public forum to share what you are learning from a book you read, use the amazing resources you have available to get better at what you do and how you do it.  No matter what the topic, others have written about it.  Remember, the best institution of higher learning is your local library.