It is a truth universally acknowledged that if you work in a bookstore, people will ask you for reading recommendations. (My apologies to Jane Austen, whom I deeply respect and admire.)
People were doing this before I worked in a bookstore, but it was mostly people I know: friends, family, acquaintances, social media “friends.” When you work in a bookstore, absolute strangers will ask for your opinion on books, and this, my friends, is sometimes terrifying.
Most questions are from readers looking for something similar to what they’ve already read and liked, or something new to try out. Sometimes, they want to know if I’ve read this book or that and what I thought of it. (One customer asked for my “professional opinion,” and if that didn’t just puff up my ego. I am a reading professional.) I always feel bad when I haven’t read the book, but we have THOUSANDS of books in our store, and unfortunately, I have other things that require my time. (Tragedy.)
Other times, they want me to help pick out a book as a gift for someone else. This is always tricky. Only a couple of times in my life has someone picked out books for me as a gift. (They were good choices, but I’m kind of particular, so it’s risky.) When this happens, I try to get a sense of what the reader likes—what they’ve read before and liked, what they don’t like. And then, I send the customer on their way with a gift receipt, just in case. Or I recommend a gift card if between the two of us, we just can’t find something that’s a good fit.
There is one question, however, that I dread above all others, whether it’s asked by strangers or friends.
“What’s the best book you’ve ever read?”
Sometimes, it’s phrased as:
“What’s your favorite book?”
Pick a favorite book? Impossible! Best book ever? I can’t remember the ones I read earlier this year!
Clearly, this is a me problem. (Except it’s also a common problem among other readers.)
So, I’ve had to re-frame the question in a way that makes more sense to me. Here are the ways I've found to answer these questions:
Redefine “best.” Best book that made me think? Best book I couldn’t put down? Best book I read this month? This year? Best fiction? Best non-fiction? Best series?
It’s the same with “favorite.” I don’t have one single best-book-of-all-time to tell people about. I have numerous books that I love for a variety of reasons. So, sometimes I’ll answer with my favorite books from certain genres: favorite historical fiction; favorite magical realism; favorite memoir; favorite audiobook; favorite fantasy. I read across most genres, and I don’t think it’s fair to compare one book from one genre to a book from a different genre. (Fun fact: this is also how I categorize my “best” friends.)
All this to say, if you ask me this question (and please do!), be prepared for a complicated response. I have been in a life-long relationship with books, so of course, it’s going to be complicated.
I can’t leave you without at least an attempt to pick some favorites, so here goes.
Historical fiction that wrecked me: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Magical realism that made me wish magic was real: The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
Fantasy series that feels like it should be more popular: The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King and The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
Book I will recommend again and again: Harry’s Trees by Jon Cohen
Unforgettable memoir: Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
(See? Once I get started, it’s hard to stop!)
Unlike me, the Smucker family loves choosing favorites! Check out their Smucker Top Ten Books podcast episode from last month here.
How about you? How do you answer this question? Do you have an all-time favorite book ever? What’s the best book you’ve read recently?
I wrote recently that I have about ten books in my top 3.
Picked up Harry's Trees based on this post and loved it. For 17 years, we lived on north end of the Endless Mountains (I recognize the incongruity.) Blessings to Cohen for infusing that geography with magic.