"You'll love this book!"
Often, I find that the books I’ve enjoyed the most are those that have been recommended to me by friends and family. The reason for this is that I feel more comfortable taking a recommendation from someone that I know understands my reading habits, my likes and dislikes, and my personality in general. Also, knowing the reading habits and personality of the person making the recommendation can help me to decide if in fact the book might be something I would enjoy. That said, I’ve also read quite a few books that friends have recommended with great zest- that I have absolutely hated. And let’s face it, there is nothing worse than shelling out $20 on a book that someone tells you is great – and realizing 10 pages in that it’s the worst thing you’ve ever set your eyes on. So, to avoid this from happening, I’ve come up with a plan to see if the book would be good for me, or if its better left on the shelf. I call it the Five Finger Test.
The Five-Finger Test
In elementary schools, often teachers instruct kids to use the “five finger test.” Mostly, it is used to establish if the book is too difficult for the child’s reading level- but I’ve tweeked and developed my own version of the five-finger test for deciding if I’ll like the book or not.
The my basic rules of the “friend recommended book five finger test” are:
1. Has the person ever recommended a book you’ve read and liked before? If yes, hold up one finger
2. Is it an author one you’ve read before and enjoyed? Yes? Then hold up another finger
3. Read the inside front cover - if a hardback, or the back cover – if a paperback. Does the storyline seem interesting? Yes? Hold up a third finger
4. Find a page in the middle of the book (preferably one with no images and a lot of text.) Now, begin to read the page. Does the writing seem something that you’d enjoy? If so, hold up a fourth finger
4. Keep reading. Does the story line seem interesting? Do you want to keep reading? If so, hold up the last finger
Congratulations! You just found a new book to read!
****And keep in mind, if it turns out the book isn’t good after all – its ok! There are worse things in life than reading a bad book; and besides, there are a million other books out there, you’ll find a good one sooner or later. (But maybe hold off the next time that friend recommends another book!)
The my basic rules of the “friend recommended book five finger test” are:
1. Has the person ever recommended a book you’ve read and liked before? If yes, hold up one finger
2. Is it an author one you’ve read before and enjoyed? Yes? Then hold up another finger
3. Read the inside front cover - if a hardback, or the back cover – if a paperback. Does the storyline seem interesting? Yes? Hold up a third finger
4. Find a page in the middle of the book (preferably one with no images and a lot of text.) Now, begin to read the page. Does the writing seem something that you’d enjoy? If so, hold up a fourth finger
4. Keep reading. Does the story line seem interesting? Do you want to keep reading? If so, hold up the last finger
Congratulations! You just found a new book to read!
****And keep in mind, if it turns out the book isn’t good after all – its ok! There are worse things in life than reading a bad book; and besides, there are a million other books out there, you’ll find a good one sooner or later. (But maybe hold off the next time that friend recommends another book!)