Friday nights in our house are pizza night. We used to get take out, but for a few months now we have been making our own. Not only because my next door neighbour makes the best pizza dough in the world or because our little guy will eat anything sandwiched between bread and cheese, but because there is something so deliciously creative about concocting colourful, plentiful and fanciful pizzas. If art class had been about pizza making, I would have been a much better student.
Last night's pizza included on our favourite combos: pepperoni, pineapple and olives. We amped it up a bit substituting local pork chorizo sausage for the pepperoni and adding some dollops of pesto for a bit of zip (totally inspired by our garden's basil fiesta). It was amazing. But I didn't come up with this perfect blend of salty/savoury/sweet on my own...it was on the advice of a good friend. Who has taught me much about life and love--including how to buy books.
How does one buy a book? The shelves of bookstores & libraries, large or small, are packed with options. While I love to bend the ear of our local bookstore experts, they aren't always on hand while shopping online or browse at the library. So how do you pick? My good friend, who inspired our pizza last night, taught me her own reliable method:
1) Look at the cover and pick something that looks interesting. I know, I know -- don't judge a book by its cover. Fine. THEN MAKE COVERS BORING. If you don't want me to use them, stop investing in them. Until then, I'm going to be drawn to books that have cover I like/find compelling. And book cover artists know this moth-to-a-flame tendency is true. Go ahead...use the cover. Pick something pretty or scary or funky or simple. Follow your gut.
2) Also use the cover to read about the book . I'll skip this step on books that come with strong recommendations as I am willing to trust my book-loving friends. But when I'm on my own, you have to check out the back and find out what you are getting in to. [nb: I am always wary of the words "disturbing" and "chilling". These tend to indicate dark topics inside. Which can be fine, I just like to be warned and to have decided I'm good with some sad content.] Read the quotes from others and check out who is reading the book as well.
Still interested? Okay, step 3.
3) Open to a random page and read a bit. This step is key. You will get a sense of the writing and content. It will give you a chance to engage the book a little bit. I would also read the Acknowledgements. They are the 'big picture' of the book and offer a bit of insight into the character of the author without giving away the plot.
If you are still intrigued about the material then find the book at the library, purchase it or borrow it. There are lots of local booksellers online and amazing online used bookstores (I like www.abebooks.com). Look around before going with the big guys...you will be amazed what you can find.
How do you buy a book?
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