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Writer's pictureAlex Bemish
Jun 23, 20234 min read

An Alternative Reading Recommendation for Those Tired of Searching [Something Interesting #5]

Updated: Oct 31

"Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours." - John Locke

Wallpaper found here.


After spending too many years looking around (say about 15-30 or so), I've found that most reading lists and suggestions tend to fall under following categories:

  • Repeats of same books over and over and over and over and over...;

  • Self-advertisements for influencers, wannabe Tech Bros, and various other grifters and egomaniacs; and

  • Publisher adverts for books they need to sell before they get remaindered.

Due to finding this all really annoying and detrimental for anyone trying to find new interesting things to read, I'd like to suggest an alternative approach:

  1. Read what you want, how you want, when you want – life is short and don’t beat yourself up for not reading more books (this should be the most important, and really the only truly practical, advice anyone should give anyone else about reading);

  2. Get suggestions by rummaging around specific places, websites, and local bookstores & libraries;

  3. Be critical but not cynical when reading suggestions lists or getting advice in person;

  4. Treat suggestions as only suggestions and anyone's “rules” as suggestions (as rules only apply to games, safety procedures, and legal matters);

  5. Try to branch out slowly by following a “trail” from your favorites into the unknown; and

  6. Remember the quote above from Locke – reading isn’t magic, it's just a way to get more involved with the world around you.


Aside from these suggestions, I'm also sharing the various websites, book series, and reading lists that could serve as prime starting points in finding new reads and subjects.


Note/Disclaimer: Everything found below is meant to act as a fluctuating resource that'll be changed and updated as time goes on. If the links are broken, a quick Google search should do the trick. If you disagree with how certain lists or series are compiled, that's between you and them since I'm only the messenger. The purpose of providing this information is simply to start the journey off for anyone bewildered and not knowing where to begin. Otherwise, where you end up for the destination is up to you and you alone. Also - anything marked with stars (⭐) is especially worth a look. More stars, more I recommend it.


Websites

Kirkus (starred reviews)


Book Series
Fiction, General Nonfiction, Poetry, and Plays

Canons (Canongate)

Everyman's Library (Alfred Knopf)

Neversink Library (Melville House)

Orion Masterworks

Penguin Classics (US/UK)


Reference/Academic Series

Bloomsbury

33 1/3 ⭐


Dorling-Kindersley


McGraw-Hill


Oxford University Press


Polity Books


Reaktion Books

Edible ⭐


Routledge


Sterling


Thames & Hudson


Other

100 Ideas that Changed (Laurence King)

101 Things I Learned (Grand Central/MIT Press) ⭐

1,001 Before You Die (Quintessence/Rizzoli) ⭐⭐

30 Second/3 Minute (Ivy Press)

Adams 101 (Adams Media) ⭐

Beginner's Guide (Oneworld)

Biographics (Ammonite Press)

Countryman Know How (Countryman Press)

Desperately Seeking (Ginkgo Press)

FAQ (Hal Leonard)

Chris Santella's Fifty Places (Stewart Tabori & Chang)

For Beginners (For Beginners LLC)

For Dummies (Wiley) ⭐

How to Read (Granta/W.W. Norton)

Handy Answer Book (Visible Ink) ⭐

Joy Of (Skyhorse Publishing)

KNACK: Make It Easy (Rowman & Littlefield)

Last Interviews (Melville House) ⭐

Little Books (Orange Hippo!)

Little Histories (Yale University Press)

Manga Guides to Science (No Starch Press)

Essential Knowledge (MIT Press) ⭐⭐

The Art Of (Graywolf Press)

Wisdom & Know-How (Black Dog & Leventhal)


Other Lists of Possible Interest

Standard Ebooks ⭐⭐ [added 7/19/2024]

Harold Bloom's The Western Canon

Selections from Book of The Month Club

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