A Bookstore Question – "What Should I Read Next?"

This summer I have been teaching a course called "A Literary History of Murder." A common inquiry that participants in my classes have is what to read next. This is also a regular question that booksellers hear from customers. 

Booksellers field this inquiry routinely and, because of a familiarity with what is currently selling best, what is being talked about in the media, book reviews, and what they personally enjoy, it is a simple question. For many readers, however, this can be a perpetual challenge.

The "ask a bookseller" strategy may solve our immediate desire and provide us with a reasonable

alternative, but it may not give us a longer term reading trajectory. I do not mean that we do not make great discoveries following bookseller suggestions, but this method can be impersonal and happenstance.

Besides, in today's world, fewer of us are visiting bookstores and, when we do, we might find that the booksellers have been replaced by clerks who are trained to replenish stock and operate a cash register  –  not to field the array of esoteric questions that booksellers have traditionally done.

One reason why I enjoy teaching courses on the evolution of crime literature is because thinking about how the genre has evolved helps the reader to understand what appeals particularly to them. With an understanding from their own perspective, they are able to define personal tastes. They realize how to follow a thread of interest and discover paths of their own.

Between classes, I use online surveys to both introduce and explore material that relate to the genre's development of topics, styles, and context. My survey question are typically multiple choice with the possibility that all the answers might be either right or wrong. Surveys are anonymous and there is no report card or scoring. Participants enjoy the surveys and in class we look at all the possible answers. Why might an answer be right or wrong? We have fun!

I would like to share our final survey, which asks participants to imagine themselves in a bookstore and make recommendations to customers. Customer profiles are influenced by a classic style of joke, that is, "three men walk into a bar . . . "

In this case, "a priest, a rabbi, a black, and a blonde walk into a bookstore . . . " No other information is provided.

Any of these "customers" can be easily stereotyped, but are they either male or female, young or old, tall or short, etc.? Stereotypes can vary  –  culturally, socially, sexually, geographically, etc.

So, what would you recommend? Why would you recommend a certain book? Does the stereotype matter?

Take this anonymous survey

As with my class, I will share the results in a future post. Thanks for your participation.