Back during my senior year of college, I was working so hard and barely had time for anything that wasn’t schoolwork. The little downtime I had was dedicated to hanging out with my friends. One weekend, after spending it back in Minneapolis visiting my family, I was at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, browsing books at one of the stores. I had a lot more time to kill than originally planned, and the only homework I had left was Japanese, which my brain was too tired to do. I wanted to pick up something easy that didn’t take a lot of thought. A woman who saw me browsing the tables and reading the backs of books recommended one I hadn’t yet read the back cover of. She told me, “It was amazing and that I would absolutely love it.” I liked the cover, so I bought it without knowing anything about it. The book was 50 Shades of Grey.
Over a decade on from that interaction, it still sticks out in my mind. Mostly, the idea of picking up a book, not knowing anything about it. Sometimes I do that with books at bookstores, but once I bring them home, they sit on my bookshelf and remain unread—the length of my To Be Read list stretches on infinitely. So the idea of picking up a book and having that be the only thing I have to read is appealing.
On my most recent trip to Mexico, I decided to do that again, buy a book I knew nothing about, and let that be my only option to read. Find a cover or a title (alone) that captivates or piques my interest, and go with that option. This time around, I chose Weyward , which is a phenomenal read. I devoured the book in no time. I enjoy this exercise in picking books. It lets me find books that might not otherwise be in my normal wheelhouse. It also feels a bit like a literary adventure, on par with the real-life adventure I’m about to undertake.
While I realize this might not work for everyone, I think this is a practice I’m going to continue. If anything, it’ll expand my horizons, much like travel does.