“I’m trying to decide what to read next.”
“I read this great book last year…”
“Oh you don’t need to worry about me. I have plenty to choose from.”
“OK. So why am I here?”
“I need to pick a book that best aligns with my current reading mood. Do I pick an older book, a classic, to read next? Or do I want to try something new? From this century at least… There’s never enough time, am I right, so you don’t want to lose any valuable reading time committing to a book that doesn’t do it for you.”
“Well, you can’t go wrong with a classic.”
“You’d think so. But are they called ‘classics’ just by being old? Sure, you start with the best intentions, and that first page is dynamite, but you get a few pages in and you find this ‘classic’ is dry, bloated in the middle, and a little bit racist.”
“Whoa. What classics are you hanging out with?”
“Whereas you pick up a more recent book, and it is slim, quicker to finish, and willing to experiment. And you can finish two or even three new books in the time it takes you to plow thru one classic.”
“It sounds like you’ve already made up your mind.”
