SANJAY SAYS
The Secret to Finding New Great Books: Read the Old Ones Again
The best rivers are deep enough to enjoy over and over
I used to read a lot of popular fiction by authors like Tom Clancy, Ken Follett and John Grisham. There’s nothing like 1000 pages on how to build a cathedral to pass the time while hiding from creditors after a business failure (a story for another day).
Over the years, I’ve come to realize that none of those books stuck with me, regardless of how great they were at helping me kill time. I’ve been on a fantasy and science fiction kick the past decade, based on the theory that even if it’s forgettable, I’ll still be introduced to new worlds and new ideas. I also listen to a lot of non-fiction audiobooks and podcasts.
A few months ago I was going through a bad stretch of books — there being just as many bad writers in sci-fi as any other genre. My favourite authors like Brandon Sanderson and Andy Weir were between series or between novels, and I wanted something new.
Frustrated with my recent choices, I decided to re-read a book series I loved, the Kingkiller Chronicles from Patrick Rothfuss. The final book in the series hasn’t been written, and perhaps never will be, but I remember enjoying the first two books when I read them 15…
