"I was reading your site the other day and saw the post about reading a lot. I'm hoping to write adventure novels, but I don't have many in my collection and my town doesn't even have a bookstore. Where can I find good fiction so that I read more books in my genre and study other great writers?"
At first I thought it was a silly question, but upon reflection I decided it wasn't. In this world of computers and digital technology, I think perhaps we overlook some things. So if you don't have a local bookstore and you don't have a credit card (so ordering books from Amazon is out of the question) what exactly can you do? The answer will either surprise you or appear frightenly obvious.
Before giving you the answer, I'll tell you a quick story that will illustrate part of the problem. I an often asked to speak to young students at the local university. Most of these students are English majors, usually with a focus in creative writing. So recently I was asked to speak to a class and we got to talking about the books everyone is reading. So I posed a question: Where do you get your books? In a group of 50 students the answers varied. Bookstore. Mom's house. Borrowed from a friend. E-book on my e-reader. But out of 50 students, one answer was conspicuously absent.
Library. Why did no one say the library? The library is your greatest resource, so find your local library and get to know it. Not only do they have many books, but they can usually get books on loan from other libraries. There are very few books that cannot be attained through a library. Not only do they have a wide variety of book available, but they come with a resource your local bookstore and Amazon simply do not have -- a librarian. Librarians know what is in their collection and they have read many of the books they acquire. A librarian can help you locate the genre your looking for and even pick out the best and the brightest from that genre. Not to mention that you can simply borrow the books instead of shelling out thousands of dollars and cluttering up your own home. A good librarian is your best resource.
But not your only resource. Don't ignore the Internet. Search engines such as Google can help you find the books you're looking for. Try a search for "best romance novels" or "best adventure fiction" or whatever genre you're looking for. Be specific or you'll get lists of books without any specific genre. Of course, this might be what you're looking for. Either way, you'll have lists of books that you might want to read. You can probably get most of them from your local library if you don't want to purchase them.
And then there's Amazon. Amazon has its own lists and even allow users to create lists using Listmania. Browse these lists to see recommendations and read reviews for the books you're interested in. You don't have to order from Amazon in order to use it to your advantage.
If you're looking for popular fiction, check out the New York Times Bestseller List. You can see what other people are enjoying and maybe find something that you'd like to indulge yourelf in. Almost all of these bestselling books can be found at your local library or bookstore. And it's likely that someone you know has at least some of the books on this list, so you can probably borrow them from family and friends.
If you're still in school, you can try asking teachers and professors. English professors especially are well read and will have a long list of books they recommend to students. If you're looking for a specific genre, mention that. They can probably steer you in the right direction.
The bottom line is this: there is plenty of good fiction in all genres out there. You just have to look for it. Use the resources you have and remember that the computer is not always the best solution. Some of the best fiction you'll ever read will come at the recommendation of family, friends, professors, and even librarians.
