Only a reader would understand this problem: you’ve just finished a novel that you absolutely adored. You’ve allowed it to simmer for a bit while completing the household chores that can’t keep being ignored. When you’re finally finished, you go to your favorite spot in the house: your bookshelf.

Staring at the dozens, perhaps hundreds, of options lined up on the shelves before you, you feel that familiar hesitation.

I have so many books, you think, but I don’t know what to read next!

We seem to live with the idea that, because we love books, there should never be any uncertainty about what our next title will be. But when there are so many lovely directions in which we can go, it can genuinely be difficult to pick just one and commit to it. The more options we have, the harder it becomes to reach that satisfying moment of thinking, Yes. That’s the one.

I haven’t completely solved this problem for myself, but I’ve learned a few things that make the decision easier. So if you’re standing before your own bookshelf right now, feeling overwhelmed by all those unread possibilities and thinking the same dramatic thought—I don’t know what to read next!—here are a few ways to find your way back to a book.

Don’t Think in Numbers

We might not want to admit it, but when we’re thinking about our next read, we can start subconsciously calculating.

If I read these two novels this week, then cram that epic in the week after, and squeeze in this novella after that, I’ll cross more off my list than if I simply reach for what I actually want to read…

The point of reading isn’t to get through all the books on your shelf. The point is to find a story and allow it to carry you away, for a while, from the hardships of life.

Let’s face it: plenty of people have impressive personal libraries. Ask them how many of those books they’ve actually read, though, and they’ll probably admit that there are quite a few waiting patiently on the shelves. Some of them may never be read at all.

And that’s okay.

If you’re constantly trying to get through everything you own, you’re probably taking much of the fun out of reading itself. If opening a book becomes another mark to check off a list, what’s the difference between choosing a novel and buying groceries?

You don’t need to optimize your reading life.

Stop thinking in numbers and goals, and you may find that choosing your next book becomes much easier. Instead of asking yourself which book will help you make the most progress, ask a simpler question:

Which one do I actually want to read?

That answer is probably closer than you think.

Look for the Story Your Soul Needs

Sometimes, the book that is currently trending is not the story that your soul needs in that moment.

There are a lot of performative readers on the Internet who seem to grab whatever is trending simply because everyone else is reading it. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with being excited about a popular book. Sometimes the books everyone is talking about really are wonderful. But you can’t always tell whether someone is enjoying a book because it genuinely speaks to them or because they feel as though they ought to be reading it.

When choosing your next read, it’s more important to look for the story that might provide the particular kind of nourishment—or even healing—that your soul needs. Read the description of the story and ask yourself: Is it dealing with friendship? Might it have words of wisdom about coping with grief? Does it have literary sunshine to give life to a winter day?

Maybe you need a love story. Maybe you need to laugh. Maybe you need to spend a few hours with a woman who has made a mess of her life and somehow manages to put the pieces back together. Maybe you need to disappear into another country, another century, or another person’s imagination.

Your reading life doesn’t have to reflect what everyone else is reading. It doesn’t even have to reflect what you were reading last month.

Sometimes we reach for the book that will challenge us. Sometimes we need the one that will comfort us. Sometimes we need a story that simply reminds us that there is still beauty in the world.

Pay attention to that instinct.

The book you need most may not be the book everyone is recommending. It may be the one that has been sitting quietly on your shelf, waiting for you to become the reader who is ready for it.

Read the First Page

Most literary agents will tell you that, when you submit a novel for publication, the first—and often the only—part they will look at is the first page. This is because a book’s opening bears a great deal of weight. Regardless of genre, POV, or tense, the first page should give the reader a reason to keep going.

Take, for example, these wonderful first-page hooks:

“The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation.” —The Secret History, Donna Tartt

“I was sitting in a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting through a Dumpster.” —The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls

“This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it.” — The Princess Bride, William Goldman

For more great hooks, read this post.

Literary agents and editors have the right idea when they advise authors to make their opening lines special. I say this at the risk of sounding unkind to other writers who perhaps do not like being told how to write their novels, but it is what it is: we readers have so many options that, if an author wishes for their story to be chosen, they need to learn the gimmicks.

There has to be a line, an idea, or an exchange in the first paragraph that makes me think, “Wait, what? I need to know more. How can Goldman say this is his favorite book if he’s never read it? Why is Bunny dead? Why is Mom rooting through a dumpster?”

When picking your next read, allow yourself to be choosy. Go through your options, read the first pages of each, and pick the ones that grip you. It’s not necessary to toss aside books that don’t immediately arrest your attention; simply set them aside until the time is right.

Read the Book You Keep Thinking About

Sometimes, you already know what you want to read. You just haven’t admitted it to yourself yet.

There may be a particular book on your shelf that you keep noticing. You pick it up, read the description again, admire the cover, and then put it back because you think you should read something else first. Perhaps it’s been sitting there for months. Perhaps you bought it years ago. Perhaps you’ve been telling yourself that you’ll get to it eventually.

Why not now?

Our reading lists can become so full of obligations that we forget to pay attention to the books that genuinely interest us. We tell ourselves we need to finish another book first, catch up on a bestseller, read something more “important,” or finally tackle the enormous classic we’ve been avoiding.

But if you keep thinking about a particular book, there may be a reason.

You don’t need to justify every reading choice. You don’t need to prove that you’ve chosen the most worthwhile book on your shelf. If one keeps catching your attention, pick it up. Read a few pages. See where it takes you.

And if you discover that you’re not in the mood for it after all, you can always put it back.

Conclusion

Choosing your next book doesn’t have to be a complicated process. You don’t need a reading challenge, an elaborate TBR system, or a carefully calculated plan. Sometimes you simply need to stop and ask yourself what kind of story you’re longing for.

Read for pleasure. Read for comfort. Read because a first page makes you curious. Read the book that has been quietly calling your name from the shelf.

And remember that there is no wrong answer.

The unread books will still be there tomorrow. Your reading life is not a race, and your bookshelf is not a list of obligations. You are allowed to wander through it, change your mind, abandon a book that isn’t right for you, and return to one when the time is better.

So if you’re sitting there wondering what to read next, look at your shelves again.

There’s probably a book waiting for you.

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