Random Experiment (?) for 2013

You guyssss, 2013 is 1/24th over and I have done so little.

That's not true, I'm kicking 2013's ass. I own 2013! I making it my servant (originally typed "making it my bitch," then seriously spent five minutes debating the gender politics of it, erased it, then gave up on the joke. As you can tell.)


Moving on.

So anyway, I've turned my reading life into a kind of experiment/survey for retrospective viewing for 2013. I am going to read whatever I want, since I'm no longer a book seller and don't really have to read every new big thing in order to have an opinion on it. The survey part is that I'm going to take note of where I bought the book and/or why I'm reading it. Was it recommended by a friend, someone on Twitter, sent to me by a publisher, caught my eye via a review in the New York Times (yeah, right) shoved down my throat on any number of social media outlets until I finally caved, etc.


I got the idea from this Verso presentation on book-buying behavior (seriously, check it out if you're into powerpoints because it's interesting), but I feel like their data doesn't really apply to me. Their "avid" reader is someone who buys ten books a year. 

I buy ten books A TRIP. So. I need my own survey. I don't know that this information will be interesting to anyone, but I thought it would be nice to see where an ACTUAL avid reader gets recommendations. 

Carry on, internet.