Choosing a Book
If this post has been assigned to you, you have been asked to choose a book to read as part of our English course. Each time you do this, read the entire post that follows; it is meant to apply even to choices outside of school, so revisiting the specifics may help you develop that habit.
To choose a book to read, you should start with this apt metaphor:
We should learn to treat [literature] as doctors treat their medicine, something we prescribe in response to a range of ailments and classify according to the problems it might be best suited to addressing. Literature deserves its prestige for one reason above all others: because it’s a tool to help us live and die with a little more wisdom, goodness, and sanity.