DiscerningReader & Choosing What to Read
First on the list of ways that John Piper chooses what to read is Recommendations. There are thousands upon thousands of books out there, most of them garbage, many worthwhile, and a few precious gems. Nobody has the time or the mental capacity to properly read, digest, discern truth from error, and apply even a small percentage of those books. For that reason, quality book reviews from people who have demonstrated themselves over time as discerning readers can serve you very well as you decide what to read.
Secondly, knowing what is available is another difficult task. Generally, knowledge of available literature among the public is driven by publisher's marketing dollars and not the quality of the book. The internet has leveled the playing field a bit more. Books that a less mass-marketable but more edifying than those on the top-sellers list are made known to the evangelical world through blogs much faster and on a more wide-spread basis than simple word of mouth. It may not be time in your life to read a certain type of book, but keeping up-to-date on what is out there (as well as the quality and content of that material) will make you more able to quickly find and benefit from good books and spend less time wading through mediocre ones. When you are faced with a certain struggle or question, you will already know where to turn.
I commend to you, therefore, DiscerningReader.com. DiscerningReader is currently composed of reviews from a select group of reviewers that have proven themselves over time to be discerning in identifying error and commending truth. The site, designed by Tim Challies, is quickly growing and will soon include not only book reviews, but also book summaries and book previews. I recommend making DiscerningReader a regular part of your web-surfing routine.
Note: I have recently joined the DiscerningReader team as a reviewer, so you will find most of my book reviews generally posted on this blog, cross-posted on DiscerningReader as well.
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