DECIDER
How do you decide whether to read a book? Recommendations and reviews are useful, but surely the best way is to read its first paragraph, then turn at random to a later paragraph and read it. At a glance you have an idea of what the book‘s about, its style, how well it‘s written, its seriousness, its appeal—to you. If it doesn‘t interest you, it‘s on to the next!
Below are the opening paragraphs of the two short novels The Man Who Owned New York and Springtime in Siena. Click the indicated buttons for more of each, at random.