The guiding principle here is that absolutely anything can be made into an adventure.

Works of non-fiction often include citations for direct quotes or references for material consulted during research. These help the reader understand what text comes directly from another source, versus what has simply influenced and informed the author’s work. If you normally breeze over these citations and references, consider the potential for adventure that lies within them. Aren’t these a sort of analog version of online recommendations⏤old fashioned versions of the “You might also like” and “Stories for you” prompts? If you are up for a completely random intellectual adventure with an uncertain outcome, consider following one reference to another reference, to another reference, just for the hell of it. 

One of the easiest adventures to go on is an adventure of the mind, and what better tour guide than the book already on your nightstand? Either pick the very first book cited/referenced in the book you are currently reading and read that book next, or pick the first citation/reference that really intrigues you. There is no right or wrong way to do this; this is your adventure! Then, do the same thing with the book you are led to, and so on. You can follow a reference thread as many books back as you want to. A recent journey of mine started with a personal finance book from 1982 and ended four books later with a theology book from 1840.

Much like an old-school “Choose Your Own Adventure” book, how this unfolds for you will be completely different from how it unfolds for someone else⏤it all depends on which book you start with and which reference you choose to follow. One thing is for certain, though: It’s a great reminder that every creative work draws on creative works that came before it, and if you follow references from book to book, you are certain to experience hundreds of years of time travel on a single journey. Not too bad!

For Movie Lovers

If you’d rather float down the river of movies than books, here are some fun ideas:

  • Look up who won the Academy Award for Best Actor the year your grandmother graduated from high school, and watch the previous three movies that person starred in.
  • Watch the favorite movie of your favorite actor or actress. Next, watch the favorite movie of the leading actor or actress in that movie, and so on.
  • Watch the movie that won the Academy Award for Best Picture in all the years ending with your favorite number. For example: 1929, 1939, 1949, 1959, 1969, 1979, 1989, 1999, and 2009.

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