How do you choose a book to read and/or buy?

Question

When you visit your favorite book store how do you choose a book to read? What attracts you to it? How often are you right or wrong about a book purchase? Thanks for any thoughtful answers.

Answer 1

People say you should never judge a book by its cover ... but, to be perfectly honest, I find if the cover really grabs my attention, then there's a good chance the book will too.
A good example of this is a book I just finished reading last week. The cover design is mind-blowing. It's an ambigram, so the title can be read even when the book is upside down. I took a chance that if the cover was anything to go by then the book would be equally amazing ... and, I have to say, it was.
I found a link to a page about its cover design:

http://justinthyme.info/page114.html

Reading the review on the back cover might not help much - after all, it is written by the publisher, and they're hardly an unbiased opinion! If a book is by an author I'm not familiar with I always read the first page to see if it grabs me.

This is what I believe: the first sentence should MAKE you want to read the 2nd sentence. The first paragraph, should MAKE you want to read the 2nd paragraph. And the first page should MAKE you want to read the 2nd page. If that works ... it's a good sign; I'll buy the book ... and, usually, I'm happy with it!

Oddly enough, this is exactly what happened with the book I've just mentioned above. The first sentence was: "Justin Thyme chose not to celebrate his birthday." That intrigued me ... I HAD to read on ...

Answer 2

When I go to a bookstore I will go right to the section I have found previous books I liked before and purchased (which is romance for me). Then I will find my favorite authors to see if they have any new books I have not read yet. I look at the book cover and read the descriptions (usually on the back cover) to see if it sounds good or interesting to me. I also look at the price of the book but I always get paperback so then it's not so expensive and I purchase the books. I haven't bought a book yet that I didn't like!

Answer 3

I don't live in a big city and therefore don't have the opportunity to read books in a book store. I've brought books all my life - and now have far more than I have space for. I think a room without books is incomplete. If everyone read books in store, the authors would not get paid, and eventually the stores themselves would go out of business as they would not be making money. I go with those who say that if you can't afford to buy books, use a library. Here in the UK at least the authors get some income through Public Lending Rights.

Answer 4

There are several things that I look for in a book that might persuade me to buy it

a) if I've read works by that author and enjoyed them in the past
b) if a friend recommended the book to me, and I trust that friend
c) if it's endorsed as a 'great' or 'unforgettable' book by an author I respect (IF Orson Scott Card recommends a book, you'll see me reading it!)
d) if I've read reviews of the book (like on Amazon) and it sounded interesting to me
e) book cover/ book jacket descriptions AND reading the first page or two.

Essentially the same things I look for when I'm at the library. Only there I add in the "how new" does it look test. A book with a book jacket/interesting cover has more appeal than one of the old-fashioned plain brown, green, or blue books which are abundant on library shelves. Also I don't have to be won over with a great first sentence or first page to check it out from the library.


I borrow books more frequently than I buy them. Unless I'm at a used bookstore, I rarely buy a book unless I've read that book or that author before. At a used bookstore, the cheaper the book, the more willing I am to take a risk with a new author, new subject, new genre, new style whatever. But to buy a hardback book, I want to be confident that I am going to enjoy that book for a lifetime.

Answer 5

Personally, I go for books that I've heard something about first. There are still many classics that I haven't read yet, so I might pick them up. After I peruse the cover, I will read the first few pages, that's the key for me. If it grabs me, I buy it. If it doesn't I move on to step two: recommended books.

I keep a list of recommended books (either by people or by magazines, radio, etc.) on my PDA, so I'm always looking for them. I follow the same process as above. If I'm still not feeling it, I move on to step three: choosing a book by its cover.

Here, I'm not looking for the cover art, usually; although, I have to admit that I bought the Tom Holt "The Portable Door" purely on the over simplistic cover drawing. Now, the back cover did help, and the first three pages flew by.

Now, I rarely find a book to purchase after step three. Amazingly, I have only purchased a complete bomb on a few occasions.

Answer 6

I hate to buy full price because I really may not like the book so, I go to Good will and thrift shops, iwould go to a used book store but we don't have one. My friends and family pick them up at yard sales for me too and I can't throw a book away so, I pass it on or give it to Good Will too. i like different things but, mostly anything that rings true and tells a story. it can be an autobiography or a novel or a Memoir, If it keeps me interested for the first chapter, then I read it, if not, I usually give it up. I loved Angelas Ashes and How Green was my valley, As I lay Dying. So many I don't remember tha names.

Answer 7

Cover Auther Length

Answer 8

I usually look at the title and the picture on the cover to see if it looks interesting to me. Then, I usually read the back synopsis.

Answer 9

look at the cover if it looks interesting read the back if you like it get it

Answer 10

If it's a paperback there is a preview on the back