How do you pick what you read?

Question

I have a constant list going of books I want to read and I can get kind of obsessive about finding books. It's like I feel like I should read every book review site out there just because I might miss something. I'm also addicted to librarything.com and the forums there, for the same reason.

How do you pick what you read? Do you just go to the library/bookstore and pick something out? Do you read book reviews? Check the bestseller lists?

Answer 1

I'm rather obsessive about it too. Because of that I listen to books on audio alot now and read.

I try to challenge myself with my reading. I've gotten better about checking things out from the library rather than buying eveything. That way I can see if I'm going to like it. I've gotten to where if I can't get into it by page 10, I put it down. I'll pick it up again in a week or so and if I still feel that way back it goes. I don't waste my time reading stuff I'm not going to like just because it's on a bestseller list or won an award.

I read reviews, check bestsellers and check new releases at the bookstore. I watch alot of Cspan too. They have alot of authors reading their work etc.

Answer 2

I have looked at the best seller lists. If I like an author I have often then gone to get other books written by this person. I talk with lots of people and ask them what they are reading. This has led me to read some books (that were good) that I may not have ever considered. Sometimes I just wander bookstores or the library and just pick them up reading the jackets to see if it is appealing. I read a lot. I know I will never read all the books I would like to read. I also listen to audio books when driving or doing boring tasks around the house.

Answer 3

If there's a book I like, I read others by the same author. I do read the Literary Supplements or lit pages of newspapers - bestseller lists not so much. But most of my friends and family are keen readers, too, so we recommend books to each other or give them as gifts. And sometimes, when I see a film or an opera, I want to read the book it is based on.

I also have a list like you have. The Satanic Verses have been on it for a while now, so has the latest Nick Hornby book and the new one by Jasper Fforde - all because I like what I've read from the respective authors so far.

Answer 4

How I choose my book picks is that I always go to the Amazon.com book section and browse the book genres:

http://www.amazon.com/

They have a HUGE variety of books--everything from pop psychology to ghost stories. I browse the genre of my choice and when I see a book title that catches my eye, I click on the link, read the summary and review and if I want to read it, I check my local library's online catalog to see if they have it. If they do, I create a book list and add it as a book I'll check out next time I go. I do the same thing over and over again, until I have a book list filled with titles and their according library call numbers. That way, when I go to the library, I won't be wandering around wondering about what to read. I have a pre-made, printed book list with the call numbers of the books I want and I quickly check them out. It works great!

Answer 5

I read all the time with books all around my room. I go against the motto "never judge a book by its cover" it's true I do. I have tried to stop but when I go into a bookstore and don't know what to read I go up and down the aisles until a cover catches my attention. But I do have my favorite authors and if someone tells me to read a book I will go against my own theory and read.

Answer 6

I pick an author I like and look at their books. Off their pages, amazon will recommend other books or listmania's and I just start this chain reaction of looking at books with 4 or more stars and putting them in my shopping list for one day I want to read.

Answer 7

I meander around the bookstore. I usually end up with like 12 books each time, but I dump 'em on my brother to pay. Cause its a lotta money.

I usually read the first couple of pages, and if I'm hooked, I buy it.

Answer 8

I usually pick titles that sound interesting. I joined a bookclub to "expand my horizons". It really opened up a whole new world for me. The books I would have never read on my own are some of the best books I have ever read.

Answer 9

You'll find more than you can handle, if you only read books that have won awards...or classics. Once you encounter an author you like, read more of his/her work.

Answer 10

i just go to the bookstore and find something that looks interesting.