# How do you choose a book to read?



## 67499 (Feb 4, 2013)

Everybody has a different way of choosing a book to read, but going over the KBs I'm astonished at how many people have huge TBR lists.  I can't help but wonder how they choose the books to pile onto those lists.  My method is pretty simple.  I have a long commute to/from work and do a lot of business travel, so I read or listen to a lot of books and keep a stack of TBRs always handy.  I don't pay a lot of attention to Amazon reader ratings but prefer full-length book reviews to hunt down my next read.  But I really make my decision based on what I see on the first page of the book.  I know writers put maximum effort into the opening sentence and opening paragraph to hook readers.  If that first sentence grabs me, I read the first para.  If I like that para, I'll read a page or two and that means I'm likely to buy.  How about you?


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## Mahree Moyle (Jun 19, 2013)

If I have had a good experience with writers, I tend to try the next book they write. If I don't know the author, I read the back and check the reviews. Word of mouth, depending on whose mouth it is coming from.


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## Roman_writer (Jul 3, 2013)

I'm a reader and a writer. For physical books, I browse, look at the front cover, read the back cover blurb, read the first page and that decides me. 

Friends' recommendations are next, especially for Kindle, then if an author I particularly like brings a new book out, I'll buy that automatically unless there's something really off. 

And sometimes I get a Goodreads recommendation email and I may follow that.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

On Kindle books, if the description sounds good I will grab it or if someone has recommended a book and it is FREE I will grab it.  
With the exception of one book and that one I watched the movie first (my mother's idea) and decided to get the book even though it was a bit expensive.  My mother did that on purpose so I would be interested in a book she had read.  I am reading about a chapter of it every two weeks.  The book is Atlas Shrugged.

With other books same idea if the back cover catches my attention, I will put it on my TBR list.
But then I read across all genres so I will read just about anything.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I have as many different ways to pick my next read as I have books on my tbr mountain. And its a large mountain in the 1000's.  . 
Sometimes I pick something out of the pile I already own, in the 100's. Heck I even have collections and shelves on goodreads for next reading, up next, queue. I do a stacked system with my up next stuff. Its hard to explain. Its like staged. Top level next, mid level next, bottom level next.  
All that goes out the window when I see readers talking about a book on goodreads that looks interesting. Then after my vetting I go get it. 
Reader ratings and reader reviews always rank above any "professional" reviews or most blog type reviews for me. Usually people I follow around on goodreads. Also the forums on amazon and sites and blogs specific to the genres I read. 

Then sometimes I sit surrounded by all these lists and tbr piles and I can't find anything to read.  . When I am in a restless slump like that, I usually go with an author I know well and has a good backlist. 

In other words, I am all over the place, with usually no rhyme or reason to it.  . 

I am a very moody reader I think. I go where my mood takes me.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

How do I pick something from my TBR list? I just pick whatever I'm in the mood for.


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## Meka (Sep 8, 2011)

history_lover said:


> How do I pick something from my TBR list? I just pick whatever I'm in the mood for.


^^^THIS^^^

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## Robena (Jan 19, 2013)

Initially I select from recommendations by friends, or by having read about or heard mention of a book. When I check it out on Amazon, or in the book store, I take a look at at the first page or two after reading the BCC. I seldom buy on cover, but often buy on author name. Often times I'm surprised by a book chosen in book club that I would have completely passed over, so yeah, need to be more open. : )


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## Aris Whittier (Sep 21, 2010)

Mood definitely factors in.  But regardless whether I’m looking for a romance, book on health, recipe, or a biography, I have a standard way of looking for a book.

I buy most of my books on kindle so I head to amazon and I search the topic, from there I look at reviews (I do look for those that have a few reviews however they don’t all have to be good), then I read the blurb/description and that’s how I choose. I do like free books but I don’t bat an eye about paying $5 or under for a book it it’s something I want (that buy with one click is so easy!).  Sometimes I look through the bestseller list (top 100) but I usually just search the topic and go from there.


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## JenniferHarlow (Jun 8, 2013)

To find new books, I'm a browser. I walk the aisles in bookstores and shallow though it is, it's the cover and title that initially gets me to pick up the book. This is the same on Amazon. I go to the sections I like, and if those two factors to catch my eye, I'll delve further into the blurb, then try the sample. Reviews might be the tipping point of the initial click though. Anything below 3 1/2 stars I don't bother.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Atunah said:


> I have as many different ways to pick my next read as I have books on my tbr mountain. And its a large mountain in the 1000's. .
> <snippage occured>
> In other words, I am all over the place, with usually no rhyme or reason to it. .
> 
> I am a very moody reader I think. I go where my mood takes me.


I have a PURCHASED already TBR list that is well over 1000, but under 3000... spans 3 different Kindles in my possession as well as my Amazon Account. Sometimes I flip through by newest first, or oldest first, or author name, or whatever title grabs me. Certain authors automatically hit the top of the TBR with their new releases, and in 5 years of Kindle there have been 3 I think that I would never ever read again even for pay.


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## SArthurMartin (Jul 1, 2011)

Lately, my biggest motivation has been hands-on experience in one way or another with an author, or a recommendation from an author friend. I've been doing a lot of reaching out to other writers lately and it's led to a nice big TBR pile.


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## MineBook (May 31, 2013)

I read first pages than if it grabed my attention I buy it.  
  But there were times when first pages are great writen,
but in next chapters book story goes somewhere out to 'the fields'... 
  So, I tend to read comments, but not every review is good. 
Every author have friends that write reviews for them. 
So, I tend don't believe in SUPER UPER review about book.


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## Beatriz (Feb 22, 2011)

Steven Hardesty said:


> Everybody has a different way of choosing a book to read, but going over the KBs I'm astonished at how many people have huge TBR lists. I can't help but wonder how they choose the books to pile onto those lists. My method is pretty simple. I have a long commute to/from work and do a lot of business travel, so I read or listen to a lot of books and keep a stack of TBRs always handy. I don't pay a lot of attention to Amazon reader ratings but prefer full-length book reviews to hunt down my next read. But I really make my decision based on what I see on the first page of the book. I know writers put maximum effort into the opening sentence and opening paragraph to hook readers. If that first sentence grabs me, I read the first para. If I like that para, I'll read a page or two and that means I'm likely to buy. How about you?


I can pretty much tell that it's going to be interesting right from the start.


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## lmroth12 (Nov 15, 2012)

I rarely take a friend's recommendation because many of my friends have different tastes than I do. I read across a large spectrum of topics but am selective on what I choose to read. I rarely hunt for the latest on the New York Times Bestseller list, but pick whatever I am in the mood for and narrow it down from there. Usually an intriguing title will grab my attention; I don't care what the cover looks like and don't even bother to glance at the reviews. I check out the Look Inside feature and if the writing looks good and sustains my interest I buy the book.


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## Joni Mayhan (Jul 8, 2013)

Like many others here, I am an author and an avid reader. I look for a great synopsis that pulls me in as well as positive reader reviews. While I like reading books by my favorite authors, I'm not opposed to giving newcomers a shot.


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## LillianB (Jul 7, 2013)

Like many others here, I am an author and an avid reader.  I don't write what I like to read (I am probably a very impatient writer too, so short stories work best for me) but here is how I pick books to read:

Generally I like to pick books where a person (a woman preferably) has a problem and she has to find a way to solve it.  Or a woman/man is in a particular situation and has to find a way out of it.

I prefer a sizable book and have been known to pick books that are in a series (L.M Montgomery and Jean M. Auel books are my favorite! Dan Brown was a great find as well) so that I see the progression of the character through various situations/phases of life.

I like historical fiction - not necessarily a re-write of history.  Just maybe something written during a particular period from the point of view of some unlikely character.

Very particular I know but when I find those kinds of books?!  I am in total heaven 

-L


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## elizabethareeves (Jul 6, 2013)

I first search for authors that I like and see if they have anything new out or coming out since I have probably have read everything they have. Next, I usually staying in the my genre which is fantasy. I read the blurb about it and take a risk.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

BTackitt said:


> I have a PURCHASED already TBR list that is well over 1000, but under 3000... spans 3 different Kindles in my possession as well as my Amazon Account. Sometimes I flip through by newest first, or oldest first, or author name, or whatever title grabs me. Certain authors automatically hit the top of the TBR with their new releases, and in 5 years of Kindle there have been 3 I think that I would never ever read again even for pay.


This sounds like me.  Another tool that's fun is to just close my eyes and spin, spin, spin the carousel on one of my Fires. . .and then just see what comes up.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> This sounds like me.  Another tool that's fun is to just close my eyes and spin, spin, spin the carousel on one of my Fires. . .and then just see what comes up.


That is actually fun to do. You never get to see all the covers together like this on the e-ink kindle. When I spin and spin and try to get further back, I see stuff that I can't even remember having, or getting.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Ann in Arlington said:


> This sounds like me.  Another tool that's fun is to just close my eyes and spin, spin, spin the carousel on one of my Fires. . .and then just see what comes up.


I keep my carousel fairly clean but I do scroll in the books sometimes to find a new read.
And yes I tend to forget what I have bought so some are a surprise.


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## brianjanuary (Oct 18, 2011)

I always read my favorite authors: Andy McDermott, James Rollins, Clive Cussler, etc. I like adventure thrillers, so I generally search for new authors in that genre. I went through a detective period a few years back and pretty much gave every unknown author a chance until I weeded out my likes and dislikes.


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## LovelynBettison (Aug 12, 2012)

Like many people have said before I read the first few pages of a book before I buy. If the first couple pages don't interest me than I don't buy it. If I read a book and really like it I tend to read every book every written by that author.


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## MrKnucklehead (Mar 13, 2013)

sometimes if I'm torn between two EBooks, the tiebreaker sometimes is if they don't both have 
Text to Speech I"ll wait a while on the one doesn't have it...


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## Adaman14 (Mar 20, 2013)

I've been following a couple groups on Goodreads and going along with the suggestions.  There have been more good books than bad and the corresponding discussion threads often give suggestions of other books of the same ilk.


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## TonyBenson (Jul 8, 2013)

I tend to read reviews. I don't have much confidence in star ratings, because they lack information. When I read a review I can generally figure out how much weight to place in it, but that takes the reviewers words and some context. That way I have more to go on than just a few stars. 

I don't see bad reviews as necessarily a mark of a bad book - sometimes the reviewer simply isn't the target audience for the book, or has completely different tastes than me. Again, the words of the review generally make such things fairly clear.


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## P.C. (Peter) Anders (Feb 6, 2013)

No, this is not a "smart" answer, but one that comes naturally:

I do not choose the book; the book chooses me, compels me to read it.

Partly, of course, because I do not have the luxury, these days, of going to a bookstore and choosing a book to read.


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## ehhoward (Jun 26, 2013)

I view an author like a seam of gold, dig out everything they wrote before moving on. Everybody’s allowed the odd bad one, but two in a row and I stop digging. Hate to admit this one, but at the airport … it’s the cover. I do judge a book that way. I’m so embarrassed.


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## LovelynBettison (Aug 12, 2012)

ehhoward said:


> Hate to admit this one, but at the airport &#8230; it's the cover. I do judge a book that way. I'm so embarrassed.


Don't be embarrassed. I do the same thing when I'm shopping at a airport bookstore. It must be something about airports. Maybe it's the air or the cycle of repetitive announcements using all your brain space.


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## nico (Jan 17, 2013)

Mostly i ask people i trust, who know my bizarre tastes, or who i can have a discussion with about WHY i should read a particular book. Also, what i've read previously sets the trajectory for what i will read next, with lots of twists and turns along the way!


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## 67499 (Feb 4, 2013)

P.C. (Peter) Anders said:


> I do not choose the book; the book chooses me, compels me to read it.


Peter - Yours is a fascinating answer. How do you encounter a book so compelling that you feel it chooses to have you read it? I like the vision of that!


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I just got this image of being chased down the road by a bunch of books screaming "read me, read me, read me"


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## Anne Berkeley (Jul 12, 2013)

I tend to be a visual person, so the covers always draw me in, but the blurbs help too.


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

Atunah said:


> I just got this image of being chased down the road by a bunch of books screaming "read me, read me, read me"


All the books on my Kindle are screaming at me as I type!


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## Germanio (Jul 15, 2013)

I tend to like fast-paced mysteries and thrillers, as well as occult and paranormal books.  Usually, I read the inside flap of the Amazon cover, or it was cheap at half-priced books.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Steven Hardesty said:



> I've a friend who believes a well-written book has a physical as well intellectual coherence. She looks for books in which the first word and the last word make up a two word phrase that reveals the story's deeper meaning. For instance, she showed me a genre thriller manuscript she was editing whose first and last words read "On peace." That, she said, was a book with more value than others and one she'd read for pleasure.


O.K. Then. Whatever floats your boat. 

I tend to think the several tens of thousands of words in between might have a lot to do with whether it's a good book, though. 

My husband has this great story about a book he read in college for a class. The professor was just all excited because it was all in nines. Nine words per sentence; 9 sentences per paragraph; 9 paragraphs per section, etc. etc. etc. Ultimately 9 "books" in the novel. Ed says that was all well and good but the story made no sense and, in a lot of places, the writing was stilted and awkward because the author had been so intent on sticking to his "Plan 9".


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## Nancy Beck (Jul 1, 2011)

Ann in Arlington said:


> My husband has this great story about a book he read in college for a class. The professor was just all excited because it was all in nines. Nine words per sentence; 9 sentences per paragraph; 9 paragraphs per section, etc. etc. etc. Ultimately 9 "books" in the novel. Ed says that was all well and good but the story made no sense and, in a lot of places, the writing was stilted and awkward because the author had been so intent on sticking to his "Plan 9".


Ah, the book version of Plan Nine From Outer Space.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Nancy Beck said:


> Ah, the book version of Plan Nine From Outer Space.


Is that what it was? He couldn't even remember the title. . . .just knew it was a really silly book. Presumably better as a movie? dunno. . . .never saw it as far as I recall. 

edit: just googled. . . . . I see it's a movie that's widely believed to be the worst ever made. . . . . . . . o.k. then. I have no idea what the book my husband read is, but he'd probably agree it was one of the worst ever.


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## Sapphire (Apr 24, 2012)

In a book store, I scan the table or shelf. When one catches my eye (cover or title) I read the back or inside flap. If still interested, I will scan the table of contents if it has one, and then read the first page. I will open the book to a random page in the middle and read a single paragraph. If I like what I see, I buy.

Ebooks are completely different for me. Everything I have purchased has come to me through a discussion group (such as Goodreads Boomer Lit or here on KB or a book club, a personal recommendation, an article, or some other introduction. I don't search a particular genre because I read across a broad range of material, except erotica. I scan reviews and read the description. If in doubt, I read the first few pages of the 'look inside' feature.

I write fiction (with the exception of my unpublished memoir), but I read both fiction and non-fiction.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

Ann in Arlington said:


> My husband has this great story about a book he read in college for a class. The professor was just all excited because it was all in nines. Nine words per sentence; 9 sentences per paragraph; 9 paragraphs per section, etc. etc. etc. Ultimately 9 "books" in the novel. Ed says that was all well and good but the story made no sense and, in a lot of places, the writing was stilted and awkward because the author had been so intent on sticking to his "Plan 9".


Sounds OCD to me. In my opinion, if you need a gimmick like this to attract attention and sell a book, it's probably not a very good book. I hate things that are different just for the sake of being different, not because there's actually any purpose to it or because it makes it any better.


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## senserial (Jan 29, 2013)

There are a few factors that influence my book choice: 

Mood
If I have read something else by the same author that I liked(there were a few disappointments though)
Recommendations and reviews
My intuition


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## ilovemygrub (Jun 2, 2012)

I come across most of the books I end up reading, because I'm reading something else (blog post, article online/offline etc) about a similar topic. If a book title pops up in an article I'm reading about a subject I'm already interested in, I'm much more likely to take a peek. I'll also read reviews on Amazon but that's about it.

I'm fairly new to book forums and sites, but I really like discovering indie authors. There's something pretty intriguing about reading an author who isn't well-known yet but unearthing a great read at the same time.

Helenka x


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Right now, how I choose a book is by authors asking me to please review their books.  This experiment is going well although surprising at times.


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