HOw do you pick the books your going to read?

[varnish7]

Hi, I'm new here. I was wondering what methods the rest of you used to decide what book you're going to read next. Personally, I'll start to read a book, and while I'm reading it, I keep thinking about all of the other books I want to read. Sometimes if I enjoy a book that I'm reading, I'll try to get everything written by the same author or covering the same topic. There are just so many books that I want to read that I can't decide. Once I finally choose a book I'm OK, since, as I said, I like all kinds of books. Even then, it's hard to concentrate on what I'm reading, when I keep getting distracted by thoughts of what I want to read next.

Currently, I'm employing a system I made up in which I use a random number generator to narrow down my choice of books to a specific fiction or nonfiction category, and read five books from that specific category. Right now, I'm reading from a list of top 100 crime novels. I just started this, so I'm not quite sure if this is going to work out long term.

Could you tell me what methods you use to decide which book you're going to read next? Thanks.

[Bighuey]

I thought I was the only one with that problem. Im the same way, Ill start reading something and keep thinking I need to read something else. Ive got too many books. Years ago, I would just get one book at a time, read it and get another book. Now books are so easily accesable, e books especially. Ive got about 8000 e books, I will never read them in my life time. Im thinking of going through them, keeping the ones I really want to read right away and putting the rest on a stick and forget I have them. That might work.

[Tip the Bottle]

Uhh a random number generator? That's a new one for me. I usually just look through what I have or go to the book store and I'll just get a feeling of something I want to read. Often I have a genre in mind when I look bur sometimes I just read a title and feel that the title sounds interesting.

[Fran]

I go by recommendations from my reliable sources but if I'm reading a good book I generally go on to read more of that author. I read Left Early, Took my Dog a few months ago & that led me to my current obsession with Kate Atkinson.
Or it can be someone reminds me of an author I've read in the past & meant to follow up further.
But as I write this I glance at my TBR pile in my living room & I have a lovely warm feeling that whatever happens I'm well set up with reading material and if I add in what's on my Kindle I'm probably OK until the next millenium (at least!)
Isn't it great that there are so many good writers and books waiting to be read?

[varnish7]

I thought I was the only one with that problem. Im the same way, Ill start reading something and keep thinking I need to read something else. Ive got too many books. Years ago, I would just get one book at a time, read it and get another book. Now books are so easily accesable, e books especially. Ive got about 8000 e books, I will never read them in my life time. Im thinking of going through them, keeping the ones I really want to read right away and putting the rest on a stick and forget I have them. That might work.

That's exactly it. When I was younger, the only way I got books was by going to my local library. Maybe once in a great while, I'd get something from the book store. Plus, I was only interested in a limited number of authors. Now, I'm starting to become interested in all sorts of genres and subjects. Couple that with the fact that I could probably order just about any book I could ever want through Amazon, or download it off the internet, and it just gets overwhelming. BTW, how in the world did you manage to get 8000 e-books? I think I only have somewhere between 100-200.

Uhh a random number generator? That's a new one for me. I usually just look through what I have or go to the book store and I'll just get a feeling of something I want to read. Often I have a genre in mind when I look bur sometimes I just read a title and feel that the title sounds interesting.

I realize the random number generator thing is weird, but like I said it is just so hard for me to decide what to read next. Everything sounds interesting. I want to read all the books. At least this way, I can get some books picked out. Plus, hopefully this will expose me to a wider variety of reading material than I would normally choose for myself.

[Bighuey]

@ Varnish, I found them on free downloating sites, Project Gutenberg, Smashwords, places like that. Gutenberg has about 30,000 free books. I went through them, see something I thought I would like and downloaded it. After about a month I had 7 or 8 thousand books, I doubt if I will ever read a tenth of them. I kind of got carried away, altho I did find a lot of good ones I have been looking for years.

[StephenKingman]

I usually rely on my gut instinct as to what to read next, very much depends on my mood from one day to the next, I could go from horror to comedy to autobiography in the same week.

[Maud Fitch]

My favourite method is browsing. Since the book store chains are decreasing, I wander around second-hand book shops or my local library. The library has recommended reading on display and if a book looks interesting I'll borrow it. That's how I discovered my favourite kooky author Jasper Fforde. My rule is never to have more than five books. Five books give me a choice without pressure. I can read two together and if one doesn't work out, I have another to read. Friends continually lend me books which can overwhelm me because I feel I can't get through them quickly enough.
I think reading should be for leisure and pleasure so I prefer to go-with-the-flow.

[Hannellene]

I recommend "safe haven". I like this book very much. This is my first Sparks' book, it's completely different from any other fiction I've read.

[tonya10057]

Some people pick by author, some by it being a bestseller, some by cover, others by title.
I usually pick mine by title and cover, never by author.

[StephenKingman]

Depends on my mood at the time. Its usually horror so i may feel like a haunted house book followed by a King classic or chance a brand new author, some days i feel like another genre like true crime or mystery. All depends on mood.

[RuqeeD]

When I know the author and have read many of their books, I will automatically look out for the next one. Other times its through recommendations or a reference in yet another book. When I'm at the library I stroll down and pick books that looks interesting and the blurb is good.

[Bighuey]

Sometimes by the author. If its something that has an interesting title I thumb through it to get an idea what it is about.

[Ant]

I use the same methods as RuqeeD and Huey,....a reference from another book, by author or by thumbing through at the library and sometimes recommendations.

[new_romantic]

I always look out for an author I like but most of the time I decide on the cover.