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Original poster

How do you pick your books????

62 replies

MrFranklyShankly · 01/11/2013 12:43

Hi folks,

Just wondering how some of you pick books, is it by finding ones that are related to a certain theme you like, the front cover! Or recommendations?? I have picked a few by front cover recently as reading the back for a description sometimes can put me off what can be an otherwise good book, so got 'every last one' & 'before I go to sleep' this way and they were really good but then I got a crap one so I've scrapped this method of selection!!!! Recommendations here are always really good....so just curious as to how everyone else picks theirs????

F

OP posts:
DuchessofMalfi · 02/11/2013 08:38

What Cherrypi says :)

Cherrypi · 02/11/2013 08:14

Recommendations from newspapers, twitter, goodreads, mumsnet. Read the free sample on my kindle. If I like it add it to my wish list and buy when it's cheap or get it when I see it in the library.

JeanSeberg · 02/11/2013 08:06

MrFrankly Have you read the Reluctant Fundamentalist?

17leftfeet · 02/11/2013 05:50

My dad is working his way through the library in alphabetical order of the author

The only thing he won't read is anything occult

He's up to C Grin

Louise1956 · 02/11/2013 05:36

I browse around bookshops and on amazon, hoping to find something that will interest me.

Original poster
MrFranklyShankly · 02/11/2013 02:46

Cheers jean, it's from my fave smiths song, only backwards!!! Loving the idea of utilising my free library, by using recommendations from here or elsewhere.

Waycat I'm a big khaled hossines fan, the kite flyer is one of my all time fave, and liking the recommendations from amazons pages...keep the ideas coming ;-)

OP posts:
Lunaballoon · 01/11/2013 16:11

The last few books I've read have all been MN recommendations, some that I've sought (historical fiction) and others simply because of glowing posts by others. I have to say I've loved every one of them and have been introduced to writers that I probably would never have chosen myself!

waycat · 01/11/2013 16:03

I like to read the first few paragraphs of a book - I can generally get a good idea of whether I'll like it from doing this, although it doesn't always work and I've ended up giving up on some books that I've selected using this method.

I also flick through and look at how the chapters are structured. For example, if the book seems to alternate alot between different time zones, or if the story is told in the first person and that first person keeps chopping and changing, then I know I shall have trouble keeping track of the story line. I found that with Khaled Hosseini's latest, but I did actually finish it at the second try.

Of course, recommendations from friends are always a good way. I also look at my Amazon page, because they will draw your attention to books similar to those you've previously bought. Armed with this information, I then head to the library and borrow for free!

TheWanderingUterus · 01/11/2013 14:26

I went to the library and tried lots of different genres, stood in front of a section and picked two books that appealed and two that I wasn't sure about. Read a lot of crap books so instituted the fifty/hundred page rule, if I was struggling to care after fifty pages I gave up. I discovered lots of gems though and I used the Amazon 'people who bought this, also bought' section to find similar books to the ones I loved.

I haven't liked any modern fiction I have tried, but zombie novels, post apocalyptic fiction, romantic fantasy and books about madness turned out to be my favourite genres.

JeanSeberg · 01/11/2013 14:25

And best thing is it's free!

(Love your user name by the way.)

Original poster
MrFranklyShankly · 01/11/2013 14:23

Good idea jean, might start doing that.

OP posts:
JeanSeberg · 01/11/2013 13:43

I like to have a browse in Waterstones then reserve them on-line in the library.