what influences your reading?
I’m working to translate my scribbles from several recent reads into coherent reviews. As I do so, I’m curious, what influences you to pick a title and begin to read? Is there something specific you look for or something that causes you to stay far away from a book?
Is it the author? The cover? Do you go by the description on the back cover? Do you care if it won an award? Do you read reviews? If so what do you want to know and what do you wish the reviewer skipped?
Curious how I choose what to read? I tend to become loyal to authors and have some publishers who consistently publish books I like. When looking outside those criteria I go by descriptions and try to read the first few pages for fiction or the table of contents and introduction for nonfiction. I try to stay away from books with considerable hype and I’ve had bad luck with any book short listed for or winning the Man Booker Prize.
In a given day how do I pick a title from my slightly absurd current reading shelf? It depends completely on how much time I have to read. Or if it’s a library book that’s due very soon. I like reading nonfiction at lunch, a chapter a day keeps the boredom at bay. Short stories are nice at bedtime, otherwise I’m too tempted to stay up long past lights out. It also depends on the weather. If it’s stormy (much like the current rainy weather) then I want to reread good friends.
How do I find new books to read? I look through what’s new at NetGalley or what is on the current Early Reviewers list at LibraryThing. I also scroll through library catalogues by different sorts including: date added to catalogue, release date, by subject, and popularity.