What about a book, makes you decide to open it up and read it?

1. 75

   IntimatEvolutionposted 13 years ago

   What about a book, makes you decide to open it up and read it?
   
   Judging a book by it's cover or contents.

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2. 71

   VirginiaLynneposted 13 years ago

   Interesting question.  I think that I am most interested in the title.  Then I usually look at any jacket cover for some idea of what the book is about.

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3. 0

   Old Empresarioposted 13 years ago

   I always want to know about the author--where they were born, when they were born, and what is the typical subject or theme of their novels?. That tells me a lot. If the answers are not "1971", US", and " magic and werewolves", then I might move forward and see what the book is actually about. I usually won't read "genre-based" novels, like mysteries, thrillers, romance, horror, science fiction, fantasy, westerns, or even historical fictions. I like honest novels that speak of humaness with no labeled genre. There are exceptions to my rule, depending on the author. I have more or less given up on reading new novels and prefer to go and re-read old favorites and even classics. In historical non-fiction I am only interested in primary source works or serious scholarly works that I can only find out about via the American Historical Association.

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4. 61

   Brooke Lorrenposted 13 years ago

   I have a whole stack of books that I have waiting to be read.  I usually choose my books based on recommendations from people that say things that interest me.  Sometimes I'll choose a book because it was mentioned in a newspaper article or something like that.  So I guess in a way, contents and recommendations.  I'm never without a selection of books that I want to read.  "So many books, so little time!"

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5. 60

   jessramblingsposted 13 years ago

   Hmm... To me, the cover usually grabs my attention first, but I also make sure to check out the title. Sometimes the cover could be uninspiring, but the title makes me interested. I usually then read the blurb on the back and/or inside the jacket. From there if it sounds interesting, I'll skim the first page or so. I'm usually open to any type of story and sometimes I'll look at a book a couple times before finally caving and getting it. I also look at online reviews. Wow, I'm making this sound like a chore, haha, but that's how I choose my books.

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6. 60

   Gail Daleyposted 13 years ago

   First: the author
   2nd: I check out the summary
   3rd: I read the last few pages. If I don't like the ending, I don't read the book. Life is too short to waste on poor endings.

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