37: A book you choose randomly

[Jill]

What are you reading this week?
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

How did you choose your book?
As I read more crime than anything else, I went to my TBR shelf and picked the first non-crime book on it

Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
Not really bothered one way or the other

[Anastasia]

What are you reading this week?
Lilith's Brood


How did you choose your book?
I was originally going to read this book for a Hugo Award winner. It turns out this was not the book, or one of the books, that she won the award for. I still wanted to read the book and had already borrowed it from the library. There was absolutely no reason to let a good book go to waste.

Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
At this time in the challenge I really needed to just chose a book that I wanted to read just because I wanted to read it. Not because it filled a specific prompt, but because I would enjoy the book for itself. I am glad that I was able to put it in my challenge but it was really not necessary for me. I read fast enough to be able to read as many side reads as I wish.
It is important that we do include prompts like this one for those who can only read a few books a year, for whatever reasons, so that they can get that opportunity to mood read also.

[Wendy]

- What are you reading this week? The Eleventh Victim by Nancy Grace
- How did you choose your book? I had it in my TBR pile
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not? A lot of times this is how I choose what to read next. It's a big pile! And proximity sometimes makes it easier to choose. I'm fine with random in this case!

[Rebecca]

What are you reading this week?
The End of the Perfect 10: The Making and Breaking of Gymnastics' Top Score—from Nadia to Now by Dvora Meyers

How did you choose your book?
I used a random number generator.

Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
I did! I added this book (and a bunch of others) in a huge sports mood during the Summer Olympics, so it might have otherwise been a long time until I went back to it. It was nice to have the random number generator choose for me.

[Hilde]

What are you reading this week?
The Locked Room (NY trilogy #3) by Paul Auster

How did you choose your book?
In one of the other groups I'm in, we have a randomiser list where you get assigned three random books from the 1001 list. The New York trilogy was on my randomiser list here this year.

Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
Yes, since I got lucky with my book this time.

[Crystal]

- What are you reading this week?
Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

- How did you choose your book?
I had a few new books downloaded on my kindle and just closed my eyes and picked one from the top 8

- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
Yes, as I was going to have a hard time deciding between the newer books I have wanted to read.

[Jean]

What are you reading this week? The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
How did you choose your book? I used a computer-based random number selector based on the number of books on my TBR.
Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not? I did in this case because it landed on one I really wanted to read.

[Celia]

- What are you reading this week?
Shining Sea
- How did you choose your book?
I won the book and I want to read it ASAP
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
Really loved it. Sometimes I feel I have to read a book that is not important to me just because I want to satisfy a clue. It was so freeing just to be able to select any book I wanted.

[Katie]

What are you reading this week?
The Interstellar Age: Inside the Forty-Year Voyager Mission by Jim Bell


How did you choose your book?
I went to my overdrive app, filtered by nonfiction audiobooks about Science (because I was perusing the Science section earlier today & found a lot of books that looked interesting), then picked the 7th book on the 7th page of books (because 7 is my favorite number). I have a few different libraries that I have access to, so I did cruise through a few libraries using this same formula until I found a book that interested me.

Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
Yes, it was fun to do something different than my usual way of picking. And the book I picked isn't one I've heard of, but I think I'll find it interesting, so that seems like a big win.

[Mel]

What are you reading this week?
Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire

How did you choose your book?
Used a random number generator and the number it landed on wound up being the book I chose for the category.

Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
I did, probably because I generally pick reads at random (especially at the library!).

[Elizabeth]

What are you reading this week? Phantom Prey

- How did you choose your book?: Random number generator

- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not? Yes , because you don't know what your going to get.

[Angela]

What are you reading this week?
Gone with the Mind, by Mark Leyner


How did you choose your book?
I decided to really fly blind, my local book store has introduced the Blind Date concept whereby random books are covered in brown paper with only the genre written as a clue. I closed my eyes, stuck my hand in the pile and picked this one.

Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
It took me out of my comfort zone, but it was still fun as I didn't know what I'd pick.

[Stacey]

What are you reading this week? A Horse Walks into a Bar by David Grossman

How did you choose your book? Okay, so, I had chosen something entirely different for this category, but I was really dying to read this book, which I tripped on recently at the library. I didn't expect it to be readily available, so in essence, it chose me.

Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not? Yes; I didn't know too much about the book, but because the title was so intriguing, I knew I had to read it. My "random" picks often happen that way, but usually, I have my ducks in a row when I choose my next read.

[Anna]

What are you reading this week?
No et moi

How did you choose your book?
I thought the plot looked interesting so it was on TBR

Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
I didn't choose this one at random. I don't think I'd like a totally random selection, since I want to know the plot before I start reading

[Marie]

What are you reading this week?

Possession by A.S. Byatt

How did you choose your book?

Long story!

I left this until almost the end of my planning to fill. When I was pulling all my other 2017 books off the shelves, I looked inside the cover of The Shepherd's Crown and there's a list of Praise for Terry Pratchett with quotes by several authors - George R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, Patrick Ness and Rick Riordan were already on my plan for the year, A.S. Byatt and Frank Cottrell Boyce were not. So I decided that was a random reason to read something by one of them. For choosing the specific book, I left that to the magic of The Barn, the giant thrift store where I get most of my books. Possession was the first book I found by either author on my next visit.

Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?

I enjoyed the choosing but not the reading! It was satisfying to come up with a totally random way to choose what to read. But ultimately I didn't enjoy the book. How I wish The Barn had given me something by Frank Cottrell Boyce instead.

The quote by A.S. Byatt was "No writer in my lifetime has given me as much pleasure and happiness". I should have taken that as advice and re-read a Discworld.

[Cheri]

What are you reading this week?
Sofia Khan Is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik

How did you choose your book?
I keep a list of books I own on my kindle but haven't read (I buy books on the cheap sales on amazon). I put my finger down on the list and chose that book.

Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
Yes and no. I wouldn't want to choose something completely at random (blindfolded in a bookstore), but doing something like this reminds me of things I'd expected to like but had forgotten about.

[Matthias]

- What are you reading this week?

Autumn by Ali Smith

- How did you choose your book?

I had a stack of books on my computer desk, and needed something to read. So, I picked this one off the pile. Not completely random (my own books, after all) and it is rather topical in that it was shortlisted for the Booker (though I have had the book for a while, and it didn't win after all).

- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?

If this qualifies as random, I have done it before - when I finish a book and don't really have a plan, there are plenty of books around to choose from, and sometimes random is just faster and easier than thinking too much about it. Reading with less expectations is also alluring, and often quite rewarding.

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[Melinda]

What are you reading this week?
The Field Guide by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi

How did you choose your book?
I used and Random Number Generator with my GR TBR.

Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
Sure! It made me pick up a book that I probably wouldn't have read for a while.

[Jessica]

What are you reading this week?
I will be reading Dangerous Minds by Janet Evanovich & Phoef Sutton


How did you choose your book?
I needed a book to fit this category. I had already read the first in this series for another prompt, so I put this one on hold a few weeks ago. I wasn't intending to use it for the challenge, but thought why not...so I decided to just use it here.

Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
Sure. I choose books at random 99% of the time. It's just been this past year that I joined this challenge and started 'pre-selecting' what books I'll be reading. I enjoy both ways. Random is a lot easier of course, having no category to fit my book in :)

[Joan]

- What are you reading this week? We Are Unprepared
- How did you choose your book? This is random for me because I saw it on the Target shelf and I haven't heard of anyone reading it and I have no idea who the author is. Usually when I pick a book I see that my friends on Goodreads are reading it or it will be on the bestseller list, a classic, or the book will be talked about a lot. This one I had never heard of and it was a Target club pick. I think only 1,100 people or so have read it on Goodreads.
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not? I'm excited to read a book that no one has read from my Goodreads friends. I feel like I don't have any preconceived notions about it and it makes it a little more interesting.

[Tracy]

- What are you reading this week?Art of the Pie by Kate McDermott
- How did you choose your book? I went onto my libraries overdrive and did and borrowed the library pick of the month
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not? In this case not so much, it was about pie.....sometimes though I'll buy a book just because I like the cover, I guess thats random, since I don't know what its about or haven't heard of it before.