How do you choose your next book?

[Amber]

I think sometimes I take an ADHD approach to choosing my next book, and other times it's really purposeful.

If I start a series, I usually see that through (while I might have another book going on the side, probably a mystery or a textbook).

If I'm not on a series kick, I might just stare at my bookshelves until one jumps out at me (judging a book by its cover, and all that! :P), or maybe I'll read a few dust jackets until something screams "READ ME!"

If one of my favorite authors has a new book out, though, that one usually goes automatically to the top of the to-read list :)

I could probably be so much more picky, haha! :)

[Speesh]

I have amassed a huge amount of unread books. I read constantly, but the list still grows. If I see a book, or a book is recommended to me (more often than not these days, it's by an author mentioning it on Facebook or Twitter), I'll give it a shot at finding it on-line. I live in Denmark and there is consequently not much chance of finding the precise one I want for sale over here. I don't read from Libraries, I prefer owning my books. If it's a series where the previous books have been out a while, I then have to decide if I want to get them in paperback, or hardback. If the latest is still out in hardback, then I'll give it a go at finding the previous ones in hardback as well. I have several favourite sites for tracking them down. They're mostly second hand, but you learn which sites' descriptions are most accurate.
I try and read a paperback, then a hardback, then a paperback (and so on). As I'm buying mostly hardbacks these days, the paperbacks I still have unread are relatively few. Though I am in the midst of several series where I have them in paperback, so I will be buying more paperbacks as the months go on.
When the weather is bad here - in Denmark - bad enough so I can't cycle in to work, I'll read on my iPhone. I have the iBooks and the Kindle app, so I switch between the two, as above. I buy from iBooks, but there are plenty of giveaways for Kindle to keep me going. Amazingly, I can't download from my 'nearest' Amazon store in the UK, I have to download Kindle books from the US.
My longer term aim is not to have a backlog, to have enough to take me to the next new release. I buy a lot of first editions, signed where possible.
I try and shift time periods, never two from the same time in a row, never two by the same author in a row. Just so I can come at each book relatively fresh.
I review the books on my blog. Mainly for the challenge of trying to put into words what I feel. I like the problem solving aspect of blogging, if other people like what I say, fine. If not, fair enough.

[Emma]

At first I would read sequels, then I would ask for recommendations from friends/teachers/family. Then I found goodreads! I also get them as gifts and read those out of curiosity. Or sometimes I go to the library and sit in the fiction section to see which one pops out at me first.

[Jackie]

Speesh wrote: "I have amassed a huge amount of unread books. I read constantly, but the list still grows. If I see a book, or a book is recommended to me (more often than not these days, it's by an author mention..."

Don't you run out of room buying so many books or do you purge every once in awhile?

[Emma]

I do. I don't purge... often. They pile up

[Erica]

I've bought a lot of the books that were recommended by goodreads or that I've seen others reading on here. Most are historical fiction, so I usually try to skip around between different locations and years.

[Jackie]

Yikes. My shelves are at their max. I just started the proces of purging last week, but I still have a lot I can't get rid of yet because I haven't read them. I don't even buy physical books often, but I had a slight addiction to library sales and built up my stash that way.

I envy those who have the room for large libraries. Mine fills up way too fast! But, it does keep me from being a book hoarder.

[Margaret]

Since I have a kindle I really don't buy physical books if I can help it. I did renovations and demolished a floor to ceiling book case. The books were then stored in boxes in the laundry. Kindle books are so much less expensive, convenient and my
Library is now on the Kindle. I have given away boxes of books to charity book sales. One can get things like the complete works of Thomas Hardy for a few dollars on Kindle. it's brilliant. Books in South Africa cost a fortune. Transport and import tax. I now find books annoying.. Pages blow in the wind, one loses one's place, can't look up words instantly as on Kindle and hardbacks are clumsy and heavy in bed.... I've now discovered bird identification apps for my iPhone and so even my bird books look endangered!!
Goodreads is a great source for books to read and I also follow book reviews in newspapers and kindle also recommends books. It's a great new world where books are so instantly available and portable. Reading has never been so cost effective and easy.

[Cher 'N Books]

Margaret wrote: "Since I have a kindle I really don't buy physical books if I can help it. I did renovations and demolished a floor to ceiling book case. The books were then stored in boxes in the laundry. Kindle b..."

Amen, amen, amen! I share the same love for reading digitally and have also given away many of my books to our local library. I also love the convenience of having the built in dictionary feature and highlighter with an ereader. But above all else, I love the portability and cost effectiveness. Now my massive library fits on a small hard drive. :)

[Speesh]

Jackie wrote: "Speesh wrote: "I have amassed a huge amount of unread books. I read constantly, but the list still grows. If I see a book, or a book is recommended to me (more often than not these days, it's by an..."
When I moved from the UK to Denmark ten years ago, I purged right back to the bone. I only took with me the books that had some sort of personal significance. The rest I took down to charity shops.
The shelves here are full with books I've bought/read since moving. The wife isn't too keen on too much clutter - typical Scandinavian - so there are three book cases full in the main room, with more spreading out into the 'Games Room' (the previous owner of the house had a large room built outside the house where he had a Billiard table, amongst other things, hence 'the games room'), we now have our computers out there now. And books.

[Hilda]

If I've really enjoyed a book I will immediately look for others by the same author. Then I get very disappointed if I can't find any, or if I don't like the next one I read by the same person.

[JoLene, Mistress of the Challenge]

Jackie wrote: "Yikes. My shelves are at their max. I just started the proces of purging last week, but I still have a lot I can't get rid of yet because I haven't read them. I don't even buy physical books often,..."

We have the same problem --- not a lot of room and my husband and I are both book-ish people. The difference is I buy and put on a shelf for some day. He really only buys when he needs a new book, but he likes to keep them afterward. I almost always give away a read book to my SIL, a friend or the library. When my husband moved in (after we got married), I had to purge a lot of unread books, but I would make sure that they were available in my county library system.

[Nancy from NJ]

Jamie Lynn wrote: "Hilda wrote: "If I've really enjoyed a book I will immediately look for others by the same author. Then I get very disappointed if I can't find any, or if I don't like the next one I read by the sa..."

I usually glom an author's books but find that after so many titles some authors really don't interest me. But still, I have wonderful memories of their books that did talk to me.

[Pete]

The next book always seems to find me!

[Rkazmierski]

I start with staying in the genres I like. I'm not much of a chance taker with genres I don't read. I read as much about it as possible starting with the back cover and about author. I've learned my lesson from past experience not to rely on reviews since I found many gems that received bad review and those not so good ones with fantastic reviews. That's just who I am. I want to find out myself. I usually buy ebooks, so if I don't like the book or don't finish it, I'm not too bothered by the little money lost. Fortunately, this doesn't happen too often. Every now and then I even run across debut books from new authors that really take me by surprise. One thing I must confess though, I sometimes buy it by the looks of the cover (it really has to jump out, which is only 2-5% of the time).

[Jojobean]

As I do a lot of reading challenges I usually pick books that will help me complete the challenges. Other times I'll usually pick what I feel like reading. Or if I'm waiting for a new book in a series, I'll read that book first when it comes out. Or, since I buy most of my books and can read them at my leisure, if I have library books I read those first to avoid the late charges of the books being overdue.

[Melissa]

Sometimes it depends on what's available for me. I can never remember when my library books are due, so I haven't been borrowing from there lately.

[Maggie]

Melissa wrote: "Sometimes it depends on what's available for me. I can never remember when my library books are due, so I haven't been borrowing from there lately."

I have an online acct with my public library in Los Angeles. It sends me an email when I book have on hold has arrived and, more important in your case, an email alerting me that a book I've borrowed is due in 4 days. Maybe your library has the same service.

[Rick]

If I find a book that I like, I will read other books by that author until I feel they have grown old and stale. I've done this with authors like Stephen King, Robert Ludlum, Dan Brown, Wilbur Smith, etc. Once the books start to sound the same I drop the author and find a new one. Right now it is William Kennedy. On the positive I have read all of the Bernie Gunther series by Philip Kerr and I keep hoping he will put another out. So there is one current author I haven't tired of as of yet.
I also stick to genres I like such as HF, mysteries,thrillers and the like. Although when I have ventured outside of that such as Mosquito Coast (much better book than the movie) I have felt rewarded. So, I also look at the cover, read the back, read about the author to see if it piques my interest. This is the most I've ever posted in one note on this site. Thanks to whoever asked the question!

[Jane]

I just read whatever the mood strikes me.

[James]

I seem to be finding my next books by browsing until I find a historical subject or event that interests me. A novel tends to be a good way to ease into an unfamiliar subject and then I can decide whether I want to explore it more with a non-fiction book.

[Laurel]

I'm considering putting all the books on my TBR list on slips of paper in a big jar.

[Tytti]

Laurel wrote: "I'm considering putting all the books on my TBR list on slips of paper in a big jar."

You can use random sorting here and just pick the first one. It's easier that way.

[Margaret]

Goodreads has become my best way for finding new books to read as well as the book section in Newspapers. I go very much by reviews. But Goodreads is the Best!

[Abigail]

I always have a huge stack of unread books, and they tend to fall into four categories:
(1) ought to read (includes a lot of highbrow lit that often never gets read);
(2) cozy or escapist reads (romance novels, murder mysteries), which I turn to when in a bad or sad mood;
(3) read for karmic reasons (mostly novels by other struggling authors, whose works I read and review in the hope that someone will read and review my own); and
(4) read in order to put off writing (this includes any research relating to my next book project—there’s always another source I can study before actually putting pen to paper or finger to keyboard).

Generally, the categories get read in this order: 4, 3, 2, 1.

[Maggie]

Abigail - I love your categories. Most of the novels I read fall into 3 categories.
1. Recommended by people I trust, i.e. my daughter or sister. Unfortunately there are many more of these than I have time for.
2. Others in my genre {Jewish women's fiction] so I can stay up to date on what my potential readers are likely reading.
3. Historical fiction that I have been asked to blurb. I try to be gracious and help out other authors but some of the self-published stuff I get sent is pretty amateurish.

[Cheryl A]

Laurel wrote: "I'm considering putting all the books on my TBR list on slips of paper in a big jar."

Sounds like a plan! I have been known to walk into the room where I keep my library books, close my eyes and just grab one! Other than that, I try to alternate between genres - mysteries, historical fiction, YA - mixed with something literary and then a light fiction.

[Melissa]

I used to choose my next book based on what I had that was the opposite of the last book I read. Lately, though, it's based on the books I have in my tote bag. We went on vacation two or three weeks ago, and I bought a couple used books and some new ones at the gift shop at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and Chop Suey Books.

[James]

Melissa, sometimes I do what you used to do. If I read historical fiction, my next novel might be science fiction, then mystery, then fantasy. I "genre jump" to try and keep things fresh.

[Katharine]

Everyone else sounds more organised and thoughtful than me. I read whatever catches my eye next. I'm very bad for bingeing on one author and finding it really hard to read anything else until I've read everything they wrote. When I discovered Game of Thrones I let everything else slide for months.

[Julia]

I do that too, Katherine, especially with series, Anne Perry, Charlotte Winspear,Donna Leon, and Louise Perry come to mind. I am now reading The Book Thief, immediately after All the Light We Cannot See.(That's time periods rather than authors!) Happy reading, J.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I have a list I go off and since I joined Seasonal Reading challenge and my other challenges, I just randomly choose tasks and have three books I am going to read. When those are done, I chose three more.

[Ashley Marie]

Katharine wrote: "Everyone else sounds more organised and thoughtful than me. I read whatever catches my eye next. I'm very bad for bingeing on one author and finding it really hard to read anything else until I've ..."

I did the same thing and just binged on the whole series because I knew if I stopped I was unlikely to pick it up again lol. Same thing happened when I discovered Gina Damico's Croak trilogy.

I try to make up a small list for what I want to read each month -- these usually correspond to GR reading challenges or doing buddy reads with friends to keep me motivated. As of right now I'm booked (harhar) through May, although my lists are constantly subject to change because one book might take longer than I anticipated, etc.

[Maggie the Muskoka Library Mouse]

I browse my shelves and pull one that draws my eye. I look at the title, the title's font, the cover art, the synopsis, and then I read the first few lines. If it intrigues me, I keep it. If not, I start again. :)

[N.B.]

If it's an author I've liked, I look up what else they've written, then I use the Amazon feature, "people who bought this also bought".

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

This challenge helps me decide which book I read next. I usually have three books lined up that I read one after another.

[Zoe]

I usually if I can't afford to buy from either amazon or a book shop go and check my local library ( which everyone should do more often... looking at uk people here) as my local library will quite a lot have some new gems or hidden gems that I haven't considered before I also think it depends on my mood and how the book speaks to me

[Brina]

I get all books from the library. I juggle between groups' reads and contemporary books I find interesting and comfort reads.

[Margaret]

I check the newspaper reviews and Goodreads nominations and recommendations and buy for my kindle. I prefer kindle to paper books. Kindle is so convenient and books are cheaper and usually available.

[Melissa]

Right now, it's mostly what I have available at the house.

[Sarah]

I usually get books from the library. So I use Random.org. You can put so many books in there (which I import from a spreadsheet) and it mixes them up. Then I just go down the list until I find some that I can pick up from my library or sent from another in our system.

[Jennifer]

My mother is a voracious reader - a lot of times she gets me hooked on a book. Other times it's friends, or a blog post, or a review...

[Renee]

I am influenced by peer pressure. My goodreads groups provides most my selections

[Justin •••]

For me it's a combination of what I feel like at the moment and also what type of book would fit in as part of an ongoing thing (usually research).

[Rebecca]

I often will also hear about historic figures I haven't heard or thought much about, and search for any and all books about them. I also pay attention to what my friends are reading and recommend.

[Rebecca]

Sarah wrote: "I usually get books from the library. So I use Random.org. You can put so many books in there (which I import from a spreadsheet) and it mixes them up. Then I just go down the list until I find som..."

What a great idea!!!

[Rebecca]

Katharine wrote: "Everyone else sounds more organised and thoughtful than me. I read whatever catches my eye next. I'm very bad for bingeing on one author and finding it really hard to read anything else until I've ..."

I'm also guilty of the author binge. :)

[Pkulkarni]

I usually try to read everything about the historical figure currently on my mind.

Other than that, I read whatever catches my fancy.

Used to be on author binge earlier, especially the time when I read mystery novels starting with the works of Agatha Christie.

[Xina]

These days I usually choose my next read one of two ways: whatever I am sent to review by the Historical Novel Society, and whenever a fellow writer asks me to review their book.

[Margaret]

I now rely very much on Goodreads recommendations, reviews and polls