What Draws You To A Book?

[speakingtohe]

Type of book - subject, genre, catchy title.

Synopsis after I have been drawn to the book by one of the above.

When I was reading paper I would go to the appropriate section in the library/store and look for books by my favorite authors. Then if not enough selections made, look at synopsis for other books, next favorite section same thing.

Same pretty much for ebooks although easier IMO. I discovered a lot of books through a thread(s) on mystery books on MR, literature map has also caused me to stumble on a few and the occasional review site/blog where the person likes books that I like. Not that I need new authors as there are so many I enjoy, but I can't help looking.

I find that I have more than 1/2 decided on a book before I read the synopsis or peek inside. A bad synopsis is a deterrent, but a good one? How can I possibly read them all?

Helen

[4691mls]

I find most of my new books via the Overdrive library. Sometimes I just pull up a list of recent arrivals and see if anything catches my eye. Usually, though, I go first to a genre I like, then read the synopsis. Some of the library books also show part of the first chapter, which I like as it gives me an idea of the writer's style. Since these are library books, I don't have much to lose (other than reading time) if I don't like them.

[arturg]

Originally Posted by Marcus365

Just wondering... as a reader what draws you to a book?

Reviews. I could care less about the author or a cover. I always read books that get great reviews if they are in the genre I like.

[Marcus365]

I know right...having a nice cover is good but once you open the book the cover disappears...you don't read the cover. If you paid forty dollars for a book and all they gave you was a cover you'd be pissed. The story is what makes or breaks the book in my eyes. If I read it and I like it, it's sold. Good reviews help but it all comes down to what I think about what's available for me to peek at...the snippets. If I'm drawn to the story then that's it...add it to my list.

[Catlady]

The cover helps identify the genre--or at least it should. Often a title is nonspecific. Say the title is The Clock. That could be anything--romance, suspense, horror, fantasy, mystery, etc. If the cover looks like a romance, I'm not interested. If it looks like a mystery, I'll go on to the next step and read the blurb and/or synopsis.

Of course the story is the most important thing, but when the author is unfamiliar, the cover helps me classify the book.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Cover and synopsis, but a good cover won't make me read a book if the synopsis is poor. Good ratings and recommendations can override a poor synopsis, but it's a tougher uphill climb from there to get on my potential read list.

[Namekuseijin]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

It still might not be to my taste, but if a book averages 4.21

but most commercial stuff averages about that

you know, I read Ender's Game on the Kindle and it came with a full sample chapter of another Scott Card book. I bought this second book because the sample chapter got me hooked.

I never look at covers, I have my kindle in list mode...

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

but most commercial stuff averages about that

What's a rating of a GOOD book then; 4.50 or higher?

Or are all good books rated below 3, because the average Goodreads-reader is too stupid to actually understand them?

Spoiler:

For the touchy: here, have some grains of salt

[Lin2412]

Initially? The Genre.

There are times you feel like you want to read some horror fiction, or plunge yourself back into classic books. There's also that time where you just want to levitate back into happy ever after land with romance. So when that time comes, you just won't stop yourself from scratching that itch and bury yourself in book heaven.

So when I know what genre I want to read, I then look into the reviews. I may not agree with it after I've read the book, but I like seeing different perspectives first so I can pay closer attention to the book while I'm reading it, to see if I agree with some observations made by some readers or not.

These things are what mainly makes the books appealing to me, but there's moments where the superficiality sinks in and you just got to look into the book because it has a gorgeous cover!

[icallaci]

When deciding on fiction, I look for two things (and if I can get both of them in one book, yowser, that book is for me!):

1. Topics I am interested in (especially if I spend time reading lots of non-fiction on the subject), and

2. An unusual angle, premise, structure or point of view. If I read a synopsis and am intrigued, I will usually give it a try, even if it doesn't get wonderful reviews.

If a book does not meet at least one of the above criteria, I will pass on it unless it gets 4+ stars on Goodreads, with at least 250 ratings. Using this method, I have found some gems--books I never would have picked up on my own but which have turned out to be fascinating and truly enjoyable. (I have also ended up with some pretty horrible dreck with this method, too, but mostly it's been good.)

[laughingdragons]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I never read reviews, because some people are thoughtless enough to put major spoilers into them. I only check out the star ratings at Amazon and/or Goodreads, and if there are a lot of reviews and the average is 4+, then I assume it's a good book.

It still might not be to my taste, but if a book averages 4.21 stars over 378 reviews, then it can't be all bad.

I like reading reviews it gives me an idea if the book is worth reading. Plus I know when to stop reading one if it is going to give something away. Haven't had a problem yet.

I didn't read the reviews on Cuckoos calling and wished I did I would have saved myself some money. I do like to read the 3 stars and below to see why some didn't like it.

[HeyPretty]

Definitely reviews on goodreads.com. And the synopsis.

[Tarana]

First, the book has to be in one of my preferred genres. I don't choose a book by its cover, but by its blurb.

As to genres, I found over the years that I don't like general fiction. The very rare story will interest me, but it's not worth the dogs that I have to slough through. There are so many more books that I enjoy in my expanded genres that I will just stick with them.

[Atunah]

In no particular order:

Mood, genre, reviews, recommendations, publisher, professional cover, description, calibre randomizer, mood.........

[Sweetpea]

1. Author (there are authors I know I'll love, so those I'll read anyway)
2. Genre (some genres will always appeal to me)
4. Title (the shorter the better for me!)
5. Cover of the book (an ebook with a generic cover will never attract me)
6. Synopsis (if I don't know the author, nor is the genre one of my favourite and the cover is rather bland, if the synopsis is good, I might still read it)

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I never read reviews, because some people are thoughtless enough to put major spoilers into them. I only check out the star ratings at Amazon and/or Goodreads, and if there are a lot of reviews and the average is 4+, then I assume it's a good book.

It still might not be to my taste, but if a book averages 4.21 stars over 378 reviews, then it can't be all bad.

One thing I'll never ever read: reviews. By anyone. Not even by word of mouth. And ratings I'll never trust. I've read books I've loved. And were rated (on average) one or two stars on Amazon. Why? Because people didn't like the price of the book. Or they didn't like the cover of the book. Or they gave a rating even though they didn't read the book because there was no kindle version available. Or they simply didn't like the genre.