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Tuesday, January 30, 2018

How I Pick My Books



I stumbled upon this question on Quora - How do you decide which book to read? There are some more questions which requires same answer:
My first response to the questions above was – By Instinct. When I gave it a thought, below are the pointers which make me purchase a book or download it on my Kindle or read it:

1.   Goodreads – I take a look at my Goodreads home page and see that one of my friend has rated a book or marked it to his/her to-read list:
a.    Sometimes, I add it to my to-read list without even looking at the blurb. That’s when I like the cover or the title. I know they say that “never judge a book by it’s cover:” – but then, accept it or not, the cover does make a difference sometimes!
b.    If my friend has rated the book high and it belongs to the genre I read, I sometimes check it’s blurb and add it to my to-read list.
c.    Goodreads also recommends some books based on one’s read list.
2.   Book store – Now-a-days, there are two types of book stores – a store and a stall (I think both have existed ever since).
a.    I pass by a stall – Book stalls are a book lover jackpot points. Believe me, if you happen to cross one, do not ignore it. Carry your to-read list with you (it’s easy in present era – just an app in the mobile and show it to the seller. Chances are that the seller would have at-least one book from the list on sale! That’s what I do.
There are times, when I just ask for a recommendation from the sales person. Romance is the genre that comes to my mouth at this time.
b.    I spot a book store – I try and avoid entering a book store. Reason? I get lost in there! I love it, but my time does not. At a book store, I either just go and ask for any book that has been on my mind for some days.
I also browse the children section a lot and pick a book or two for my kids.
3.   Received for review – Some books on my shelf also belong to this category where either the author/PA/publisher/agent approached me for a review.
4.   My Book Shelf – I have a lot of books in my shelf which I seriously need to pick and read.  Many times, I just pick one of them when I am done with my current book.


I visited my to-read list on Goodreads and surprised myself when I saw I had a long list! Unfortunately, I am not able to show the complete list (Goodreads - widget bug), check out the list at the link:


Amita's to-read book montage

Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web UsabilityEverything I Never Told YouThe Great GatsbyDark PlacesLegacy: Letters from Eminent Parents to Their DaughtersNineteen Eighty-FourTo Kill A MockingbirdThe Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady's Illustrated PrimerHow To Write A Novel The Easy Way Using The Pulp Fiction Method To Write Better Novels: Writing SkillsThe Moon is a Harsh MistressThe RoadWelcome to the N.H.K.Room
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeWriting into the Dark: How to Write a Novel without an OutlineThe SpyMein KampfThe Little PrinceThe Gift of the Magi


Amita Sehrawat's favorite books »

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