How Many Books Do You Read Before Finding The Right One?

[Katrina1968]

Sometimes I get in a mood to read and then I have to go through several books to find just the one I need to read. I've picked up about 4 books over the last two days "trying" them on, before I found the right "fit".

 

Do you find yourself starting and stopping and moving on to the next book before you can settle in and read? Its almost like trying on cloths!

[Stephanie2008]

I do this all of the time. I try to read the first page of the books before I move on. Usually it depends what mood I'm in, sometimes I just want something light. So after the first page, I can tell if I want to keep reading I end up reading the first page of 3 or 4 books before I settle

[Nicola]

Me too! The other day I picked up Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk and just couldn't get into to. I ended up reading a sookie stackhouse book which I'd read a million times because it was nice and easy on my poor exhausted brain

 

Then other times I crave books. For the past few weeks I've been craving the next book in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles (which is Merrick) but I didn't have it and didn't have time to get it. Today after handing in my last piece of uni work, the first thing I did was hot-foot it down to Waterstones when everyone else went to the pub! I literally can't wait to get started!

[iamnotreal]

I'm a little different. Instead of reading bits of the books when I want to choose one to read, I read the first few pages of all the books I buy as soon as I buy them. That way, when it comes to choosing something to read, I'll already have the feel of the book, so I know which book I'll get along with at the time.

[MountainGirl]

I usually only let my self buy one book at a time because what I want to read changes usually before I even finish the book I'm currently reading.

 

So, while I have a book to read, I always go to the book store and pick out a few and read the first few pages of them to see if they drag me in. This has worked so far as each book I bring home now I read, I don't put it on the shelf to someday read.. I read it then go buy the next book I've already picked out.. but even that day, I take a long time because I'll still have a few books in mind..

 

Like today, I sat with four books at the store, and finally chose to read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo...

[Univerze]

Sometimes.. However I don't read many books these days that aren't already by an author I know or from a series I've read the rest of, I mean I set myself to finishing all those series before trying something new, keep losing gtrack of where I am in series and then having to start over. Blah.

But I don't read many books before I get to the right one, most of the time, since I first sit around thinking about what I like to read at that moment. I can think for hours about what kind of book I'd like to read.

 

And sometimes, there's nothing better than re-reading a book you've read a million times. So then it's easy.

[Cookie]

I will sometimes read a few random pages of a book before I decide to read it, just to see if it fits.

[pickle]

For me it depends on my mood, I tend to read a bit of a book and decide if I want to read it unless its one of my favourite authors in which case its straight into it, however if I have run out of books and want to re-read something I tend to think what do I want to read, mentally go thorugh my extensive collection and then spend ages looking for it, if I can't find it I feel a little lost..though sometimes i rediscover a book I haven't read in ages and then feel quite pleased.

[Nienna]

I really do try very hard to get into a book before I discard it in favour of another. I very very slowly managed about 1/3 of Ivanhoe before I really had to give in. It just wasn't enjoyable at the time, so back on the shelf it went! But yeah, I think some books take a little while to pick up, so I like to give them the chance. Recently, though, I've had bad luck with a few in a row, which hasn't really happened to me before. Found a good one eventually, though!

[chesilbeach]

For the most part, I already know what sort of book I'm in the mood for, and have my two TBR shelves staring down at me all the time, and it's fairly easy to just pick a book to read. It's usually down to a choice of three or four possible candidates. Once I pick up the book, though, that's the one I read.

 

I might occasionally read a book for one session, then when I come to pick it up again, find I'm not in the mood (once this year), or due to other commitments, have to start another instead when I'm part way through, but for the majority of times, once I start a book, I read it until I've finished (or I really can't bear to read anymore and it gets discarded - another very rare event)

[vinay87]

Quite a lot. I started reading Dracula, then jumped to Fanshawe, then to Hard Times, before starting, and finishing, Still Me.

[poppyshake]

For the most part, I already know what sort of book I'm in the mood for, and have my two TBR shelves staring down at me all the time, and it's fairly easy to just pick a book to read. It's usually down to a choice of three or four possible candidates. Once I pick up the book, though, that's the one I read.

 

That's exactly the same as me, although at the moment, my reading has been dictated more by my library books than my shelves, but I try to alternate between the two (depending on time).

 

Once I start a book, even if I don't like it much, I usually plod on with it.

[I'mRose]

I normally read two books at the same time and try to make them very different so if my mood changes I can pick the other book. Other then that when it's time too pick the next book I normally take all the once that I have to chose from and put the on the table and sometimes I go read reviews and then narrow it down to the one I want to read.

[Book Fiend]

I can start 3 or 4 books before finally settling on the one I want to read. Sometimes I will get about 2 chapters into a book then decide it's not working for me and start something else. These books then go back on my shelves to wait until I'm in the right mood (although there are some books where I fear I will never be in the right mood! Still I refuse to give up!)