How do you choose your next book?

[Michelle]

When you finish a book, and you have a few waiting to choose from, how do you decide where to go next? Do you have a pre-set order in your mind, do you go with whatever your mood is?

One thing I've found myself doing recently is starting 2 books at once, because I can't decide. One will grab me more than the other, and so I'll stick with that one. Sometimes though, I end up continuing with both.

[Freewheeling Andy]

It's a mood thing. Also, if I've read a big, heavy book which has taken a few weeks, I quite often want some relative fluff. If I've read a couple of fluffy books I'll often want to go for something chunkier and chewier.

It largely depends on what's in the pile, though.

[Louise]

Just whichever grabs my attention first really, not pre set thoughts.

Very possibly a mood thing

[Loricat]

If the book is a new book -- something written this year or last year -- I tend to read it sooner than I would older books. Otherwise, I read whatever I'm in the mood for.

[Maureen]

Usually, if I have a couple of books and one is by an author I've read before, while the other isn't, I tend to leave the new author for last.

[Stuart]

I tend to alternate genres. I have read 2 Pratchett books recently and decided to change to a slower, less humourous L.E.Modesitt Jr.

[Kell]

I'll admit I do rather tend towards books by authors I now I like. Then I go for authors who have been discribed as similar. Or if I liked a book & something is described as being similar, I go for that. Other than that, I grab whatever looks interesting off the shelf in the shop or library & read the blurb. If it sounds like something I might enjoy, I take it. I do take recommendations from other bookish buddies if they have similar likes to mine.

Most recently, I started enjoying a whole new genre by sheer chance - never one to pass up a bargain, when I saw Under the Eagle by Simon Scarrow on sale for just 99p in Ottacker's, I couldn't resist. I'm now on the 3rd in the series & have bought the 1st in a series which looks similar as a direct result of this serendipitous event.

Never look a gift book in the mouth - LOL!

[Michelle]

Just bumping up a few of our older topics.. :D

[Cerridwen]

I tend to read a series of books all at once and after that I will go for something completely different, my concebtration levels haven't been good lately so have read books I consider easier to read and have found I love them. I find Fantasy books tend to take a bit more concentration, for me anyway :)

[Lilywhite]

it all depends on the mood i'm in at the particular time I'm looking for a book to read. If I'm not into it after a couple of chapters I will try another until I find something.

[Sarahrob]

I had never really had a "to read" pile until I joined RISI, so this was never an issue!
Now I tend to read whatever is top of the pile. Unfortunately, I don't manage my books very well, so the book at the top of the pile is normally the last book I bought or swapped, and the books at the bottom will probably never be read. :roll:

[Sugar]

it all depends on the mood i'm in at the particular time I'm looking for a book to read.

I agree - if I am getting hooked on an author I will work my way through their back list.

Often my next read is determined for me though - as other people pass things on that I need to get read by a certain time (eg book club reads, somehing that someone else has requested after me from the library, something I'm expected to read for work).

It's always nice to have the freedom to browse my "to be read" heap.

[Inanna]

Firstly I decide which genre I'm going to read, then I just grab whichever, unless there is a time restriction on it ie: the library :wink:

[Angel]

I tend to be mood led. I can move easily between genres according to how I feel. I like to have a wide selection. So if I'm not too tired or stressed I will concentrate on murder / mystery, then have a go at something from a different era and then when tired and stressed with a heavy workload I will go for light- hearted chick lit

[Anonymous]

I don't. It chooses me.

[Janet]

I don't. It chooses me.
Very profound! :)

I try to pick something that is very different from that which I have just read.

[claire55]

I generally alternate between different genres. I have a tbr pile but also pick up some library books. If I browse the library I will generally try and get 2 or 3 of different genres so that I can continue alternating.

[jake]

There's no rhyme nor reason behind me choosing a book to read. My TBR pile is dotted about the house. I picked up John Sandford earlier today which was sitting on my desk, then when I went to the living room to read for a bit I spotted a Manusue Heller I hadn't read and changed my mind.

[KAY]

I try to make sure my next book is a different genre from the last.

[Gyre]

I see a book I like, I buy it. My taste is varied so each book is different.

:readingtwo:

[~V~]

I try to make sure my next book is a different genre from the last.

i think i tend to do that too. unless a particular book has left me wanting more of the same.

i also tend to not read two 'heavy' books in a row, or too many lighter ones. and i never read the same author back to back, i'll always leave a gap of at least three books (usually more) in between.

on the whole though, all these things considered, when i'm near the end of a book, i rifle my 'to be read' pile, take a few and then when i've finished the current book, i choose one of those

[pontalba]

With me, it is sort of like, what will I wear today? Whatever the mood dictates. Sometimes I'll read the same author 6 or 7 books in a row. When I discovered Kathy Reichs, for example, I read the first 5 right off the bat.
If I try to plan too far ahead, I don't feel like the book when I get to it, so skip.

[Liz]

I try not to read too many older classics one after the other. It's mainly because of the older style of writing - it can be a bit too descriptive and heavy going. It's nice to have a bit of a break from that style and read something a bit lighter.

[Icecream]

A lot of books I have read in the last couple of years have been recommended to me, but otherwise I see what looks good from my shelf. I think I am going to start looking into different genres/countries soon to braoden my horizons.

[Mia]

It all depends on my mood. If I have read something a bit depressing, I will choose something humorous next. Also, I will decide I'm in the mood to read fantasy, or horror, or a thriller (but usually fantasy, to be honest!).

[madcow]

Once i've got through the library books....if i have time to tackle my 'TBR' pile i'm afraid it has to be......Ip, Dip, Doo etc cos i just can't decide lol

[Ronny]

I don't really think about it until I go in the room and grab something. I close my eyes, go in, spin 3 times, head for the shelf I'm facing and grab one :) Not really, I don't spin but the rest is pretty true :mrgreen:

[shackbleep]

Sometimes I go looking for particular authors I know I liked before... though since I go through an average of two books a week, I don't remember all the authors I've ever read!

Sometimes I'll just browse in the library, or a 2nd hand bookshop and pick up something that looks interesting. Pot luck!

[TammyRich]

Because I'm a member of RISI I have books from them hanging around the house but there are also books I've picked up in the past and old faves around. Sometimes my choice is because something's just arrived in the post, sometimes it's cos I've picked it up and glanced in it while tidying and it's grabbed my fancy, sometimes it's cos the author/title has been recommended or I've become hooked on an author and I'm reading the next in the series. All sorts of reasons and mood can have a lot to do with it. It also can affect whether I give up on a book. Since becoming member of online forums I think my reading habits have changed and affected my choosing.

[nuttymum303]

I have books that I look at the back and see if I like what I am reading at the time. I have started a few books which I have to finish first lol.

[Purple Poppy]

It depends on my mood at the time. Sometimes it's already dictated if there's a book to be read for a club or this forum, but otherwise, it's down to how I feel when I finish a book. Sometimes if the book was heavy going, you just want something a bit lighter. Other times you may think, ok, now I'll tackle War and Peace LOL!

PP

[hoopeybird]

I seem to be affected by the weather.
During summer i tend to read chicklit type of books.Winter its usually classics like wuthering heights etc
weather does affect our moods so i suppose it is all down to that really.
i love to read different types of books and have no favorite types or authurs really.
I just love books!!
the look of them,the smell of them when they are new
i couldnt live without books.I dread the day i cant see properly to read.
i work in an ophthalmic dept at my local hospital and my patients are mainly very poor sighted and have to listen to audio books-which are great-but you cant beat being able to read a book yourself

[Purple Poppy]

Hoopeybird said;

I just love books!!
the look of them,the smell of them when they are new
i couldnt live without books.I dread the day i cant see properly to read.
i work in an ophthalmic dept at my local hospital and my patients are mainly very poor sighted and have to listen to audio books-which are great-but you cant beat being able to read a book yourself


Yes, I think most of us would agree. You can't beat a book. Its like vinyl LPs...the covers are often as good as whats inside. I must admit to wanting a reader though. I can't wait for them to be released here. Sony has just released them un USA, but they are going to be about £400 when they get to us next year. A bit pricey, even if I can carry hundreds of books around with me all the time. But it might also stop my OH moaning about me buying more books, bless him! LOL:mrgreen:

[Pilgrim]

There's a fantastic fiction website which is where I go to find out the popular authors of different years and styles. I pick an old year, get to know a few authors and look at Dagger, Edgar, Agatha and other mystery and crime writers' Awards. Aside from Agatha Christie, whose books are all wonderful, there are just too many to test everything without a map.

[prospero]

It depends on my mood too, but I also tend to go through phases. At the moment I'm reading a lot of biographies.

How do I choose my next book though? It could be a conversation or a television programme that puts the subject or novel in mind, or it could just be that I have a nice, shiny new book that's calling to me. :)

[lovesreading06]

if i got a book out the library and its reserved for another borrow i tend to read that after i finsh the book. Or if i don't but i heard a review on a book that i got out. I will read that one.

[angerball]

I usually read library books first, so I don't have to keep renewing them. Unfortunately, I always end up borrowing more, so I've been neglecting the books I own and have yet to read. :roll: Oh, the travesty....:lol:

[aromaannie]

I am quite strict with myself - I have 4 piles, pile 1 & 2 are fiction spilt into new and secondhand (normally thriller with a few chick lit thrown in every now & then). The 3rs & 4th are non fiction (again split into new & secondhand) which consists of true crime, biography and true life type stuff.

I alerternate between the 2 types but generally read the new ones first . When I get a new book it goes to the bottom of the pile (unless it's a new release from a thriller writer that I read everything of and then it goes straight to the top) so I more or less read in the order that I buy.

Also my 2nd hand ones are the only ones I take with me when I go on holiday to Miami as it is so hot often ther glue dries out and the pages start falling out.

[Kylie]

I usually like to just sit and stare at all my books until one jumps out at me (not literally, of course :mrgreen:). Lately though, between recommendations from you good people and other places, I've had more of an idea of what to read next.

[Kell]

When I get a new book it goes to the bottom of the pile (unless it's a new release from a thriller writer that I read everything of and then it goes straight to the top) so I more or less read in the order that I buy.I used to work like that too - all new books went to the bottom of the oils and I read them in the order they arrived, but I ended up with so many to choose from and eventually I just didn't fancy the ones that were at the top and I had to switch to random choice. I still have a couple of those ones waiting to be read now as other books take my fancy, but I picked up one of them to start reading today, so perhaps those other ones that have been waiting for ages will get read shortly too...

[Icecream]

I usually like to just sit and stare at all my books until one jumps out at me (not literally, of course :mrgreen:). Lately though, between recommendations from you good people and other places, I've had more of an idea of what to read next.

I do that too, although I too have had lot's of recommendations from here recently.

[Nici76]

It depends on my mood - I have "easy" books and "concentrate" books, so depending on how I am feeling at the time I will choose one or the other and then read the back of them and decide which one I fancy.

Or sometimes a book will just jump out at me....

[Gyre]

I just pick up the next on on my TBR pile x

[Polka Dot Rock]

Mood and subject is a big thing with me: I'm quite an instinctive person so I tend to pick up what I fancy at that time. Although, ahem, new books do have an occasionally sneaky way of pushing to the front of the queue :lol: It doesn't mean I abandon the others tho'!

[JudyB]

Same here - depends what mood I'm in and I usually know what kind of book I'd like to read next. Sometimes I plan it - it's nice to have the next book in mind - keeps me focused. What I hate is when I can't decide and then I pick up books that I can't get into.

[Polka Dot Rock]

Ditto, Judy! I hate it when I don't have one in mind. Planning your next book is kinda cool too, as sometimes I'm quite surprised by what I fancy. I really want to read The Crimson Petal & the White, and last week I was starting to worry I wouldn't get around to reading it!

[JudyB]

Not sure what I'm going to read next - don't know what I'll fancy after Crickley Hall. I think by the time I finish One Good Turn will have arrived in the library and I have a book out that looks good called The Necropolis Railway - Victorian mystery (contemporary author).

[George Stark]

I didn't really want to start a new thread but i felt that i had to. This is the orginal thread;

"http://bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=220&highlight=who+you+choose+your+next+book&page=4"

I am reading The dark Half by Stephen King at the moment, i am loving reading it and i know it won't last for very long, i've mentioned it in another thread over the weekend.

By what i have been reading on threads that have been posted up recently or threads that have come and gone, people have either lists of books to read or actual piles of books to get through. So i have been thinking about what i should read next. I don't have a reading list to get through and i don't have the foggiest idea what i should read next.

Well, i have read all the books on my pile, it wasn't really a pile to be fair, it consisted of two books strewn around my room. I am really confused what book i should read next. I can't make up my mind. I thought that i should carry on reading Stephen King, while i have a healthy enthusiasm for his writing, but i am very mindful that i have only been reading his books lately and quite worried that my mind is slowly getting warped. So i started thinking about reading something with abit more emotion, a story line that doesn't included someone being disenbowled by a made up pen persona or a town full of human-alien hybribs.

The choices that i had, were well overwhelming. I wouldn't go for a classic, as i read Dracular and Frankenstein not to long ago. Along with being quite heavy reads, they there were also quite dark. As i have ruled anything with blood and guts out of the equation, crime/thrillers are a nono.

But then i had a phone call from my travel insurance company, asking if i would like to 'update' my insurance plan, which is their code word for trying to get more money out of me. I told them "No thanks" and hung the phone up. I gasped "What about some action adventure, to get me in the spirit for traveling". It soon faded because i am not, unfortunatly, doing anything as exciting as anything Sir Ralph Fiennes gets up to even in his spare time.

I started to read again with no idea what i was going to read next. Even as i am sat here at my computer trying to write this as excitingly as possible, and failing miserably, I STILL DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO READ. It really annoys me. I do occasionally have lulls where i don't read anything for a couple of months. In these lulls i am forced to watch tv when i am bored. They also force me to actually do the washing up when there is a sink full of dishes. They even force me, by the way don't tell anyone, to actually clean the house up.

I'm trying to figure out what mood i am in. As many people in the above article have mentioned that they choose their books on what mood they are in. What if your not in a mood? More importantly, i need a book to read in the eleven hour fifty minute flight i have to South Africa in June. I won't even get started on that, i got another month to find a good one anyway. OK it's turing into a rant so i will get to the point.

Do lulls contribute to your hunger for reading? Or do you even have lulls, are you some kind of book reading machine? Finally, is reading for you, a life style or is it just something you do to pass the time.

I went through one just after christmas. I had a few more books on my untidy pile and i only started reading them in March. Since then i read six good sized books and a few smaller ones. For me lulls do make me want to read more. Just as not doing any mountain biking even for a week makes me want to just ride day and night.

Books are very much part of my lifestyle, but they do not really rule over my life. I don't really get upset of depressed if i am not reading for a while, because most of the time my lulls correspond to times when i am up to my eye balls with work and social life. But i do find that i am much more bored if i don't have a book to read, the biggest thign with me is that if i have free time and i am watchign telly or playing computer games and i am not reading, i do feel like i am wasting my time.

Sorry for going on a little rant.

P.s. still haven't found a book:blush:

[Michelle]

Actually, I prefer threads to be resurrected, rather than new ones started. It just meakes things simpler in the future. Thanks :)

PS Hope you find a book soon!

[George Stark]

Sorry my bad!:blush:

[Nici76]

George, did you decide on a book?

[ii]

Hey, it was a good non-rant, you're perfectly forgiven. And yes, as the resident goddess of all things with high heels over here, I can decide who is forgiven and who not. (Sorry, I was reading a dictionary, it always gets me into a weird place in my head.)

Funnily enough I know what you mean by "not being in a mood". I think, assuming I got you correctly, what you're referin to is slight case of ennui. Do you have that word in English? You just don't feel like anything, really. For those occasions, I'd suggest just picking up a book either by the author whose style you know to enjoy, or rereading something you liked a lot. Just to get you going.

My favourite ennui book is Naive.Super by Erlend Loe. You might want to check that out.

What else..? Oh, yes! Where in SA are you going to? And funny you should mention is, 'cause I was just at the store earlier today, trying to decide what to have for dinner and finally settled for some bobotie. (I love it, haven't had it in ages and I hadn't really realised how much I'd missed it!)
As for on-flight reading, take something light (not just literally but also figuratively), something you are pretty certain you'll enjoy and something that doesn't suffer too much if your attention span isn't really at its greatest. There's always some distractions on the plane. Those would be my tips. I also recommend packing a light scarf (I for one cannot sleep without a "blanket"), small spray-bottle of water (makes you feel gazillion times better upon arrival, refreshes like no other) and some lipbalm.

[Gyre]

I have been pretty random with my books recently, I bought 'I am a cat' by Soseki Natsume and today I ordered 'War and Peace' by Leo Tolstoy:D

[lovesreading06]

sometimes people on here help me to choose.

[Echo]

I have a great pile of all different kinds of books waiting for me, so lately I haven't had a problem choosing the next one. I've just had a problem finishing the books I've already started!

[George Stark]

Hey, it was a good non-rant, you're perfectly forgiven. And yes, as the resident goddess of all things with high heels over here, I can decide who is forgiven and who not. (Sorry, I was reading a dictionary, it always gets me into a weird place in my head.)

Funnily enough I know what you mean by "not being in a mood". I think, assuming I got you correctly, what you're referin to is slight case of ennui. Do you have that word in English? You just don't feel like anything, really. For those occasions, I'd suggest just picking up a book either by the author whose style you know to enjoy, or rereading something you liked a lot. Just to get you going.

Yea i think you got what i mean, but no i haven't really found one yet. A quiet belief in Angels - R.J. Ellory looks really good but i am not sure about it. Well i am going away for a week tomorrow so i won't have time to read so i have some more tiem to think about it.

What else..? Oh, yes! Where in SA are you going to? And funny you should mention is, 'cause I was just at the store earlier today, trying to decide what to have for dinner and finally settled for some bobotie. (I love it, haven't had it in ages and I hadn't really realised how much I'd missed it!)
As for on-flight reading, take something light (not just literally but also figuratively), something you are pretty certain you'll enjoy and something that doesn't suffer too much if your attention span isn't really at its greatest. There's always some distractions on the plane. Those would be my tips. I also recommend packing a light scarf (I for one cannot sleep without a "blanket"), small spray-bottle of water (makes you feel gazillion times better upon arrival, refreshes like no other) and some lipbalm.

I am flying out to Cape Town, staying with some family friends out there for 4-5 days, i really haven't decided how long i am goin to stay there yet. Then i am traveling up to Durban and flying home from there. I am going for a month and stopping along the coast and staying in a number of different places. For a plane book i am think i might take the boy in the striped pyjamas by John Boyneby or something by George Orwell like animal farm.

[beef]

I stand infront of my book case close my eyes and move my hand, then i stop, open my eyes and the first one i see is the book, if ive already read the book i do it again till i find one i have not read.

[FishAndChips]

You want to organise your bookshelves into read and not read and only look at the to read shelves ;)

[beef]

You want to organise your bookshelves into read and not read and only look at the to read shelves ;)
good god no! i have multiple book shelfs, the idea of being so organised makes me feel dirty.

[George Stark]

good god no! i have multiple book shelfs, the idea of being so organised makes me feel dirty.

It's a horrible sensation isn't it :mrgreen:

[beef]

It's a horrible sensation isn't it :mrgreen:yes, its enough to break me out in cold sweat

[George Stark]

yes, its enough to break me out in cold sweat

More than that. Shaking, cramps and the realisation that i am turning into my parents.

[FishAndChips]

More than that. Shaking, cramps and the realisation that i am turning into my parents.

That happened to me years ago. I am already more organised than my mother and I seem to have acquired a love of maps that would put my dad to shame. :blush:

[George Stark]

That happened to me years ago. I am already more organised than my mother and I seem to have acquired a love of maps that would put my dad to shame. :blush:

Hmm, i am already to old for my age in many ways. I nearly spend as much time reading maps as i do reading novels. You need them with all these Welsh mountains eh?:blush:

[Michelle]

The main discussions about travelling have been moved to their own thread in general chat, found here (http://bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=5230). If you find a topic going off topic, please consider starting a new thread. :)

[Kirstykat]

Often, when I read in the evening I stop for a cup of tea - or top up :coffee1: and I will look at the bookshelves. I often plan in my mind which book I will read next whilst drinking my tea. If I am 'stuck' in a particular genre that I want to continue reading then that often helps me choose either from my bookcase/coffee table/under the bed/wardrobe/desk etc etc. :lol: or my list

Every year on New Years' Day, I write a list of books that I want to read that year :roll2:(very odd, I know! and I slowly try and work my way through the list, but not necessarily in order. Obviously, I start with the books I possess so I can pass them on, swap them etc. to make room for the others and the ever-growing books on the Mount TBR!!

:angcat:

[Lowhirl]

Right now my reading is decided through the syllabus. I actually can't remember the last time I read something I really wanted to read, it's all about what I must read for the different courses. Don't get me wrong, much of it is very enjoyable, but I can't wait till I will can start on my TBR list, which really has been piling up through these last four semesters....:D

[kelly2008]

usually by my favourite author but the chunky ones always end up on my TBR for ages

[madaboutbooks]

I was just wondering how everybody chooses their next book to read - do you read one off your TBR pile or get tempted by a new book just bought?
I have about 50 on my TBR pile but have just succumbed to buying two new books from the charts! :10_confused:

[flowersarah]

Mostly whatever is on 3 for 2 at Waterstones :p

[Loopyloo100]

I tend to stare at my TBR pile for a while and then think about what I've just read and then think if I want to read something in the same genre. I do try not to read the same author back to back. I then look at books by new authors, but most of the time if I only have 1 of their books I'll choose an author with more than 1 book. Oh dear do I think too much! About an hour later I might pick 1 up. Very rarely do I choose a book before I've finished the last. :10_confused:

[aromaannie]

I always read any books that I have bought which are new releases first, this gives me a better chance of selling them on Greenmet. Apart from that I just pick what I fancy and once a month I read a book that has been on my TBR pile for more than 12 months.

[carm]

Usually I read whatever's next on the bookshelf but sometimes I get sidetracked by an Oprah book or a recommendation from a friend:readingtwo:

[kb.marsh]

There isn't really a thought process for me, it is just whatever is next on the shelf or jumping out at me at that particular moment

[Talisman]

The first thing that attracts me is the name, because usually when you just see a row of spines, that is all you can see. I then look at the cover, and read the blurb, and then if I like the sound of it, then I will flick through the pages and read a bit of it, and if I like the writers style, then I will buy it. With non fiction, I often look things up in the index to check what information it contains as well.

[Kenny]

I read series of books so I keep an eye out for the next book in the series, books that catch my eye or old books that I haven't read for a while.:)

[Kylie]

Because my books are currently sitting in little piles on the floor (awaiting the transition to a bookcase), I just chose the first one I laid eyes on when I walked into the room :mrgreen:

[Sedge]

We've almost run out of room for new books, so I've promised Mrs Sedge that I'll read my whole TBR list before buying any more (unless a new Stephen King comes out). Unfortunately that probably means not buying any more for over a year! That sounds like quite a challenge!

At the moment, I'm working my way along my wife's shelf of Penguin Classics, then I'll start on the spare room!

[tbain]

There isn't really a thought process for me, it is just whatever is next on the shelf or jumping out at me at that particular moment

Same for me. Sometimes the next read just stands out to me on the bookcase.