What's the first thing you do?

[SueK]

When you pick up a book, what do you do first? Read the back cover for synopsis? read the first para; pick a random sentence from the book? read the Author's bio or check other books by the author?

 

Me, for some reason, I check how many pages there are:blush:

 

What do you do first?

[BrainFreeze]

I always read the synopsis first - if it's an author who's new to me, I will then pick a random page out and read it to see if I like their style of writing.

[Nici]

I read the back cover and then the first page and if I still like it after those, i'll buy it.

[Nollaig]

When I pick up any new book, I examine it's cover! I love covers, and am always attracted to particularly pretty or unusual ones. Then I read the back cover. When I'm literally ready to start reading, I check how many pages there are, and divide the book up, say, the book I'm reading now has 210 pages, so my first checkpoint is 53, then 106, then 159, then 210. I usually try to read in increments of quarters or thirds, depending on how long the book it

[Lucybird]

I read the blurb first, and maybe the first paragraph if I'm unsure.

[rwemad]

When in the library, I pick it up and read the back, and then the first few lines, and then maybe a bit out of the middle.

 

When they first come out of the box from the well known online store and they're all new and shiny ...

 

..... I sniff them. Ahhhhhhh

 

I know.... I know.... odd, odd, odd.

[Chrissy]

..... I sniff them. Ahhhhhhh

 

I know.... I know.... odd, odd, odd.

But the smell counts for me whether I'm standing in a second hand book shop, or it's coming pristine from a parcel! It's that Ahhh, Bisto moment!

 

Buying wise;

If it's an author I know, I check the inside sleeve to make sure I haven't 'missed' any other of their books, then I dive straight in.

If it's an author unknown to me, I will read all and any blurb and then decide whether to buy or not.

 

Reading;

I choose the bookmark I plan on using, I settle in my chair, and dive straight on in.

[SueK]

I check how many pages there are, and divide the book up, say, the book I'm reading now has 210 pages, so my first checkpoint is 53, then 106, then 159, then 210. I usually try to read in increments of quarters or thirds, depending on how long the book it

 

Oh, not just me then Roxi. Actually it's not as strange as it sounds. A couple of years' ago we went on holiday to France and I took just one book thinking we'd be so busy being out and about, I won't read much. Well unfortunately it rained for most of the time so we were confined to sitting in the apartment reading. I then had to ration myself to so many pages a day so as not to finish the book before the end of the hol. I didn't want to buy any English books locally as they cost a fortune:irked:

 

I actually have a friend who reads the last page first when she is picking up a book. She usually knows whodunnit when she buys it:smile2:

[BookJumper]

Unless I'm looking for something I haven't read by an author I particularly like, I'm drawn to pretty (such as William Heaney's "Memoirs of a Master Forger", I saw it in Foyle's months ago and still crave its shiny purpleness) or unusual covers (such as Jasper Fforde's "Thursday Next" books, which look like old and mangled volumes but aren't), intriguing book design (such as Gregory Maguire's "A Lion Among Men" with its bright yellow page edges or Walter Moer's books, which are about three times the size as any other paperback I've ever seen). The most recent winner on all those counts was "Deep Trouble" by Debi Gliori, a glorious, black-velvet book with gold stars.

 

If the book stands the prettiness test, it will get picked up if it's got a suitably interesting title (such as "The Horrific Sufferings of Mind-Reading Monster Hercules Bearefoot, His Wonderful Love and his Terrible Hatred"), and the blurb on the back will get read. If that grabs me, I'll usually read the first page, a page in the middle at random, and (if I'm feeling particularly sinful) the last page as well.

 

If I like all of the above, the book will be acquired. Believe it or not, even after having been submitted to such rigorous testing, occasionally books get bought that don't agree with BookJumper...

[sadya]

If I know and like the author I just read on the cover what the book is about, but if I've already read it and just want to buy it, I check the book on any spots or damages and decide if it's worth buying.

 

If I don't know the author, I read the info on the cover and the first few sentences before deciding to buy it or not.

 

Sometimes I do buy a book because of it's cover. Like this book, 'Pop & Artvertising', a subject which actually doesn't interest me much:

 

http://www.boudewijnbuch.info/buchimages/pop&artvertising.jpg

 

I bought it because of it's unnusual shape for a book and it wasn't too expensive for my budget. Otherwise, I might have taken it from a library to read it once, but not bought it. I don't do it very often though.

 

Another weakness is buying different types of notebooks, or just books to write something in, even when I don't need them at that particular moment. Sometimes they have such an unusual shape or I like the design, and if the price is affordable for me, I just have to buy them.

[Stephanie2008]

I only pick a book up if it looks interesting or by an author I know. Therefore the first thing I look at is the front cover. I also like to read the basic summary to understand a little what its about - then I check the page numbers because I quite like long books

[Talisman]

It is usually the title that attracts me (when they are laid out on the shelves, the title on the spine is all you can see). I then pick the book up, look at the cover and read the blurb on the back. If I like what I read then I browse through a couple of pages, and if I like the way the author writes then I will buy it.

 

With non fiction it tends to be the same process, but I will also check the index and look a few things up, as a good index is so important for non fiction. If the book hasn't got one, then I put it straight back on the shelf as there is nothing more annoying !

[Heather]

I also look at the titles and if one attracts me I look at the blub and the back and it I like what it tells you about the story then I will buy the book.

[sadya]

 

With non fiction it tends to be the same process, but I will also check the index and look a few things up, as a good index is so important for non fiction. If the book hasn't got one, then I put it straight back on the shelf as there is nothing more annoying !

 

I do the same with non-fiction. Sometimes there is something specific about an area of a certain topic which I'm looking for, so I check the index to see if there is something about that as well and what the rest of the chapters are about.

[Charm]

If its by an author I know I just read the blurb on the back of the book. If not I read the blurb and maybe a few paragraphs on the inside. I also check if its a series, I hate reading books out of order.

 

Then I pick a bookmark to match the cover/style of book and I'm good to go!

[Ceinwenn]

If it's an author I know & like, I just buy it. If it's an author I know of but am unsure if I really like their stuff I read the blurb on the back & I also tend to judge it by the cover (unfair, I know). If it's a new author to me, then I am afraid it's the cover or title which must get my attention. All of that is if I am in a book store, that is.

[Peacefield]

I do a lot of the same things others on here do. If it's an author I know I like, I usually just buy it, especially if it's something I've been anticipating. Otherwise I'll read the synopsis, and if I'm still undecided, the first few paragraphs. If I'm still on the fence and I see that it's in a series, I usually pass until I can find the first one. I hate reading things out of sequence too .

[Polly]

Read the back cover, then if I'm not sure read the first page.

[Rawr]

I stare blankly at the front cover for a few moments to see if it soaks in and invokes anything, in tandem with the title. Sounds weird, but that's the first thing i do to decide whether i will proceed with checking the blurb

[Maggie Dana]

I read the imprint page (copyright page in U.S. terminology) first, but that's probably because I design and typeset books for a living, plus I always want to know who published the book and how many printings it's had.

 

Then I open the book somewhere near the middle and read a few paragraphs, but not the first page, because it's pretty easy for an author to produce a fabulous first page or two; the question is, can they sustain that level of fabulous writing all the way into the middle of a book.

[bethany725]

I tend to read the synopsis on the back.. Then I'll read a few paragraphs at the beginning to see if it's going to at least "grab" me initially. I also usually check the copyright page to see if it goes by any different title back in the US, to avoid accidental re-reads. I also try to find out if its in a series, although that information doesn't always seem to be made available in the books themselves.

 

If all that goes well, I'm ready to buy or check-out the book then.

[whitegold]

I do a lot of the same things others on here do. If it's an author I know I like, I usually just buy it, especially if it's something I've been anticipating. Otherwise I'll read the synopsis, and if I'm still undecided, the first few paragraphs. If I'm still on the fence and I see that it's in a series, I usually pass until I can find the first one. I hate reading things out of sequence too .

 

Exactly what I do when picking a book

[Janet]

First I'm attracted by the covers (unless it's an author I'm familiar with) - then I read the back cover and the front page to see if I like the writing style.

[Ahsilet]

I only read the back of the book. If it's a book I've heard about, then I go straight away and buy it without reading the back of the book, which can get you in trouble sometimes.

[joe]

I always read the blurb on the back and then the first few lines