Yeah, no. When it comes to choosing reads for myself, I spend an inordinate amount of time picking up books, reading the back cover, reading the first page, checking the reviews (not the 1 stars or the 5 stars, only the 3 stars), and hemming and hawing, and rejecting and retrieving, and so on and so forth. It's exhausting. You'd think I was planning to marry the book with all of the thought I put into selection...because reading time is precious!
If I'm lucky and discover a new author whose wordsmithing I fall in love with, I will read the first book and then plow through their entire backlist. Which is what I did with Nora Roberts's In Death series when I came late to the party on that one and again with C.S. Harris's Sebastian St. Cyr series after I was fortunate enough to sign with her at the Poisoned Pen. (Sebastian is my fictional boyfriend, but I digress...)
 |
| Reading Quirks |
The other evening, I finished a stand alone suspense novel and was left flailing. I had read all of the author's other books, so now it was time to pick my next read. Per usual, I waffled over my TBR pile. One book wasn't the right season, it needed to be winter to read it. Another one had some concerning reviews. The third one just didn't grab me when I read the cover blurb. The fourth had an improbable opening that I just couldn't get past.
I turned to the Internet for help, because as we all know there is a Youtube video for everything. Yes, even picking your next book. This advice is from the Youtube Channel: Little Book Owl.
I went with one of her suggestions - to close your eyes and point - and picked up a book that I had started several months ago but hadn't followed through with because another book lured me away. Fortunately, the characters had stuck with me and now I discovered I wanted to know what happened, so I went back in. I'm glad I did. The book is a women's fiction On Second Thought by Kristan Higgins and it's a nice step away from the suspense book I'd just read.
So, I solved my dilemma this week, but I am only forty pages from being back in the swamp of indecision...again.
Oh, and in case, you're looking for one of the Reds, might I suggest...SUMMER READING BARGAIN!
$1.99 YOU'LL NEVER KNOW, DEAR by Hallie Ephron e-book!
- Mary Higgins Clark Award finalist
- “Satisfyingly creepy.” – Library Journal
- “Engrossing and fast-paced.” – San Francisco Review of Books
Buy it on Amazon https://tinyurl.com/yxh8rphj
- “Satisfyingly creepy.” – Library Journal
- “Engrossing and fast-paced.” – San Francisco Review of Books
Buy it on Amazon https://tinyurl.com/yxh8rphj
All right, Reds and Readers, help me out, how do you choose your next book to read?
Since my to-be-read pile is forever teetering and on the brink of tumbling over, it would seem to be a no-brainer. Just take the next book in the stack, please. And sometimes I do. But I also have a reading buddy; we get and share library books. So, if I have a library book on my coffee table, it takes precedence because I have to get it back to my friend [or back to the library].
ReplyDeleteOnce the library books are done, then it’s whatever is on the top of the to-be-read pile unless I’ve gotten a new book that automatically jumps to the front of the read-me line. [Jungle Red ladies’ books do that.]
I chuckled about the In Death books, Jenn, because I did the very same thing when I discovered them . . . .
But Joan, have you organized the pile ahead of time so you know the top book is the best choice?? Neurotic readers want to know... (thanks for reading us too!!)
DeleteNot a chance, Lucy . . . that would imply some sense of organization for those waiting-to-be-read books and there’s actually no rhyme or reason to it. Aside from Jungle Red books, library books [and the occasional book from Goodreads that I feel compelled to read as soon as it shows up in my mailbox because they sent it to me and I feel obligated to read and review it in a timely manner], what I read next is really more due to chance than to actual planning.
DeleteYou are more disciplined than I am. My book pile is like a blackjack dealer’s deck of cards - always being shuffled.
DeleteJenn, me too!
DeleteMine too!! I have a drawer full, a shelf that’s all out of order and a tote full!!! I would be very afraid to stack all these books and I just don’t have a bookshelf long enough!!
DeleteIn any given month, half of my books are already selected for me - books I've agreed to review around their release date. The other half? It's been a while since I read anything by author A, so I should work in one of her books. Same with authors B, C, D, E, F, G.... Rats. And then there's author Q. I have the first in her series and the second comes out in a few months, so now would be a good time to read it and see if I want to read any more. And this book by author X sounds like a lot of fun....
ReplyDeleteAs you can see, I have issues. Usually, after thinking about it some, I land on a list of books that will work. But sometimes things still get bumped around. And when I have a rare month with almost all my own picks? I'm actually worse than normal because I think I can work everything I might possibly want to read into that one month - which is what June is looking like for me. And I'm already a week into my June reading.
It's why I keep saying I am reading faster than ever before yet falling further and further behind.
So true! Every time I think I’ll catch up...nope.
DeleteJust want to mention for those who missed it last week; Mark shared some good news with us: his temp job had been converted to full-time hire, and today's his first day! Congratulations, Mark!
DeleteCongrats Mark! I missed that
DeleteThanks, Julia and Roberta! Orientation today, so it was an easy way to ease back in after the long weekend.
DeleteI tend to alternate intense with lighter reading, but not always. Talk about late to the party, I discovered Val McDermid last winter, and read everything she wrote, one right after the other.
ReplyDeleteIf I get an ARC, I stop what I’m doing and read that ASAP. Thank you Jess Lourey, Hallie, and Debs, most recently.
Also, I don’t write bad reviews because I don’t read bad books. Life is too short to rip up someone’s hard work just because I didn’t like it. If the book is unappealing to me, I’m sure it will delight another. So I give it to my neighbor. He’ll read anything if it’s free!
how much time do you give a book before you turn it over to your neighbor? (I have an acquaintance who only reads free ebooks because she reads so fast. but only free ebooks? yikes!)
DeleteI'm feeling as though we need some kind of intervention for your neighbor! She's living is a reader's paradise and only partaking of the crumbs. Somebody! Tell her libraries are free! Is she a shut-in? Arrangements can be made to bring her books. If they can do a meals on wheels, the reading community can certainly cobble together a "book buddy drop off".
DeleteI digress! However, this triggered my project management gene and I have not had sufficient amounts of coffee yet. The filter that is labeled "appropriate" seems to be on the fritz, again.
In truth, my reading neighbor is a man. He's a retired lawyer who majored in Am. Lit. in undergraduate school, and his reading of choice is "trashy novels." I haven't investigated the trashiness of his library, but he will read absolutely anything, from Hamilton to Flowers in the Attic. He's also a few sandwiches short of a picnic. His wife belongs to a book club and manages one book a month, if that. Both of them are products of Brown University, not that that has anything to do with their reading. Both are fully mobile and she does go to the library to check out her monthly book. I don't know where he gets his, but when I have something land on my plate that I have not intention of reading, off it goes across the driveway.
DeleteNeedless to say, he's yet to read a book by any of the Reds!
Free e books are not all bad Lucy Roberta. Most anything that is out of copyright is free or 99 cents. I have a huge library of classics that I got this way. Not that I ever read them!
DeleteMost of my reading is done via Kindle, so I can pitch a sample I don't like or even return something if I get into a few chapters and find it lacking.
Most libraries have free ebooks available through their website that you “check out” for three weeks just like a book.
DeleteMy neighbor has never touched a computer, does not have a smart phone, and would have no idea what to do with a Kindle. So it's print all the way for him. Still, I can't seem him going to a library, and I have no idea where he gets his books. Maybe his wife gets them for him?
DeleteMostly I read my author pals' books - and new ones are always coming out. But I also get recommendations from the Jungle Reds's guests. I needed an audio book for a long solo drive I made last week (there and back) and the Ann Cleeves I had requested from the library didn't arrive in time. I saw The Widows on the shelf and borrowed that instead - because Jess Montgomery had been here a little while ago (okay, January). I'm so glad I did!
ReplyDeletethat was a good one Edith--must have kept you riveted on the trip!
DeleteO goody. I have this on my Kindle. You've help make my decision. Thank you!
DeleteThat was a good one! I love audio books - but the narration is critical!
DeleteAgreed, Jenn - I've had books bu authors I love (in print) be DNFs for me because I disliked the narrators voice so. On the other hand, when I just could not get past the first forty pages of ON COLD MOUNTAIN, I took out the audio book and LOVED it - the narrator was the author, and his North Carolina accent and emotional reading made it a pleasure to listen to - all 36 cassette tapes of it!
DeleteAgreed! The Agatha Raisin books changed narrators, and I can't listen to the new one . . .
DeleteIf I've got ARCs to review, I try to get to those first (Hello, Edith's (as Maddie Day) new short story team up with Carlene O'Connor and Alex Erickson). But when I don't have any, it gets a bit more challenging.
ReplyDeleteSince I'm mostly reading mystery and thrillers, I have to decide if I want to read something lighter or darker. I've got plenty of both. Also, since I'm very far behind on my reading, I have to figure out if I want to try and read to catch up with a particular author.
It's a bit easier if I decide to pick up a science fiction novel since I pretty much just read the Star Trek prose novels and the Firefly novels in that genre.
I know none of that is much help, but I think my decision making process boils down to which book catches my eye when I am about to start a new one.
Firefly!!! Love, love, love that world. Now I need to go look for the books. Thanks for the reminder, Jay!
DeleteJay, thanks! That is a great idea about reading ARCs first.
DeleteDiana
Jay, if you haven't tried John Scalzi yet for SF, you should. He has a great voice, a sense of humor, and most of his work is in the same optimistic space opera genre as Star Trek and Firefly.
DeleteJenn, they have two books out already, credited to James Lovegrove. The first one was really good but I haven't gotten to read Book 2 yet. A third comes out either in October or early 2020 depending on which source you believe.
DeleteBibliophile, I have no choice. When I get ARCs, I am getting them to do reviews and if I want to get paid, they need to be read and reviewed in short order.
Julia, thanks for the recommendation. However, it's been a long time since I've read any non-TV Tie In science fiction novels other than David Weber's Honor Harrington series. I just don't know when I'll get around to John Scalzi. I'll keep his name on the list to try if I ever get the chance.
Great topic, Jenn! But it can also be a tough one. I'm getting more things from the library lately so that more or less determines what I will read next. However I also love it when there is no library book this week so I can choose from my own stash. I often know which one is next but not always. The hardest book to choose is the one after I have finished a super-duper 5 star best book ever! What can compete with that? So I usually try to find something totally different because otherwise it is just not fair to the book.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I am in the mood for a comfort read and so I go back and reread an old favorite.
How long do I stick with a book that doesn't grab me? Some time ago I heard you should subtract your age from 100 and the result is how many pages to read before giving up. That formula doesn't really hold for me as sometimes I know it is not worth my time a lot sooner than that. Although there was one book, it was overlong and dragging so I checked to see what other readers had to say and someone gave away the ending. You might think that put the kibosh on it for me but actually not: I wanted to see just how the author got there from that slow, slow beginning.
That’s the first time I’ve heard of a spoiler working someone’s favor!
DeleteJudi, unless the book was written in a different era, it has to grab me in one chapter or it's gone. Why "different era?" Because Victorians and 19th century American authors tended to ramble quite a bit, and I know that, and give them the same time their original readers would have. (Which is also why Austen remains the most modern pre-modern novelist in the English language. All her tales begins right at the point of action, just like we do today.)
DeleteOh, Jenn, how well I know that awful feeling! You've just finished a great book by a favorite author and now you want more of the same and nothing else sounds appealing. This is when I start scrolling through my Kindle (where Mount TBR lives). Sometimes changing genre works (from thriller to cozy, for example) and sometimes I just re-read an old favorite that fits my mood. In fact, I'm doing that right now. I have a bunch of new books to read when I suddenly wanted to re-read a Kathleen Ernst (the Christmas one, no less! LOL), so that's what I'm reading. I'm not even sure why. Maybe because the characters are visiting a Norwegian museum and I was on vacation (and I like to visit museums)? I'm still not sure but I'm really enjoying the book. :)
ReplyDeleteThe best choice is definitely the one that calls you even if it’s the comfort read! I know that transitional reading gap well.
DeleteLike many of you, from the sounds of it, I actually invest a lot of energy in deciding what to read next. There are several variables at play. Of course, if a favorite author has a new release, that it likely to get precedence. But otherwise, it depends first on whether I will be reading it as an audio book or a paper/Kindle read. Though I sometimes read really gripping page turners as audio books, I find that cozy mysteries and lighter fare seem more fun to me in that format than as a visual book. So it is more likely to be a cozy if I'm looking for an audio book. Plus if I anticipate lots of short hops in my audio book listening, lighter fare seems to hold up better. Beyond that, it depends in part what I just finished. As several others have mentioned, I tend to mix it up, trying not to read two very similar books in a row. Not only am I concerned about lighter fare versus darker, but also with setting, voice, even genre. I don't usually like to plow right through a series one after the other, either. I seem to appreciate them more if I intersperse others in between. As I read this, it becomes obvious to me that variety is definitely the spice of MY life.
ReplyDeleteAnd responding to Lucy's question of Joan, I couldn't possibly stack the deck for myself, since any given day what I am likely to choose is quite different from another day.
I am fascinated by your ability to intersperse series books with other books. Sometimes I wait to read a series until I can read them all in one. I think I am a gluttonous reader :)
DeleteWhereas I want to savor the experience and make it last! It makes me so sad when a good series is well and truly done.
DeleteLately, I've become a series in order reader. Even series I have read before. I'm enjoying seeing how it all works out from book 1 to whatever and growing along with the characters. At some point I'll crave standalones and devour them, but for right now, it's comfort I'm seeking.
ReplyDeleteSeries are definitely my literary comfort food!
DeleteI read holds I've picked up from the library first. I try to get them back quickly for the next person in line. When I go through my TBR piles and say, "That's not what I want to read. That's not what I want to read." Then I go to the bookstore and read whatever I come home with. Not the best system, but they be read eventually .
ReplyDeleteI recognize that system!
DeleteBook lovers are like middle-aged men with a wandering eye - no matter how wonderful the stack at home, that brand-new shiny cover from the store is what you want!
DeleteVery funny Julia !
DeleteI'm looking forward to Martin Walker's The Body in the Castle Well, the latest in the Inspector Bruno Chief of Police series set in the Dordogne. And I have a stack of Elizabeth Peters Amelia Peabody books to read in conjunction with a re-read of John Fowles's Daniel Martin.
ReplyDeleteThose sound great!
DeleteIt is reassuring to know that I am not alone in my quest for the just-right-next-read. I'm in the same camp as the rest of you when it comes to how a book makes it to TBR status. And let's hear it for the binge readers! Thank you Julia for Clair and Russ. They were wonderful company for the time it took to read everything in print.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I have any system when it comes to what to read next. I am diligent to read anything I've been invited to review and I think Finta is spot on in how she frames her reviews. And, anything new from my favorite authors gets attention. As to the rest, it depends where I'm going to be when I start a new book. If I'm reading at work, I pick from what's on the Kindle. If I'm at home, I prefer a physical book - paperback, please. If I'm going on vacation, it's definitely a paperback. Taking a book on vacation is like having the very best traveling companion. When I look back at vacation photos, I remember the book and visa versa.
Lyda, I like to match the book to the vacation - if we're going abroad, I will bring a book by one of that country's authors, and/or historical fiction about that country. Other places, it's more about the feel of the environment - my most perfect match was bringing JURASSIC PARK (then newly in paperback) on a Mexican beach vacation. Something about the heat and the jungle-like foliage everywhere just fit when reading about Isla Nublar.
DeletePbks on vacation are an absolute must!
DeleteSince I read really fast--between 200-250 books a year--you wouldn't think this would be a problem. But it still is. I have books I picked up at conferences nearly ten years ago that I keep shuffling to the bottom of the pile... for reasons. Why? No idea.
ReplyDeleteRight now I'm rereading Jess Lourey's Mira James series, which is in an e-book box set. Choice is removed, at least for the next seven books, since I'm on the third of ten.
The video was charming and cute, Jenn.
When I choose movies from Netflix, et al, I have the same problem. We don't go out to movies more than a couple times a year, so I have never seen most of them. The choice is endless and overwhelming. And I refuse to waste my life watching anything violent or hurtfully "funny".
Oh, I hear you on the Netflix dilemma, Karen. I missed so much while the boys were young and I was only watching kid's shows. I've accepted that I'll never catch up.
DeleteThis is such a brilliant and fascinating question! And sometimes, truly, it seems like there is no explanation . Sometimes my next one is clear because it is an assignment to blurb…( I have a pile on my nightstand with little date stickers on them! ) So it is a very different experience to be able to choose a book, just from joy. I think, bottom line, it is rare that I am actually choosing my next book, and when I have that pleasure, it sort of presents itself.
ReplyDeleteI think it's the weight of the choice that bogs me down! So many good titles out there!
DeleteWith the blog, these days I rarely get a moment to choose what to read next. I have my schedule and I do my best to stick to it (not always easy). I do have some freedom when it comes to the order of reading when there are multiple books coming out at the same time (which happens often, of course.) For those, I try to vary the sub-genres, so that I am not reading the same types of books one after the other - this can be dangerous as a reviewer, because you begin to compare things that really shouldn't be "compared."
ReplyDeleteFortunately, since I am running my own review blog, I don't have the challenge of being assigned books that I am not the least bit interested in. That's just not a road that is a good fit for me. So mostly all the books in my TBR pile are things I WANT to read, so I just go with what's next unless I'm really feeling in a rut and need something specific to alter that. In those cases, I will always choose an author I know rarely lets me down.
On rare occasions that is a book that I know I *should* read, but that just isn't my thing. That happened recently with a very high-profile release. I tried, but just a few chapters in I found that there was no way I was going to get through this book. Since I knew I wouldn't post a negative review - I'm more the "if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all" type reviewer - this book went on the giveaway pile in the hopes someone other than me will enjoy it. (Having read other reviews at this point, I am confident I made the right decision not to waste my time.)
On behalf of all authors, thank you for taking the time to review books. It matters!
DeleteJenn, I try to be more disciplined about reading books that I picked up at conferences. I am about 3/4 done with reading these books. There are a few books that I started reading, though I have not finished them yet.
ReplyDeleteGreat question about how to pick the next book. It depends. Sometimes when I am reading with a buddy, we make plans to read Maisie Dobbs on Tuesday, for example. So I know I will read that book on that day.
And, like Jay, if I have ARCs to read, then I read them first!
Sometimes I participate in a Facebook chat with an author and Marie (Marie - Cozy Experience) and I like to try to read a novel by the author before the chat.
Instagram has introduced me to many wonderful novels!
If I am reading for myself, I usually pick up the first unread book I see in my room and try reading a few pages. If I am in the mood for that genre and I like the writing, then I continue. If I am in a slump, then I go for children's classics or Young Adult novel. Or historical fiction or a memoir.
Diana
I love the diversity of your reading material, Diana!
DeleteJenn, thanks! I love to read.
DeleteAs I read reviews from people I trust, I put books on my TBR list. What I pick when finishing a book depends largely on my mood. Sometimes I've read several mysteries in a row and I'm in the mood for something not murder-y, so I'll pick up a fantasy. Sometimes I need something lighter in tone, so I go for a historical or Golden Age. Sometimes I want darker, so I'll go more thriller. And sometimes I'll go for history just because the topic interests me.
ReplyDeleteThis is all very unscientific and probably no help. :)
No, help :) but it makes me feel better as our selection process is very similar, Liz!
DeleteThis is so interesting. Most often I'm reading for research (just finished two books by a psychologist who was into Kirlian Photography -- she believed you could photograph auras) and now I'm reading a book by a friend. My friend pile is enormous. Yes, I've got piles of books I'd LOVE to read if only I had the time. And I wish I could wean myself from hard covers and take to ebooks. The piles are daunting.
ReplyDeleteI've recently left ebooks to go back to paper because my eyes were getting tired. You just can't marathon read for five hours on an reader - at least, I can't.
DeleteI read my friends' books, of course. Also in my pile are books that have been recommended to me as writers who I can learn from, contemporary and older Irish literature, contemporary female Irish writers, the occasional history non-fiction and the once-in-a-while something from left field. Just finished Good Omens on audio. It was really good.
ReplyDeleteLoved Good Omens! And, yes, the left field books can be the best finds!
DeleteI have a large coffee table for all the library books, so I can find them, usually, when they need to be returned. Sometimes the due dates decide for me, especially with new books by favorite authors. Sometimes, after a very intense book, I seek a different genre or author, which I also do if the audio book in the car might get me mixed up. Often I head straight to the next book in a series to continue the saga.
ReplyDeleteI also have adopted the "page 69" method of opening to a point partway into the book to read and decide if I like the style. Knowing there are so many books in the world, I am ruthless in abandoning books that don't satisfy. A friend asked why my book reviews tend toward 5 stars . . . books I don't LOVE don't get reviewed and often don't get read all the way through.
In addition to the recommendations of you all, there are a couple reader/reviewer friends I trust for recommendations (Mal Warwick and LJ Roberts) -- I've found our reading tastes are similar. Sometimes a book just doesn't pan out, and I will set it aside after about 30 minutes or so of reading. I get obsessed and have read my way through the Indian Subcontinent, Tartan Noir, Scandinavian Noir, Australian Noir (my latest addiction). One of my reading quirks is I MUST read series in order, so if the first isn't available from the library or bookseller, I will defer reading a series until it can be properly lined up. Another quirk is letting a few of the more recent books in a long series pile up so I can binge read them (Donna Leon, for example). I'm also a fan of alternate series by a valued author (Sujata Massey, Denise Mina). A reliably good read can be found if authored by any of the founding mothers of Sisters in Crime. Sometimes, members of the three books groups I belong to also make recommendations to each other -- which can be unreliable but can also dredge up a pearl from time to time. As to the mental break needed after finished the last great book, I choose something from a different part of the world. And when loading the Kindle prior to a trip, Nancy Pearl's Book Lust To Go always provides a spark or two, since I love to read books set in places I am about to visit.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI tend to bounce between various "piles" of books. Library books come first; it may be the latest of an author I love, or a book I read about that sounded good, or something that caught my interest on a blog. Next come the Netgalley ARCS. I am so thrilled when I get approved to read something I was angling for. I heard of a book coming out soon. My library doesn't have it on order. I check Netgalley just in case and Kazaam! They have it on offer and I got it today! My next read! When I have two or three in the mill I choose by publication date. Then I have the physical books I've bought and are sitting about in piles. Often I head for the newest that I cant resist and then work backwards. Or not. Then there are all the ones on my Kindle Fire and my Nook. It is overwhelming. I'll bounce between genres for variety. I do get hooked on series and sometimes have to revisit an earlier book for clarification. I just finished my library book of the latest Maisie Dobbs in which an American figures prominently in it. He popped up in Journey to Munich and I had to reread it to see what role he played. Blasted memory!
ReplyDeleteAn endlessly engaging topic. I only review for my own blog, so review pressure isn't an issue, as I review whatever I read. Library books come first, because by putting a hold on them, I've already chosen them. If there are no library books, I have a TBR (doesn't everyone?) that's not in any order, but I keep it small. If a book sits there more than a few months, it goes onto the regular shelves. Since I read mystery, science fiction and fantasy, with occasional forays into non-fiction and historical fiction, I try to rotate after a few of one genre to another, but really I choose what I'm in the mood for, and I'm always in the mood for something.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I get on a tear, and read several books in a row by an author, as I did this Spring, going through the last four of Julia Spencer-Fleming's Miller's Kill books. (Now I wake in the night, wondering what's going to happen to -- and -- which was left up in the air. Sigh.)
So I read a couple of SF novels, and an anthology of classic British short stories, and today have to decide what to read next. I always consider the a nice problem to have.
My reading is largely dictated by what books I'm reviewing for my Reading Room blog, but I've made an effort this year to fit in some random picks, too. Not surprisingly, even the random books run to mystery and crime, especially an author that I've meant to read for ages and haven't gotten to. I'm thrilled that there are authors I always read to review, because they are such favorites, but it is fun to choose something new, too. But sometimes even I have moments of indecision in book choosing. There are, after all, so many great books to be read. My mood can choose for me at times, like when I need a lighter read because life has gotten too heavy.
ReplyDeleteJen, have you been reading my mind? I have several highly regarded mysteries I bought, and should definitely read for good reasons. But not right now.They are serious and I want amusement- life and the news are serious enough. I also have 2 books which came from the library after a Very Long Wait! So I need to read them. (Miss Oliphant Is Fine and Susan Orlean's The Library Book.) And I have a book waiting for me which sounds like complete fluff, just what I feel like. A proper, balanced meal for dinner or a bag of potato chips? The result is that I am re-reading old favorites which is not a solution at all. Help? Anyone?
ReplyDeleteNot a darn thing wrong with rereading old favorites!
DeleteI alternate mysteries with romance and sometimes biography. I read library books first most of the time. Since I need to keep up with my paperbacks and Nook books, and the library books are for 3 weeks, I may let them go a little bit. I don't like to binge because I tend to get annoyed by the author using certain words or style if I read lots of books in a row.
ReplyDeleteThere are authors I enjoy, there are new recommended authors (like from JRW), and then there are authors I find just browsing shelves. In a special category there are the authors I love. The last group gets first dibs on my reading time. The rest depends largely on my mood, due date (if it's a library book), or whether a friend has asked my opinion of a certain book. Right now I am re-reading three series--comfort 'food'.
ReplyDeleteBesides the random point test, which I often implement, I will often look up the author on www.fantasticfiction.co.uk and listed down at the bottom is a so-and-so recommends: and a list, so I'll often pick from that list. Or if I just read a brand-new release, I'll go read an older book and then back to a newer one. Or if I just read a fantasy, then I'll pick something different whether it's sci-fi or suspense, but something different. Or if I just finished something intensely moving like All The Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry, then I'll want something lighter, like the latest Royal Spyness book by Rhys Bowen. I'm okay with random though. Life is short, and if I'm not totally sucked in by 25%, then away it goes, and I'm off to the next one. Hope some of this might help!
ReplyDelete