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I am on a quest to find out how people go about choosing books. It’s a question that came up in an online group I belong to, and I thought it was interesting enough to ask it here.
At one point in time, I went to the library and browsed. I had my favourite sections (mostly Science fiction, but I wandered to the historical fiction sometimes, and even selected a few from the racks of cheap romance paperbacks.) When I was a child, the librarian knew my tastes in books, so she often had good suggestions and made sure I was loaded up for the week. I also read books recommended by avid reader friends or family members. I did not look at reviews or bother with what was trending. I knew what I liked and enjoyed the search.
Things have changed. I am more impatient and rarely go to the library anymore. If I do, I don’t feel the urge to browse the stacks. Instead, I am more apt to read books that have been written by either someone I know or by a favourite author. I get a lot of books coming across my virtual desk, asking for reviews. Some of them I read and others I do not. Sometimes reading feels like another chore, especially if I have too many books in my TBR pile. It seems I don’t have to go looking for books any more. They find me.
Which brings me to my question. How do YOU find books to read?
Do you go to the library? Browse book stores? Pick from best seller lists online? Read reviews? Do you have a favourite readers’ website or social media platform like ‘goodreads’, or do you still rely on word of mouth? Is Amazon your main source for books, or do you shop elsewhere?
So many questions! Now i’d love to hear your answers…
A lot of what I read are information books about animals. Those often contain a “Further Reading” section, which I go through to see if any titles interest me.
For fiction… I suppose I tend to stick with authors I know, or books that are recommended to me by friends.
I also run my church’s library. For finding books to add to our collection, I tend to go with a combination of recommendations, browsing through what my parents have been reading, and whatever looks interesting in Christian book catalogues.
A combination of things- library catalogue systems where a book I might not have heard of is reviewed by someone, book stores, word of mouth. That’s usually my way of reading.
Thanks for this, William. I am curious about how people’s methods of finding books has changed. i know it changed drastically for me over the past few years.
I browse any and all little free libraries! Have found some wonderful reads!
I like this!