What influences you to read a book that you've never read before? Why?

The blurb has to catch my eye. I've been seduced by fancy covers and known authors before, so I ignore all the razzle dazzle. If the blurb seems interesting and the first page or two seems well written I'll pick it up. Otherwise I'll have to hear some really good word of mouth.

Basically, if I've encountered it in heairng or seeing something about it over three times, I figure the Gods Of Bookstore Karma are trying to get a message through my thick skull (=P) and I go for it.
Hasn't failed me yet.

Interesting method... will give it a whirl... :D

not a good poll, since most of us have more than one reason for picking one book over another... should be able to choose more than one in the poll, to make it a valid one...

i'll be first caught by the author's name, the title and/or the cover... then, i'll check the cover blurb... if that looks good, i might check out the first page, if it's an author i'm not familiar with...

i seldom go by word-of-mouth or best-seller status...

I tend to go more for horror, but really it comes down to the blurb. If that isn't interesting, then surely the book won't be either.

~Torana

Basically, if I've encountered it in heairng or seeing something about it over three times, I figure the Gods Of Bookstore Karma are trying to get a message through my thick skull (=P) and I go for it.
Hasn't failed me yet.

Ditto. (I can recommend a book there!) The Gods of Bookstore Karma are currently nagging me to read it again now.

Works for other things too.

Sometimes I do listen to what people recommend and follow suit but not often. I hate reading books that are pushed down your throat though. I have yet to pick up a JK Rowling or see one of the films.

I like to read alot of dark sci fi books. At the moment most of what i read is published by Black Library Publications (http://www.blacklibrary.com/default.asp)



~Raven.

not a good poll, since most of us have more than one reason for picking one book over another... should be able to choose more than one in the poll, to make it a valid one...

You can't do that. It doesn't give you the option, I dont think.

What catches me is the blurb and/or cover.

Hard to say really, I don't tend to read just one type of book. I write mostly supernatural stories, but I read everything. If something in the blurb catches my attention, if the story is something I can relate to, or if I've read something by that author and I liked the style of it, then I'll probably read it.

I usually go to the genre I want to read, find something with a nice cover and interesting title and read the blurb of that book. ^^ If I'm interested I'll skim through the first chapter sometimes.

I've bought a few books purely on reccomendation from a friend and found that I'm not too keen on them. I guess Fantasy is a hard genre to like for me unless it's something I know I want to read about. P=

I like reading folk lore and occult books. =D

when i look for a book.. i first take a look at the cover and if it interests me.. ill get it.. but the blurbs really catch my interest..and with that youll know how far the story will make it.. either good or bad..:)

I must be honest, I usually judge a book by it's cover. I know that's not a good habit, but I can't help it. I kind of have a process I go through to determine if I should get the book:
Browse through the shelves; sees a book with a fancy cover.
Pulls it off the shelf and reads the summary. Determine genre. If summary can not be located, choose a place in the middle of the book and read that page.
If it meets standards, put it in the pile along with the other books chosen.

i know that it is stupid but i very very rarely read abook that i haven't read a previous one to or liked the film of it. the only time i read new ones that i haven't read previous ones/seen the film is when my mam goes and buys me one when she is down the town or something. otherwise i tend not to read much. alhough, sometimes i read the books that my dad has allready picked from the libary.
Heather

The front cover rarely affects my decision. The title is what catches my eye. Then I usually flip to a random page of the book and read around.

I try to avoid reviews just because they almost all say the same thing.

My mother was the one who introduced me to classical literature. Up until this point I've basically been asking her for advice on what to read, so I haven't much experience with choosing a book. Hopefully over the summer I'll get more aquainted with searching for a new book on my own.