My favorite part about book shopping is grabbing a coffee from the cafe in the place, hunting down books with interesting covers and blurbs, then sitting down and reading the first chapter of each book to figure out which one I want. Does that mean I'm a blurb hunter?
FWIW, I have often done the same, and found some brilliant books by looking through a second hand bookstore randomly. Add a cafe in-store and I can while away half a day there without noticing.
I hit post and yours appeared at exactly the same time. We are in agreement. Blurb hunters of the world: unite!
Must've missed that one, I'll have a gander later. I've been on something of a hiatus from the site for a few months.
I think the title is far more important than the first sentence. So here's my question, if I may; Does the title make the story or does the story make the title?
Seriously though -- what leads you to remove the book from the shelf to read that first chapter, when it's a new author that you have not read before?
If it isn't an author I've read before (and I buy a lot from authors I've never read), often a cover or a quote on the front from an author I like will entice me to open the book and read a little bit. Sometimes, I'll just pick up books at random and start reading them, whether there is any kind of quote or even if I don't care for the cover. I'll know if I'm in the SF/F section, or general literature, or mystery, or whatever. I've read one too many blurbs with spoilers in them, so I stopped reading them years ago. I don't think a blurb should give away anything that happens in the story - I'd rather read the story and have the knowledge unfold as it was written.
So there's a rap from a known author on the front cover? Hmmm I think I know what you mean. I wonder how expensive those quotes are
