The question of the week: how do you find out about the books you want to read? (The full question is at Boston Bibliophile's blog). Answer as a comment or on your own blog and post a link here if you'd like.My book choices generally go in the following order:
1) If a friend recommends a book? Top priority.
2) Read a book I love. Hooray! Zero in on that author until I read one I don't like. Then the honeymoon's over.
3) A topic sticks in my head. I hunt down novels on that topic, usually with my library's subscription to the NovelList database. For example, recently I decided I might want to write about a homeless teen, so I checked out every novel and memoir my library owned with that subject. There weren't that many. And, unfortunately most of them weren't great and got returned to the library half-read. (Which probably means I really need to write that book).
4) YA books, I just grab off the teen "new book" shelf on the library, and yes, I judge them by their covers. These go high on the list because they're usually quick reads so I stick them in between heavier or longer books.
5) Lists like the New Classics, I love stuff like that. (But it still goes back to #1--I want to know which of those books my friends have read and liked).
6) When a how-to-write author recommends something I usually seek it out and end up with either a really great or a really awful read.
7) I read the book section of my local Sunday paper.
8) I see mention of a book and look it up on Amazon, and whether or not that book resonates with me I often end up hopping from book to book through their "also-bought" links.
9) Occasionally I go to Librarything's recommendations, but the fact is it's very rare that I need to seek out book recommendations. Numbers one through eight tend to keep my bookshelves overflowing!
10) When a book comes in the mail waiting to be reviewed! I put this as #10 because it's never happened yet, but I got two emails this week saying books are coming! Those books will go to the top of my to-be-read list.
It seems like there were an awful lot Tuesday Thingsers who don't go to the library. Or maybe some them are librarians and just think of that as something worth mentioning.
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