The Next Best Book Club discussion

Well, there is more of a generic question than anything else. I am curious, though: what are you looking for in a book? Is it the cover, the premise, the author? All of the above? Does a summary turn you in? Any experiences with books or having a different impression from beginning to end? Favorites?

Hi Sara, just wanted to let you know that I relocated this to the Book Related Banter thread, since it's not a group designated book discussion.

Carry on : )

Sara wrote: "Well, there is more of a generic question than anything else. I am curious, though: what are you looking for in a book? Is it the cover, the premise, the author? All of the above? Does a summary tu..."

I apologize. Thank you for moving it to its appropriate place. :)

The cover and premise get my attention, but when I’m reading, I want to be transported into the world of the story. Descriptions and senses, I want all that. I guess I also have a thing about dialogue too. When the dialogue is too stiff and stilted, I am pulled right out of the story, distracted, and my attention goes to the bad dialogue. That makes it difficult to get back into the story.

Hope that helps!

Sara wrote: "Sara wrote: "Well, there is more of a generic question than anything else. I am curious, though: what are you looking for in a book? Is it the cover, the premise, the author? All of the above? Does..."

No, it does. I am trying to get experiences more than anything else. ;)

While covers definitely grab my attention, and I certainly have my favorite authors, great characters that keep me interested are a MUST.

It depends really - if it's by an author I'm already a big fan of their name alone is enough for me. Otherwise it's mainly the synopsis that gets me, then the cover, then all the marketing stuff (critical acclaim, blurbs if they're by authors I like, any awards/lists it's on etc), and sometimes an excerpt seals the deal. Beautiful/evocative covers are definitely important to me but they're never a deciding factor - like if it's a stunning cover but an uninteresting synopsis I won't read it.

Following up with a cover example: The cover of A Little Life captivated me then the premise convinced me, and it became one of my favorite books of all time.

Since I read on a Kobo, covers don't do much for me. They're a bonus if they're nice, but I won't ever turn away from an ugly cover.

I highly appreciate good world building. I guess the setting of a book can make or break a story; though it's not the only important thing for me. I want the cast to be realistic and complex too. If the blurb is thrilling, but the cast and/or setting aren't done right, the book won't get 4* or 5* from me.

Also I don't generally trust books to be good just because they're written by a well known author. I recently read a Neil Gaiman book and it sucked. "Are you famous? Good for you! Now let me browse in peace". That kind of thing.

I think for me it's all aspects together that make a book 5* for me. Setting, cast, writing style, plot (The Rose and the Thorn was perfect, highly recommend), blurb, ...

The title will usually draw me in more than anything else, they are some really interesting titles out there like The Man Who Ate the 747 or sea of stars (the second one is not a real book, but it’s an example of an eye-catching title that will leave me wondering what’s inside the book. Then I move onto the synopsis and look at the blurbs.

At first I look for the title. Then I look at the cover. Still interested? I read the back or inner cover. Check it out on goodreads. Still good? Purchase time :)