Book Tag: What makes me pick up a book?

Hello, hello and welcome to my book tag post! This will post as I am flying across the country coming back from my week long trip. I’m looking forward to being home and back into my usual routine.

I don’t remember where I saw this fun tag first, but it has been sitting on my backburner for a while. It was originally created by booktuber Charlotte over on wonderfully bookish. Give her a shout out if you plan on doing this fun tag.

1. Do you judge a book by its cover?

Yes, but also no. I will always take a look at a book with a gorgeous cover, but that won’t usually be what makes me want to read it. I have been burned by beautiful covers in the past so I am always hesitant to only read a book because of the cover, unless I trust the author and know that they always deliver on their books.

2. Focusing just on the cover, what attracts you to pick it up?

I think it is mostly the colors that attract me first, and then the design. I am not a fan of book covers that feature models on their covers, or even drawings that depict the characters. I prefer titles that have images that give you an idea what the book is about.

3. Do you read the synopsis first, or prefer to go in without knowing anything about the book?

Whenever I am interested in a book I always read the synopsis. It is usually that over anything else that makes me choose the book. If I can, usually it is because I am holding a physical copy, I will also read the first few pages to see if I like the author’s writing style. That said, by the time I actually get around to reading a book, I will probably have totally forgotten what it is about. This is especially true of my Netgalley ARCs as I usually don’t get to them until months after I have requested them.

4. Do you have any auto-buy authors – authors whose books you will always buy, even without knowing anything about them?

I don’t purchase many books, but I have a few authors whose books I will always look for. However, I still usually take a look at the synopsis. Some authors change genres or come up with a book that maybe covers a topic I’m not interested in, so I want to be sure that even though it is my favorite author that I will enjoy the book. There are a few books out there by favorite authors that I have no interest in reading, although some of them are still on my TBR because my tastes change all the time and what I’m not interested in now, I might be in the future.

5. Are you more likely to pick up a book if it includes specific elements/themes? (e.g. LGBTQ+, mental health rep, disability rep, etc)

Not really. In fact I often find that categorizing books by themes or elements can be detrimental to the book. For instance I just finished a book that had been hyped up as a thriller, but it really wasn’t. It was a really good story, just not a thriller, so people who don’t like thrillers probably won’t pick this book up and they would be missing out on a really good read.

6. Do you ever read a book that has generally negative reviews just to form your own opinion of it?

Sometimes, if it’s about something that I would usually like. I do look at negative reviews when I am deciding whether or not I am interested in reading a book. I find the negative, or even the ones where people just liked the book, very useful as they tend to be the most honest as to what didn’t work for them. The ones that gush how great the book is sometimes come over as fake.

7. Do you ever buy a book just because another BookTuber or book blogger has reviewed it or talked about it a lot?

I don’t buy a lot of books and the few I do buy it is because it is by an author that I know I will like. But I am influenced to at least place a book on my TBR by other bloggers. Those books then find their way into my library checkouts and holds. I have also found myself influenced by the author newsletters that I subscribe to. Many of them include books that they are reading and many of those have made it onto my reading stacks. I figure that if a book that one of my favorite authors is reading is good for them, then I will like it too.

8. Is there anyone whose book recommendations you will generally always trust?

I have both family and friends who have similar taste in books, so I usually trust them to recommend a book. And for the most part I have always liked the books they recommend. I also have a few book bloggers whose reviews make me want to pick up a book.

I hop you have enjoyed reading this tag. and learning more about how I choose books. If you are interested in doing it for yourself than go ahead and consider yourself tagged. Until next time…

Happy reading!