Booking Through Thursday (30) Choosing

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme where participants are asked a series of questions about their reading habits. To join this or future Booking Through Thursdays Click Here.

This Week BTT Asks:btt button What makes you choose the books you read? Genre? Reviews? Certain authors? Covers? Recommendations?

90% of the time I  feel it's a combination of all of the above. If the title has a great cover, is in a genre I like and I have at least heard some positive feedback coming in I'm definitely likely to give it a shot. However, That is not to say that  I don't buy certain series based off Author name alone. Stephen King and  Clive Cussler are both Authors I will buy regardless of the cover, genre, recommendations etc... I know and trust their work and have rarely felt disappointed in the books I've picked up. Even on those rare occasions where I've rated books by them 3 stars it wasn't the stories fault but usually the way I felt about characters. If I don't click with a character regardless of how much I like the story the rating is bound to be lower.

I am also guilty of buying books based on gorgeous covers. While most of the time these books turn out being fab I can definitely count on more than one occasion where I've thought the pretty cover was wasted on such a horrible story.  I also refuse to buy books with horrible covers. I don't care if the book has 1000 glowing reviews and has won dozens of awards. If I can't stand the cover I simply won't buy it or will try damnedest to track down a copy with a cover I do like. Usually other countries receive different covers and you can buy them through sites like the book depository or fishpond.

Mostly though my answer remains that I buy based on a combination of all the above.

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Now for my questions:

Based on the choices above, How do you decide which books to buy?

Have you ever been sucked in by a pretty cover only to have the book turn out less than stellar?

Leave me your answers in the comments below. I love reading your responses!