Genre? Reviews? Certain authors? Covers? Recommendations? I’m not actually certain there’s a rhyme or reason to why I’m drawn to some books and not others. Especially as a book blogger. The biggest reason I was buying books recently was because I feel like I have to have them. Book blogger enthusiasm is totally and completely contagious. I realized this was happening to me and my TBR shelf was growing at a rate I couldn’t keep up with, so I’ve tried really hard to not buy books because other people are loving them right now. It’s really hard.
Right now, I’m letting myself become more interested than excited and adding the books I see reviewed on other blogs to my wish list instead of freaking out and buying them because I-Just-Have-To-Have-It-Right-Now! I still think that other blogger reviews have the biggest impact. I suppose it’s because they tend to be more in depth than other reviews. I can tell whether that person liked the book, but I am typically able to to figure out whether I will like the book, too, which is the most important thing.
I know my own interests and I skim reviews on Goodreads. I check out all the information about the book like the cover, synopsis, author, etc. I think about who might have recommended it to me. I think about what I’m in the mood for or what books I might need for a yearly challenge and all of these things are taken into consideration before I buy a book.
Also, the most important factor I consider if I decide I want the book is price. I’m a lot pickier about books that are taking up valuable real estate on my bookshelf, but I’m also picky about e-book pricing. If I feel like I’d rather pay that much for a paperback or more for a hardcover, then I have to do extra decision making about whether I want to own that book in print or wait for a sale or try to find it at my library. And also, do I want to own the book right now, or can I wait a few days?
I have stumbled upon more books I like than ones I dislike since I’ve become a part of the book blogging community. I think I just have more book awareness than I used to and that has made an impact on my book buying choices, too.