Picking Out Books

Whoever said you don’t judge a book by its cover was sadly mistaken. When you go to pick out a book, the first thing you look at is its cover. When I go to pick out I book, I’ll flip it over and check out the summary on the back. If that sounds good, I’ll read the first page or two and decide from there. The cover, however, does have more to do with it than people might think…
When I read a book, the first couple of chapters really decide whether I’ll finish the book or not. If the first few chapters are well-written, interesting, and excite my interest, then I’ll keep reading. If the plot is about something actually interesting and doesn’t move too slow or too fast, then it’ll probably be a good book. The hook is really important, because without it, you are never really drawn into the story.
In my reading career, I have seldom given up on a book. In fact, I can only recall giving up on about 3 books. When I give up on a book, I find the reason I did is that the plot was terribly boring or the writing was just terrible (or I was really busy at school...). If the first chapters of a book aren’t good, I may sludge through about half of the book before I get so fed up I give up on the book. Most of the time, though, I can make it through the whole thing.
For me, picking out a book has never really been an issue. I love reading, and will read just about anything. I do read back covers or inside flaps and see if I recognize the author’s name. Quite frankly, I just love to read.