Books I've read and why

I’ve been thinking about what makes a reader pick up a book, whether it’s a print book in a brick and mortar bookstore, or an e-book from an on-line publisher. What draws a reader in?

I was a reader before I was a writer, not much before since I started writing in grammar school, but still…the first books I read were those given to me by teachers and parents. I bought Nancy Drew mysteries by the armload because I loved them and since there were so many, I was in heaven. Then I moved on to Star Trek novels and again, there were more of those published every month until I couldn’t keep up anymore. I also read science fiction and romance and wished someone would one day combine the two.

Today I read a little bit of everything. In the side bar you’ll see I have Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian listed. I’m in a holding pattern on it. It’s very well written, an interesting story, and SOOOOO long, that I just can’t fathom sticking to it until the end. How did I get it? I heard all the hype about it and borrowed it from a friend who also said she had a hard time getting through it.

I’m also reading the angel book by Terry Lynn Taylor, which is great for inspiration though I don’t agree with everything she says about angels. I picked this book up while looking for more spiritual reading material. I haven’t read a lot of inspirational books in a while and I miss that uplifting feeling of reading philosophical stuff. I have a bunch of books in my TBR pile, but I still buy new things.

I recently finished Gena Showalter’s Jewel of Atlantis. A fast read which I needed to counteract The Historian. I picked that up because everyone at Romance Divas was talking about it.

Before that I read You’ve Got Male by Elizabeth Bevarly. I got that from the Harlequin Reader Service. Now I’m reading Vigil by Robert Masello, which I picked up at the supermarket because of the cover – [fossils in an underwater cave hooked me immediately].

In my TBR pile I also have The Time Traveler’s Wife, borrowed from my mother who thinks I will like it and Heather Graham’s Ghost Walk which I received at the NJRW Conference in October.

Whew. That only scratches the surface. It’s interesting that for someone who buys books all the time, most of what I read are books that other people have given to me. But the ones I choose myself are usually chosen based on interesting covers or word of mouth from other readers and writers whose opinions I respect.

What makes you choose a book?