How do you shop for books?

Discussion in Books, eBooks & Audio Books started by kingusama92 • May 26, 2012.

  1. kingusama92

    kingusama92Active Member

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    This question is aimed for those that actually go to a book store!

    Do you simply scan the cover? Do you read the back to get a gist of what it is about? There are people out there that even read a few pages or maybe a chapter to get a little understanding of the book.

    How do you shop for books?
     
  2. GGGuardian

    GGGuardianMember

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    I go to Barnes and Nobles to go pick up my books. Always something good to pick up and read at the store.
     
  3. Parker

    ParkerWell-Known Member

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    I love shopping at bookstores. Bookstores are my favorite kind of store. I browser the subject area looking for a title that jumps out at me. I scan the table of contents and even read a few chapters to make sure the book has what I'm looking for. Oftentimes, so many books don't live up to their titles.
     
  4. Sandra Piddock

    Sandra PiddockExpert

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    I look at the author, then read the blurb on the back of the book. I'll also open it at a few random pages if I'm not familiar with the author, to see if I like their writing style. The cover has no influence on my choice of books - I'm interested in what's between the covers primarily. I usually hunt through the crime fiction section first, followed by historical fiction.
     
  5. trident252

    trident252Member

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    It depends on what I am looking for. Most times I stick to familiar authors or genres. If I hear everyone talking about a particular book or author, I will go check it out. The sad part is that many bookstores are closing and that's horrible for people that enjoy a trip to the bookstore.
     
  6. Linky

    LinkyExpert

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    Oh, I love bookstores. So very much. I tend to go to my favorite bookstores, just go to the section that I feel drawn to and then I just randomly pick up a book that draws me. I take a few, get a cup of coffee...and read through the index etc...and then decide which one I'm buying.

    It is a whole ritual that I love going through.
     
  7. Pat

    PatWell-Known Member

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    One of the things I will never be able to give up will be books. I love bookstores which I will visit when ever I am in a mall. To find a good book I will read the back of the flap, maybe a few of the pages to get a feel for the book before I purchase it.
     
  8. saizo6

    saizo6Active Member

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    I like going to Barnes & Noble, picking up a book, sitting down and reading it. If I like it then I'd purchase it. I never judge a book by it's cover, sometimes it might look good but the content is sub par. Or if the book is by an author I like I'd just buy it without browsing through it.
     
  9. j_pin

    j_pinActive Member

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    I always shop on Amazon because pretty much no one is ever able to beat them in price. It's also good to put what you're looking for in to a site like pricegrabber.com they check all the sites and tell you the lowest price possible.
     
  10. dissn_it

    dissn_itActive Member

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    Don't judge a book by it's cover!
    Usually I hear about a book from someone else. If I think I would like to read it, I may ask them if I could borrow it when they are finished or I will check it out from the local library. It is pretty rare that I will actually buy a book. I would have to be certain that I would read it again. The only other time I buy a book would be to give it as a gift for someone.
     
  11. andrew320

    andrew320Active Member

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    Well, first I usually head over to my two favourite used bookstores: Eliot's and BMV.

    Secondly, I generally know what I want. However, if I'm browsing and not expecting to purchase a book then I check the cover, read the story description and check out a few pages.

    On Saturday, I walked into Indigo Bookstore and I saw they had a new John Stossel book. I read a chapter and really enjoyed it (too expensive, though). So now I'm going to check the two used bookstores. If they don't have it, Amazon will be the place for me.
     
  12. Sugarhill

    SugarhillActive Member

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    I usually have an idea of the books that I want to buy when I enter the store, so what I'm really looking for is an unread copy. I really hate the people that have turned bookstores into libraries and read the books like they are at one or at home. If I wanted a used book, I'd go to a used bookstore. As of late, the only books that I am buying a physical copy are of books that I can't find to download.
     
  13. Terri

    TerriMember

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    I am a mess at the book store. Shopping for books is a serious process for me. Lol I usually go to the section of books that I had in mind before even entering the store. I'll search through the shelves to make sure a book I'd glanced at before is still untouched and safe on the shelf (may even hide the book in a different section to secure it's safety - and hope some worker doesn't snatch it out), I go over possible new titles they may have. After I read the front and back covers of the titles I find interesting, I go to other sections of the book store and let titles jump out at me... I can easily spend an hour in a book store. Oh, and don't let me get started on when I actually sit down and read a chapter or two... *sighs* Pure heaven... pure, I tells ya. Lol Mmhm... *nods*
     
  14. Tinee

    TineeMember

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    Bookstores are therapeutic. Generally, I don't like window shopping but bookstores are an ultimate exception. The books' smell and feel - they're just very soothing. I like Amazon for ebooks and ANY bookstore for paperbacks and hardbounds.
     
  15. iNg

    iNgMember

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    I'm using Amazon, i added a bunch of books recently to my wishlist to order later: The Book Thief, World War Z, Anna Karenina, War and Peace, The Demon-haunted World: Science As a Candle in the Dark, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, A Short History Of Nearly Everything, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Nineteen Eighty-four, Catch-22 and The Remains of the Day.
     
  16. steph84

    steph84Active Member

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    I love going to the book store! I still go to Barnes and Noble all of the time to get some coffee and buy magazines, but as far as books go I like to shop at a used book store. You can find some gently used book for under $5 compared to the big retailer prices. I buy books for friends and gift them too.
     
  17. jovan107

    jovan107Active Member

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    I buy a majority of my books from Barnes and Nobles. I love the environment and my nephews enjoy going there to meet up with their friends and purchasing new releases. Its also great that they offer free wifi.
     
  18. gina121

    gina121Active Member

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    I usually check reviews on amazon before buying or renting a book. Rarely have I picked up an unheard-of title at a bookstore, unless the back-cover synopsis was too tempting.
     
  19. Nakhash

    NakhashMember

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    While I love shopping in bookstores, where I currently live doesn't have any near. I pretty much shop exclusively through Amazon. I'm a Prime Member so I don't have to worry about the shipping cost when I want a hard copy of a book. I'm a witch and collect various books on herbs, crystals, oils, etc and find I prefer having them as an actual book. For most else I have my Kindle. So I can purchase and begin reading within minutes.

    Nothing really matches the ambiance, scents, and underlying passion for reading that you can feel when you go into a bookstore, though. One of my Sunday pleasures was B&N, a new book to begin and a small table near the window where I could sip my coffee or tea and look up from time to time and watch the world go by as I mused on a particular phrase from my book. Bookworm Heaven!
     
  20. niceness8000

    niceness8000Active Member

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    I use the cover to draw me in, and then I read the back to get the gist of the story. My problem has been that even doing this, I've found it to still be pretty unreliable. I've run into some books that I considered to be "dumb" or wastes of time doing it this way. I will always consider a book in my genre that comes recommended from another person. Right now, I prefer most to buy books on recommendation, or continue with a series if a book I enjoyed was part of a series.