Do you research a book before you read it?

[RabidFox]

Personally, I like to have some kind of idea of what I'm going to read first. I prefer to know a little about the setting, a little about the plot, a little about the characters, and maybe a little about the author. Basically, I want to know if I'm making a good choice beforehand. I don't want to start reading something and then find that I dislike it and have wasted my time. You can only read so many books in a month and so many books in a year and so on. It's not like it's a film and it's going to be over in an hour. I can always watch something without spending a great deal of time concentrating on it, as you do when you read a novel. The idea of just picking up any old book is not appealing to me. I prefer to use my time wisely, and look for things that I will really enjoy.

What are your thoughts?

[Micoto]

I just want to know what its genre cause I like being surprised by the story.

[Book lover26]

I also like to research the books beforehand, mainly the author, the reviews and the author's previous books. You just can't from the summary on the back of the book alone, while this may be very well written and draw you in, there is still the possibility the book will not meet the standard of writing that you expect just from the summary. There is nothing worse than picking up a book only to find its lacking and you just can't get into it.

I recently read a book, where the summary was fantastic, I researched the author etc, when I came to the reviews it was mainly 4 stars I think there were only 2 reviews with less than 4-star ratings. Was really looking forward to getting stuck in. It was poorly written and I just couldn't get into. Unfortunately I had no choice but to finish it and it just didn't give me that sense of being lost in a book at all.

[rave_2]

If the description provided with the book isn't that good, I usually look around to get a better idea of the plot. Then I use that to decide if I wanted to read it or not.

[mgosselin137]

I will normally read the description of the book on the cover as well as the first few pages and a couple pages from somewhere in the middle. I find that the writing style of the author has a significant impact on my opinion of a book. I try to read a few pages to get an idea if the voice is one that will appeal to me or not. It is always a let down when the plot sounds fantastic and the book has great reviews, but the writing just doesn't hold my attention.

[Dael Reader]

Generally, the only "research" I do is read the intro on the dustcover. I get quite a few recommendations from friends and fellow bookclub members though.

[kjs237]

If someone recommends a book to me, I usually go to Amazon and read the reviews first. I also ask around to see if any of my friends have read it or heard anything about it. I do hate starting a book that shows promise only to find that the writing style just isn't for me or that the book is just boring. So, I sometimes get a sample of it or click on the look inside feature on Amazon. That usually gives me a good idea of whether or not I can get into reading it.

[Serena_Charlotte]

I like going in cold. I have never seen the point of researching a book. It's usually just: enter the bookstore, glance around, read the backs, judge the covers, make a decision.

[Eclectic_novels]

Some books I pick up I prefer to be a bit of a surprise. Others I will read a page or two in the middle as well as the description. I don't tend to do any other research.

[Kelsey anne]

I do research a book before I read it. I will read anything so I try to find books that truly sound intriguing because it sucks when you get hyped for a book and then the ending disappoints you.

[liftedbooks]

I like to research the author if I have never heard of them before. I actually like to research a book after reading it, just to see what others thought of it since opinions differ.

[MsLisa]

Not unless it's a book for research for school and I don't want to read all of it. Sometimes when looking up a book to check it people who review it reveal too much and it spoils the story.

[bclayton13]

Usually reading the book's summary is good enough for me. I'm too afraid of finding spoilers.

[ahmaria]

I agree completely. I also have a very hard time quitting books. I always feel obligated to finish what I started, so if I find that I hate a book, I'm mentally condemned to finish it anyways, which is extremely frustrating. I always try to research brand new books or go from recommendations or "books similar to X" lists. That way, I can enjoy everything I read to a certain extent.

[Mallory Porshnev]

I read the plot, some reviews, and them jump in. If I can't make it past 25%, then I have to let it go.