I wasn’t sure how to name this post so it makes sense, but I’ll explain more here.
I say I’m a kinda new reader because, technically, I have read, it’s just that most were stuff I hated and was forced to in school. The books I’ve read for fun have mostly been as a kid, because afterwards I got turned away by the obligativity of reading what are considered classics in my country.
However, since late last year, I’ve slowly been getting back into reading. For fun this time. I might get criticized for this, but the few I read since then, I downloaded off of the internet. But now I’d like to actually buy them.
With that being said, however, how do you all decide what books to buy? Given that I’m new to (getting back into) reading, I don’t exactly have favorite authors that I could make an educated guess that I’ll enjoy. Buying a book is a gamble, cause the summary could sound interesting, but the story itself could still be bad. This hasn’t been an issue so far, because there’s no risk of not enjoying a book if I pirated it. All I would lose would be the time spent on reading however much before I drop it.
I feel like I will end up spending a lot of time pondering about whether I really want X book and reading or watching spoiler-free reviews. How do you decide what to buy? And how often do you end up not finishing a book you’ve bought?
(An extra question that’s of less importance right now, so feel free to not answer to this next one, unless you want to, but paperback or hardcover? What I’m hearing is paperback being more portable, cheaper and comfortable, while hardcover looks way better. Most of the time I’d be reading at home anyway, so portability doesn’t matter as much for me. But I would very much like it to be comfortable to hold and all and look great on shelves, so I’m undecided, heh).
My thing is sci-fi and fantasy, so my suggestion is this: look up a series that looks interesting. Then go to the library and check out the very first one of the series. If you read it, and you like it, that’s how you know what to buy.
Use the library. Find stuff you like. In the US, Libby and Hoopla are great digital borrowing options a lot of libraries support. I tend to actually buy fiction when it’s an author/series I want day one. (Mostly audiobooks, some ebooks). For nonfiction, I do the best research I can to determine that it’s evidence backed and well respected by other authors in the field (generally psychology-ish).
In terms of the format, I mostly don’t do physical books. I can’t carry 1000 of those in my pocket. I mostly get a handful of favorites to have on a shelf and maybe talk someone else into reading, but I’ll still read on my ereader or audio. My preference is audiobook because I have a lot of time where I can listen while doing other stuff. I do get a fair number of ebooks as well, but a lot of those are programming books because audio doesn’t work for code and especially because there are a lot of awesome bundles through Humble Bundle for them.
I’ve read over 50 books since the start of the year. I only buy a book after I’ve read it 2-3 times. How? Sign up at your local library! (And keep signing up wherever you can get proof of residence; I’ve managed to collect 4 library cards.) And then find whatever system they have for borrowing e-books (mine work well with Libby). I’ve found that I almost never lack for books. A kindle or e-reader could be a good investment to limit screen time; you can download library e books onto them auite often.
Browsing the physical library is more fun than browsing online for books. Just pick the covers you like, check if the summary sounds fun, and give it a shot. Never feel guilty if you don’t read a book you checked out or put a hold on. Sometimes it just doesn’t sound as good two days later.
Best thing for me about libraries is librarians. They curate displays which change , put recommended books up, and more. So browsing library is way more interesting than a mainstream bookstore, let alone an online bookstore. Trouble is I often walk away with too many books.
I don’t know much about Kindles, to be honest, so I’m operating under lack of knowledge here, but isn’t that technically a tablet of sorts? Or is it less damaging as a screen than a regular tablet?
I’m asking because part of the reason I’d want physical books is because I spend a lot of time in front of screens because I can’t watch anime or play games without a screen. But books can be read without one, so I would like to not do it on my tablet anymore, as I’m currently doing
I’ll look into the library in my city, though.
They are technically tablets, but you can get ones that use e-ink, and that’s basically like looking at a regular piece of paper. I have one that is backlit, but you can also turn the light off. Plus, those versions of the readers are usually cheaper than the ones that work like regular tablets. I didn’t think I would love it as much as I do, but it’s actually been great, so I’d say it’s worth looking into.
Unless you have money to throw away why not continue to pirate stuff whilst you figure out what you do and don’t like.
I, like you, didn’t get into books until much later on. I found something I liked (for me it started with Lovecraft) and then just explored all of his books before then looking for stuff that was within that similar vein.
I also used other types of media to inform what kinds of things I might like (predominantly video games) which lead me off on to other tangents.
I think this gave me a good basis of what I enjoyed from the stories and writing themselves and then from there I went on to trying other things, usually randomly based purely on a title or blurb and just giving things a go. If I didn’t enjoy something after a few hours then I’d just drop it and move on. When I found something I like I’d usually just binge that author.
You can always go to a library and borrow some stuff to get an idea of the form factor you like in terms of your last question. I’m an audio book only kind of person so have no input really in terms of that.
It’s not that I have money to throw away, but rather that I spend a lot of time in front of screens. Anime and games can’t be watched/played without a screen, but books can be read. Since I already look at screens so much, I would want to not do the same when reading if I don’t have to.
That is fair enough, to be clear I didn’t mean that buying books in itself was throwing money away, more if you are unsure what you like from books and end up buying a lot of stuff you just don’t like it is a waste.
I think you should get your library on whilst you figure out your tastes a bit more. It’ll save you money as well as getting you away from screens as you want. Win / win.
to be clear I didn’t mean that buying books in itself was throwing money away, more if you are unsure what you like from books and end up buying a lot of stuff you just don’t like it is a waste.
Yeah, don’t worry, I didn’t assume anything negative from that. I just wanted to clarify why exactly I don’t just keep on pirating them.
I’m not sure how helpful this will be, but generally speaking, I tend to only buy books that I’ve already read and enjoyed enough to want a copy of my own, with exceptions being sequels and authors I know I like. (I also usually buy used, when I do.) Depending where you are, you probably have a few (legal) ways to do it this way, too.
If you want to read something specific:
- Libraries. If you’re interested in a new release or very popular work, you might have to wait a while for your turn, but otherwise, it should be relatively easy to get a lot of things, either in person, through library apps, or through interlibrary loans.
- Kindle Unlimited. I don’t personally have experience with this one, as I’m not a big Amazon fan, but seems like a good way to stretch your book allowance/limit regret at picking a dud.
If you just want to try a variety of things, risk-free, to see what you might like:
- Little free libraries. Heavily dependent on whatever others donate, but if you’re lucky enough to have one near you, you might find something worth trying.
- Public domain. Obviously, limited to very old stuff, but maybe you’ll find something interesting.
- Assuming you’re reading fiction, some publishers, fiction magazines, and authors offer free things (full e-books, excerpts, short fiction, etc) on their sites. Short stories can be a great way to get a feel for many authors quickly.
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As to your other question: I find paperbacks way more comfortable to hold one-handed; no need to choose between eating and reading! They’re also usually smaller and lighter than hardcovers, so you can 1) fit more in less space, and 2) carry more at once when you move or rearrange.
