Best Ways to Find Good Books

It might seem like something really simple, something that everybody can do with ease, but finding good books to read , especially in some of the bigger sections like fiction or mystery where there are so many books to choose from.There are 4 ways that I use to find good books to read in the bookstore, and I've ordered them from my most used method to my least used method, but I use them all.

Referal from a Friend 
The easiest and fastest way to find a book, obviously friends who are into the same kinds of books that you are are going to be able to refer you to some of the best books out there.

Browsing
My favorite way to find books, mainly because I like to be in the bookstore for long periods of time and soak in the ambiance of the place, I walk around and I read the synopses in the backs and I choose based on my first impression of the book, this can often lead to some bad choices and some unread books sitting on your shelf that you'll probably never read, but it can also lead to finding some of the best books in the bookstore. Keep in mind that judging a book by its cover, may or may not be a good way to go about doing this.

Blogs
Blogs (like this one maybe?) can be the best sources of information on books out there, and as blogs can be written by anyone and are there for all to see, they are often better than the editorial reviews that are featured on sites like amazon and barnes and noble and can feature anything from scathing to glowing reviews on a book. It's nice to see the viewpoint of multiple people before you read a book, just as long as they don't give any spoilers.

Ask an Employee or a Librarian
Sometimes some of the best people to ask for referrals are those people who work around books the most. Librarians and Employees of bookstores are often avid readers (just like you) and can often point you in a good direction. Keep in mind that these people are not your friend so they don't know anything about you and might not know anything about your preferences when it comes to books, so if you don't trust them to give you a good referal: take everything they say with a grain of salt.

So now you know, my preferred ways of choosing books to read, may it serve you well.

Judging a Book by its Cover.

You hear the phrase all the time: “don’t judge a book by its cover” it’s used in conversational speech to say that looks don’t always matter. But in our society of mass media via the internet, television, and press it’s hard to say that looks don’t matter. The fact of the matter is if the cover of a book doesn’t look good or doesn’t appeal to a reader, chances are they won’t end up buying that particular book.

Now, this is not to say that the cover of a book is paramount to the sales of a book, but it is a very important factor. Jill could be the greatest author ever to grace the world with her writing presence, but if her books are nothing more than scraps of paper thrown together and stapled she cannot expect anybody to buy it, let alone read it. Skipping over a book, however, because its cover art is not something that makes you say “wow, what great art!” is a great way to miss out on a fantastic book.

The argument can be made that if a book were truly great, then the author should have the resources available to get some great cover art for the book. Surely somebody who is a great writer should have a great artist commissioned to make their cover art for them?

So, the question still remains: Can a book be judged by its cover? Or should it be judged solely on its literary merit?It's an age old question, and one that will never be answered in our age of visual media. But if you want to see some really great book covers click here