So a week or two ago Pot suggested that I read Twilight by Sephenie Meyer. The library called today and let me know that it had come in, so I swung by there on my way to Walmart to pick it up. I also grabbed Last Scene Alive by Charlaine Harris. That should have been it. I really intended to leave at that point after chatting with my friend at the front desk. But on my way out the door I saw The Sign: Book Sale. Eek! Danger Danger Will Robinson! So I was sucked in and seduced by the wide assortment of 50 cent paperbacks and $2 hardbacks. The local library does this about once every quarter or so. I try to avoid going in during this time because I, admittedly, have no self-restraint. Today I came away with eleven books:
Murder Plays House by Ayelet Waldman (which I actually picked up as a gift, but yes I will be tacky and read it first)
The Once And Future King by T.H. White, which I always meant to read but never got around to
Spell of the HIghlander & The Immortal Highlander, both by Karen Marie Moning (does anybody else find her name ironic for a romance writer?)
Finding Laura by Kay Hooper
Smart Women by Judy Blume (she writes adult fiction?)
Wild Mountain Thyme by Rosamunde Pilcher
My Nerdy Valentine by Vicki Lewis Thomspson
Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews
Stuck With You by Trish Jensen
and finally
Bare Bones: Conversations on Terror with Stephen King, which I picked up for my DH who loves Stephen King
And I only spent $7. I can get more than that in credit at the used bookstore when I turn them in. Hence the “smug” icon.
So I obviously have wide and random assortment of books here and as I prowled the shelves and boxes, it got me to thinking about what attracts us to a particular book. Because I sure wasn’t picking up each and reading the backs to determine my purchases. First thing I notice: The Title. Some of these I’d heard of (like The Once And Future King). Others caught me with things that interest me (i.e. Highlander…yeah I have a thing for strapping Scots in kilts…sue me). Some I found funny (i.e. My Nerdy Valentine). The next thing to catch me was the author (I loved Judy Blume as a child and Rosamunde Pilcher is one of my faves). After that it’s a toss up. The colors and the cover art come next. I certainly picked up a couple of these books based on a response to bright, colorful covers that’s akin to DH’s “ooooh shiny!” response to electronics, computers, and cars. To each their own, right? Of course AFTER I started picking books up from any of these factors, then came the reading of the blurb on the back. That’s how I narrowed down a list closer to 25 to 11.
So what about y’all? What attracts you to one particular book over another?