My New Reading Habit - Genre First, Blurb Later

So many times I will look at a book and think... "eh, It doesn't sound great so it's not worth my time" or "The blurb doesn't grab my attention... so not even going to bother."  or worse yet... "The cover art is terrible.  Not worth it."  and just forget all about it.  Terrible right?  BUT what I often times forget is the amount of time and creative thinking it took to start and finish that very book.  The writing process is so much more in-depth than many of us non-authors can even begin to understand.

I've adopted a new reading habit - just pick a book at random based on the genre.  Not the blurb, not the cover art, not the author's name, not the popularity... just the genre.  Some of my favorite books have come out of this new way of thinking.  I've also found that I don't judge books as harshly.  It makes me unsure of what's going to happen, who/what will be in the book, etc.  I really like it!

But, Hily...how do you chose your next book?

When selecting a book, I simply think about what type of genre I'm in the mood for.  Next I go to that section of my Kindle (I have all my ebooks broken down by genre) and select one.  The only thing I allow myself to read before starting the book is the title.  I not only satisfy my want for that genre, but I find books that I never thought I would truly enjoy.  After I finish reading it, I go back and read the blurb and about the author.  It's so amazing how the blurb can vary so much from how the book actually felt to you.  There have been tons of books I would have passed up if I would have read the blurb first.

So... how do I actually purchase books you ask?  I simply select ones from genres I am running "low" on or genres that I like the most.  I also wait for them to be free or discounted down to less than $3.00.  Check out FreeBookDude and Pixel-Of-Ink for daily freebies and discounted gems.  Both of these sites screen their free/discounted ebooks for the best of the best.  So you can (almost) guarantee to find something you will enjoy - and for free!  

Now, I know this won't work for everyone.. but give it a try and see what happens.  Then let me know!  I'd love to hear your thoughts.  How do you select your next book to read?  Happy Reading!