Question about reading

RGame · Nov 12, 2008

This might seem like kind of a stupid question, but I've read before about people at bookstores who pick one page of a book to read to see if it's something they want to buy. It's usually the same page number, too. If there's anyone here who does that, which particular page do you read?

Was that as stupid a question as it sounded? It's actually got something to do with a writing idea I have.

melaniehoo · Nov 12, 2008

I've heard of reading page 123, but personally I base my purchases off word of mouth and/or back cover copy. Sometimes I'll glance at the first page, but not often.

Phaeal · Nov 12, 2008

I read the first page. Pretty mundane approach, I know.

scarletpeaches · Nov 12, 2008

Cover grabs me, read the blurb, flick through, decide. As quick as that.

That's how I decided to buy Haruki Murakami's After Dark this afternoon. That, and the fact Borders had sold out of The Audacity of Hope.

auntybug · Nov 12, 2008

There was a thread a while ago about this. I remember the opinion on page numbers for that being different. It is beyond my powers to dig that up. We'd have to ask the battery for that one.

HeronW · Nov 12, 2008

I'll pick a random page(s) 1/3 through

bramble · Nov 12, 2008

I look at cover art, the back cover, and then open the book randomly. If I don't like the author's voice, presentation, or vocabulary, the book goes back on the shelf. I definately don't look at the first or last page. If the paragraph makes me laugh, I'll buy the book without fail.

Feidb · Nov 12, 2008

I used to just read the first page, but got burned a couple of times when the first page was in third person, then later on it turned to first person, and I don't like first person. So, I read a bit of the first page, then skip a few chapters, read a little more, then skip further and read some more.

Having mild OCD hasn't got me to the point to pick specific pages... yet.

Lady Cat · Nov 12, 2008

I'll check out the blurb on the back cover and then I'll read the first page to make sure I don't already have it. I've been burned a few times by publishers who re-release books with new cover art.

Danthia · Nov 12, 2008

My book buying goes like this:

Cover art or title grabs my attention. I pick up book and read cover flap. If that sounds interesting, I read the first page or two. If the book doesn't hook me, I put it back. If I want to keep reading, I buy it.

KTC · Nov 12, 2008

RGame said:
This might seem like kind of a stupid question, but I've read before about people at bookstores who pick one page of a book to read to see if it's something they want to buy. It's usually the same page number, too. If there's anyone here who does that, which particular page do you read?

Was that as stupid a question as it sounded? It's actually got something to do with a writing idea I have.

For me, it's the PAGE 40 TEST. If page 40 grabs me, I trust the book to grab me. To test my theory, I have read books with what I thought was a crappy page 40. So far, it works tremendously well.

I don't do this exclusively, though. Sometimes you just have to read a book. I go in for great covers too.

johnzakour · Nov 12, 2008

For me it's page 800. If the book has a page 800 I put it back as I will never read the entire thing.

Seriously cool covers and title and a nice blurb is what I go with. I am very shallow.

RGame · Nov 12, 2008

I've decided not to go with a page at all. From now on I'm going to read the 14th line of every page.

Actually I'm going to use page 127 for a humor article I'm going to write for a book review site. It's got a good ring to it. The concept is that I'll be reviewing page 127 of a book, without having read any other part of the book.

maestrowork · Nov 12, 2008

First page, then a random page somewhere in the middle, maybe a few more.

Nakhlasmoke · Nov 12, 2008

Yeah add me to the shallow bunch.. A good cover, a grabby title, the first few lines, and I'm easy.

HarrisLiteraryscamsu · Nov 13, 2008

If it has to do with your creative process it’s not a stupid question.
Obviously, the eye first goes to the cover art, then to the title, then to the rear cover for the blurb. If the interest has been grabbed, it just seems human nature to randomly open the book in chunks to see if anything else grabs, not to deliberately go to page, say, 374. Who wants those kind of people to read your work, anyway? Best wishes with your idea.

thethinker42 · Nov 13, 2008

RGame said:
This might seem like kind of a stupid question, but I've read before about people at bookstores who pick one page of a book to read to see if it's something they want to buy. It's usually the same page number, too. If there's anyone here who does that, which particular page do you read?

I always read page 42. I was going to pick a specific number to use every time, and figured that it might as well be the meaning of life.

thethinker42 · Nov 13, 2008

HarrisLiteraryscamsu said:
Who wants those kind of people to read your work, anyway? Best wishes with your idea.

Why not? I don't really understand where you're coming from on this one. What do you mean by "that" kind of people?

I always go to page 42. Part of it is just because I'm a little OCD, so using the same page number everytime appeases some of my little neuroses. But part of it is that I've found that I tend to stop reading books somewhere between pages 40-50. By that point, I've either tired of the author's writing style, lost interest in the characters, or for whatever other reason, don't care enough to keep reading. So, if page 42 is interesting and makes me want to continue on, that's definitely a plus.

scarletpeaches · Nov 13, 2008

thethinker42 said:
I always read page 42. I was going to pick a specific number to use every time, and figured that it might as well be the meaning of life.

How many roads must a man walk down?

thethinker42 · Nov 13, 2008

scarletpeaches said:
How many roads must a man walk down?

If that man is Shannon Leto, he needs only walk down as many roads as it will take for him to get from my house to the grocery store and back with another bottle of chocolate sauce.

RJK · Nov 13, 2008

Lately I've been reading the first few pages on the Amazon or B&N site before I buy. Usually, it's an author search that got me to the book in the first place.

tehuti88 · Nov 13, 2008

I'll look at the blurb or summary of what the story's about, table of contents if there is one, maybe the first page or so, but usually I'll just flip randomly to some section toward the middle and see what the writing looks like. I really didn't know that people pick particular pages to look at! Which is weird, since that sounds like something I would do, except that I don't.

At Amazon, I always check out the table of contents, sometimes the back cover, and sometimes a few sample pages. But it's the table of contents that always draws my eye first (I should say I read primarily nonfiction, but if fiction has chapter titles I'll look at those).

I'm kind of forgiving with checking out new books, if the cover interests me. I don't look at just the first page. I'll browse the middle a bit to be sure.

I realize that isn't helpful, since most pages are in the middle.

Cybernaught · Nov 13, 2008

The back cover blurb and the first sentence. If I'm not hooked by the first sentence I won't buy it. It seems kind of snobby, I know, but by the first sentence I usually already know what I'm in for in terms of the author's voice.

Liosse de Velishaf · Nov 13, 2008

I guess I'm a little easier than the rest of you (or harder, depending on how you want to look at it). I stop at the back cover blurb. As a reader, I'm more interested in the story if this is the first time I've read a particular author. Now, if I finish that book, and amn't impressed with the writing, then I'll probably drop the author down near the bottom of my list of future reads. It's not that I look down on those authors so much as that I want to get the most out of the finite number of books I'll have read before I die.

selkn.asrai · Nov 13, 2008

maestrowork said:
First page, then a random page somewhere in the middle, maybe a few more.

I'm with maestro: first followed by random page. Along with a great cover, an intriguing title, and/or the synopsis. Synopsis plays a pretty big role. I don't read the blurbs til I've already formed my own opinion of the book.

But as I tell all the people who ask my opinion of random books while I'm at work, I'm a bona fide literary snot, and they probably won't like what I'll say. It takes a lot for me to like a book enough to read to its conclusion. In fiction, anyway.

Question about reading

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Whatever I did, I didn't do it.

teh other evil broad

Down Under Fan

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yes

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Rawr.