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Where Did You Hear About the Book You’re Reading?

May 23, 2012 by Nathan Bransford 112 Comments

The way we discover books is ever-changing. It sure seems like we’re far more likely to discover books through a tweet, Goodreads recommendation, Facebook post, or online search than we are through methods that existed before the Internet.

Where did you hear about the book you’re reading?

I’m reading A Wrinkle in Time at the moment, which I could have sworn I read growing up, but now realize I picked up and put down a million times when I was a kid. So, uh, I heard about it when I was a kid.

What about you?

Art: Conversation – Camille Pissarro

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: How to Promote a Book

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. E.B. Black says

    May 25, 2012 at 11:36 pm

    I hear about most of them by word of mouth.

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    May 26, 2012 at 2:54 am

    A book on Greek and Roman gods…I wanted one for WIP research and sorta walked to it in the used book store.

    Nation by Terry Pratchett–same sorta thing as above.

    Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa–recommended in a couple of writing books I was reading at the same time, then, um…same as above.

    Funny how we find things.

    Reply
  3. D_Blackwell says

    May 26, 2012 at 4:51 am

    Running my finger along the shelves at the library. The title and spine design is the most important part of the book. If you can't get my finger to stop on your title . . . .

    I've Got Your Number
    Kinsella, Sophie

    Actually, I don't care for the cover itself, but something on the spine got me to pull it out.

    I reckon it is best described as chick lit. I don't go looking for the category, but do read quite a bit of it. (Lot of good Brit chick lit out there in particular.)

    Reply
  4. deliberateobfuscation says

    May 26, 2012 at 12:40 pm

    Reading Candice Millard's Destiny of the Republic about James Garfield. I heard her talk a couple weeks ago, and she can just tell a story wonderfully. I am reflecting on her writing style while working on writing my own book. She is a good guide!

    Reply
  5. daphneshadows says

    May 26, 2012 at 9:41 pm

    That's hilarious! I did the same thing with "A Wrinkle in Time" when I was a kid! I would read a bit of it and then stop for one reason or another. But I kept randomly picking it up again. I can't remember what it's about though. The book I just finished was "Fair Game" by Patricia Briggs. It was the third book in the series. I originally found it while stalking the shelves at Barnes and Noble. It's my favorite series at the moment.

    Reply
  6. Ann Elise Monte says

    May 27, 2012 at 12:16 pm

    I just finished reading "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green. I heard about it on the internet, primarily through Tumblr and Twitter since I follow a lot of YA readers and writers.

    Reply
  7. steventhowell says

    May 27, 2012 at 4:11 pm

    I found Mary Doria Russell's THE SPARROW in a search for fiction by anthropologists. The fact that it turned out to be an excellent piece of science fiction was a bonus.

    Reply
  8. Kate Traylor says

    May 30, 2012 at 4:40 pm

    I'm reading five books, actually. Sacred Games I started five years ago, when I was working at Borders, but only got about thirty pages in before I had to put it down. It's fantastic. The Idylls of the King I heard about in some literature class– high school, I think, since it's got contact paper on it. War for the Oaks I'm reading for a book club, but a friend told me about it years ago. Twilight, of course, everyone's heard of, and I'm reading it out of a sense of professional obligation more than anything (I'm writing a YA novel). I still remember seeing it at B&N before it got famous, though– the first of the dramatic black-and-color-pop YA fantasy covers. I was really struck by it, and would have picked it up at the time except that i was broke.

    The last book, Everything You Need to Know About Latino History, I picked up while browsing at the bookstore, and it's actually not very good. Usually I check reviews online now before I buy books, because it's so easy to market a mediocre book in a way that makes it look fantastic. Goodreads is my usual source for helpful reviews.

    Reply
  9. Katie OShea says

    May 31, 2012 at 4:29 am

    Twitter, blog posts, and goodreads are where I get the majority of my book recommendations! 🙂

    Reply
  10. Judith Briles says

    May 31, 2012 at 4:59 pm

    I've been finding great books at Goodreads,Kindle and local book shops on sale for printed books.

    Reply
  11. Jessica Peter says

    May 31, 2012 at 7:36 pm

    I'm reading One Thousand Lives, a non-fiction (of the very engaging variety) about the Jonestown massacre. I was at the library picking up some other books that I had ordered, and just saw it on the shelf looking good.

    Reply
  12. Erika says

    June 1, 2012 at 9:58 pm

    I'm reading How the Way We Talk Can Change the Way We Work, recommended by a colleague. I guess most of my reading comes through recommendations. And I'm pretty loyal to authors I enjoy if they keep publishing. I still remember the mixed sense of accomplishment and sadness the day I finished the Louisa May Alcott section at my local library as a girl.

    A Wrinkle in Time was one of my absolute favorites growing up. I recently started reading it with a student I tutor and fell in love with it all over again.

    Reply
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