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Atmosphere. I absolutely can't turn down a book that is rich in atmosphere. Whether it's the setting whisking me away to Paris or transporting me back into another period I will never bore of an atmosphere that comes alive on the page even if I know the story like the back of my hand. Water For Elephants, Night Circus and the Tea Rose are all books whose atmosphere had me intrigued and certainly delivered within their pages.
Most loved authors. When JK Rowling wrote her crime novels under the name of Robert Galbraith it was a no-brainer for me to buy them. I've always loved exploring an author's back catalogue and it's even better when they cross genres and write something entirely unexpected. You can see some of my favourite authors here in my 'Authors to Note' series.
Re-readability. I could probably survive with only a handful of books on my shelf forever if they were the ones I truly loved the most. It's hard to know whether a book will make you want to read and re-read again and again before buying but there are plenty of books I had already read before purchasing a copy myself. Catch-22 and To Kill A Mockingbird are two titles I had read before I bought myself a copy.
Being universally loved. I have pretty mainstream taste in books, which is not something I think is a bad thing. Harry Potter, The Book Thief and Bridget Jones' Diary are all books that people just love to love. I also love having books on hand that other people want to read too!
What do you consider before purchasing a book?
We're quite mobile too and so have started to read books on my desktop kindle. It really lacks the book experience but I also really love not having to lug books around, or re-gift them when I decide I'm going to part with them. So, these days I only have to consider if I'm curious enough to want to read a given book!
ReplyDeleteKindle's are great but they just aren't the same are they! I just wish books weren't so heavy but it is quite nice to not have as many to relocate :)
DeleteAtmosphere for sure. I love rich detail. Whenever I read a book, it's quite vivid in my imagination. When I was a kid (and even now), I'd accidentally say "I watched that book" because it was movie like in my head. And I read incredibly quickly too, so it was almost as if I was watching a movie.
ReplyDeleteDori | dorigamii
That's so funny, I always think I've seen the movie (even if the book hasn't been made into one) because it's so vivid in my mind too!
ReplyDeleteMy approach to book buying has definitely changed. What I do now is read the book on my Kindle, and if it's a good book, like say "All the Light We Cannot See" or "Station Eleven" then I know I have to own them. They are a part of my soul in a way (not the Horcrux way), and I want to see them on my shelves so that I can loan them to people and share in that experience. Kindle's are great for convenience, but when I enter my library - I want to be surrounded by memories of my experiences.
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