Follow the Reader: Why I Bought These Books

After writing this post on why readers buy books, I thought it would be fun to dissect my latest book purchases to figure out what, exactly, motivated me to shell out my hard-earned cash for each book I bought.

The First Batch

I bought most of these books at the start of my winter break, when I was dizzy with the heady mixture of Winter Break Dreams and a full month of freedom ahead of me.

Here's the breakdown: 

Legend by Marie Lu

Purchased brand new from Barnes & Noble

I was first introduced to this book when I read Ridley Pearson's review in my Sunday paper.

I chose to buy this book because Pearson's stellar review and the general excitement about it on Goodreads intrigued me--Could it really be that good? If it was, I wanted to get in on the action. If not, there was a growing body of reviews against which I could compare my own take on the book. This story sounded so good--dystopian, with a badass female MC. An urban setting. I was really excited to read this one.

Incarceron by Catharine Fisher

Purchased brand new from Barnes & Noble

I was first introduced to this book when I plucked it off the shelf in the bookstore.

I chose to buy this book because I liked what I read on the back, it has a killer cover, and it's a series. I love finding a new series to love.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Purchased brand new from Barnes & Noble

I was first introduced to this book on Goodreads, and was reminded I wanted to read it when I saw it on the shelf at the bookstore.

I chose to buy this book because I loved the first few pages that I read in the store. It seemed like the kind of world I'd want to dive into for a while, which is exactly what I was looking for for my winter break reads. Also, it's part of a series, and Clare is prolific, so if I enjoyed it as much as I thought I would, it opened up a whole new world of books to enjoy.

Matched by Ally Condie

Purchased brand new from Barnes & Noble

I was first introduced to this book on Goodreads. 

I chose to buy this book because after I found Ally Condie on Twitter and learned that she's a former high school English teacher, just like me. That made me think she must love books, and so I followed her tweets and saw that she interacts with her readers on Twitter. The story reminded me of The Giver, which is one of my all-time favorites, so I had to give it a try.

Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves

Purchased brand new from Barnes & Noble

I was first introduced to this book on a blog, though I have no idea which one. The blogger received an arc of this book, and I fell in love with the cover. 

I chose to buy this book because of the cover. I'm not going to lie. It's beautiful and haunting at the same time. It turns out that the book is, too, so in this case it was actually a perfectly good reason to buy this book.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Purchased brand new from Barnes & Noble

I was first introduced to this book by a friend's 15-year-old daughter.

I chose to buy this book because because my friend's daughter really liked it, and then I found Beth Revis on Twitter and learned that she has an awesome blog, and she is clearly a reader. I love reading books written by readers.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Purchased brand new from Barnes & Noble

I was first introduced to this book when I saw it in the bookstore.

I chose to buy this book because because I love John Green, even though I haven't read any of his books. Yet. I own three of them. True story. I bought this title first because the back cover made me laugh out loud in the bookstore, which doesn't happen often. I first found John Green on YouTube when searching for NaNoWriMo videos, and well, that was the end of it. Once I realized that practically every reader I know loves his work, I knew I was going to buy anything and everything that man wrote.

The Gateway by Obert Skye

Purchased brand new from Barnes & Noble

I was first introduced to this book when I pulled it from the shelf in the bookstore.

I chose to buy this book because I liked what I read on the back cover, and the Leven Thumps character sounded familiar, so I was pretty sure some child in my life is a big fan. The back of the book promises a secret gateway to a whole new world, which reminded me of the Narnia books, which I love, love, love.

Terrier (Beka Cooper) by Tamora Pierce

Purchased brand new from Barnes & Noble

I was first introduced to this book when a poster enthusiastically recommended the series on an Internet forum I frequent.

I chose to buy this book because, based on the back cover alone, Beka Cooper sounds like a badass, and I love badassery.

Jumping off Swings by Jo Knowles

Purchased brand new from Barnes & Noble

I was first introduced to this book when . . . I can't remember. I feel like there's been a lot of buzz around this book, so I was aware of it for a while.

I chose to buy this book because I had a feeling it was going to be a perfect book to recommend for reluctant teen readers. And it is. I've since recommended it to so many people. Extra bonus: Jo Knowles is a great tweeter, so I followed her and she followed me back on Twitter! How cool is that?

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Purchased brand new from Barnes & Noble

I was first introduced to this book after I saw John Green's NaNoWriMo video and then searched the Internet for more information about his work.

I chose to buy this book because well, you've already read some of the story under the Will Grayson, Will Grayson entry. I also loved this book as soon as I learned that Alaska is a character. Great title.

May Bird and the Ever After by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Purchased brand new from Barnes & Noble

I was first introduced to this book when I pulled it from the shelf in the bookstore.

I chose to buy this book because of this line on the back cover: "Most people aren't very comfortable in the woods, but the woods of Briery Swamp fit May Bird like a fuzzy mitten." Love that line.

The Second Batch

 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Purchased brand new from Sam's Club (Maybe--I could have purchased this at a local bookstore, but I can't remember.)

I was first introduced to this book on the NaNoWriMo site, when I learned Morgenstern wrote the first draft for NaNo.

I chose to buy this book because it sounds amazing. Have you read the blurbs about this book? I'm also a sucker for a NaNo success story.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Purchased brand new from Costco

I was first introduced to this book when I saw it on the shelf in a Barnes & Noble.

I chose to buy this book because it's beautiful, and after thumbing through the pages just once in B&N, the photos haunted me. It really delivered, too. What a great book. I typically hate hardcovers, and I'll wait for the paperback, but sometimes I'll buy a hardcover because I simply lack patience.

Rick Steve's Spain 2010 by Rick Steves

Purchased used from a local used bookstore.

I was first introduced to this book . . . I've been reading Rick Steves for years. He's my favorite guide for first-time visits to new countries.

I chose to buy this book because I always buy his books to help plan a trip, and my library didn't have a copy. This is a good example of author loyalty, that's for sure.

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Purchased brand new from Barnes & Noble

I was first introduced to this book after reading the first book in the series.

I chose to buy this book because I loved City of Bones. 

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Purchased brand new from Barnes & Noble

I was first introduced to this book when I read about Melissa Marr on a website, somewhere, some year I can't remember. Sketchy, I know. But it was a while ago.

I chose to buy this book because of this line on the back: "Faery intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr's stunning twenty-first century faery tale." I love fairy tales, so that was that. Melissa Marr also makes great contributions to the reading world beyond writing her books. She has interesting interviews, shares interesting insights, and is just someone I want to read.

Paper Towns by John Green

Purchased brand new from Barnes & Noble

I was first introduced to this book when I read about it in someone's Goodreads review of The Fault in Our Stars. The reviewer gave Fault four stars because Paper Towns is her favorite.

I chose to buy this book because, well, you already know the ridiculousness behind my desire to own every book John Green writes. (I will read them, by the way. I just haven't gotten around to it yet.) I really want my Badass Book Club to read this book. I'd want them to read The Fault in Our Stars, but we have an unwritten rule against books that are about cancer, so it's out. Also, one of the booksellers I chat with at B&N told me that she loves this book so much she plans on naming her future daughter Margo Roth. That's impressive.

Fearless by Francine Pascal

Purchased brand new from Barnes & Noble

I was first introduced to this book when Francine Pascal's name jumped out at me from the the book shelf. 

I chose to buy this book because I might have been obsessed with one of Francine Pascal's series as a child, so when I saw that she's still writing I had to have this book. I didn't even read the back cover before I decided to purchase it. (Did you know that there was a Sweet Valley Twins board game? Oh, there was. And guess who had one? That's right, this girl. Be jealous.) I was actually in the bookstore to buy a California travel book, and before entering I told myself I wasn't even going to look at any other books. You can see how well that worked out. I bought three books on that trip.

California 2012 by Fodor's

Purchased brand new from Barnes & Noble

I was first introduced to this book years ago. I love the Fodor's travel guides, and their forums are the best travel forums around, if you ask me.

I chose to buy this book because I'm going to wine country with some girlfriends in March, and I know absolutely nothing about it, and as I said, I love the Fodor's guides. I didn't even have to skim through it to decide whether to buy it--it has that Fodor's logo on it, so it was as good as sold. My little sister will be in California for three more years, so I went for the big California book, instead of the smaller wine country book, because I plan to make a lot of trips there.

So, there you have it. By my count, only four of these purchases were pre-meditated (Legend, Spain, California, and City of Ashes.) I chose to buy the other 16 books for a variety of reasons--they were purdy, witty, intriguing, or just plain unputdownable.Or written by people on which I have irrational writerly crushes.

One interesting point: I was not motivated to buy any of these books because they were on sale. There has been a lot of talk of late about the value of books, and what readers are willing to pay for a book. For me, personally, I'm willing to pay anywhere between $10 and $25 for a book as long as I want to read it for some reason. I've always been willing to pay retail price for books, even way back when, when I was a poor college student. As I see it, it's about priorities. If people value books, they'll pay for them.

We live in a world where people regularly spend upwards of $4 for a cup of coffee, and yet we're having discussions about whether $10 is too much to ask for an e-book?

And I'm not alone. When I ask my students to find an independent reading novel, they have a lot of options for sourcing their books. They can take their books out of the library for free, or borrow them from my own library, or buy them from one of the many used bookstores in the Chicago area. But you know what most of them choose to do? They buy brand new books. They don't wait until they find a coupon, or the store runs a sale, they pay full retail price for them.

What about you? What's the last book you bought, and why? Did you pay full price? I'd love to hear about your experiences.