What makes you pick up a book?

I like a book if it's colourful and has an interesting cover and an interesting blurb. At the moment, I am addicted to a series of books with awesome covers or blurbs!

genre

Oh, wow. Um. A mixture. Usually I just randomly find books, like if I'm in a bookstore or the library and I happen to pick one up, I'll have a quick look and then take it. This is how I find most of my favourite authors - if the book's good then I go through every single book they've ever written in the hopes that they'll be as good as the first one I read. And occasionally someone gives me a book or I hear about a classic, and then hunt it down. So yeah. A mixture.

Usually 'cause I like the genre... but sometimes, 'cause it's plain 'classic'. Eventually though, even when my reason was it's classic, I like it. xD

I mostly read things by classic writers such as Shakespeare, Poe, Dickens, and all the other people you learn about in English class. It takes a lot for me to enjoy a contemporary book.

None of the above! I mean, SOMETIMES because it's a classic or an author I like or because it was recommended to me...but mostly I pick up a book because I'm addicted to books, and anything with a creative title, an eye-catching cover, an interesting summary on the back, and a good first few pages is sure to find its way home with me!

~Blue

i have read books of many genres but mostly before reading a book i like to read the back cover, if the back cover holds some interest for then i read it and if not then the book is back on its original place, full-stop...

i read the first few pages then, decide if it sounds likt it's got a good plot or see the author

If it's a challenged book, it's usually pretty good

When I go to the library I pick up random books and read the first page. If it draws me in then I read what it is about. Then I read it. At the bookstore I try to stick with authors I like. Thankfully I have a friend who had very similar taste to me.

For me It's primarily based on genre, and I think this applies to most people who only read within one genre. I myself am a fantasy reader, thus the first and primary requirement of most books I read is that they be fantasy. Secondly I usually get recommended of books within that genre from fellow readers/friends.

I was torn between the classic option and the author one... Both are true! Usually the books I read are by one of the Bronte sisters, Jane Austen, G.K. Chesterton, or Alexandre Dumas.... Yay for Kindle and free eBooks!

I picked the last one.
But I would read Gone with the Wind because I know that its a classic,
Meg Cabot because her books never fail to intrest me,
a best-seller or recommended from a friend says that the probability of you enjoying the book is likely,
and the cover it the first thing that captures your attention so that is also a contributing factor to deciding what book to read.
What a mouthful.

I grab a book randomly, sometimes, but usually it's my attraction to the cover, title, or size. I like long books that aren't in a series. I get bored with an author after a while. Eventually I pick up on their writing style too much, and little quirks in it I don't like drive me away. And, eventually that characters I just squeezed dry; there's nothing new added to them or they've just been saturated.

PS:I didn't vote.

I liked the cover... :p