I just saw this over at an adventure in reading, and decided this would be a perfect event (hosted at Hibernator's Library) to take part in, especially considering where my current reading interests lie.
What are you looking for when you pick up a non-fiction book?
I am looking for lovely, descriptive, evocative prose.
Do you have a particular topic you are attracted to?
I tend to gravitate toward travelogues and memoirs. They give me a strong sense of connection to individuals (almost like in fiction), whilst keeping me entertained or riveted with real-life events.
When you look at a non-fiction book does the title or cover influence you?
It could be either or both or neither. My most recent purchase of non-fiction books had me choosing one because its title was reminiscent of Paul Scott's Jewel in the Crown. Also, its subtitle read the betrayal of .... ; the second book I chose was because of its title and its lovely Persian looking cover. I must make it clear, though, that I wouldn't have picked up either book just for the looks and title -- I read their blurbs, checked out the writing style and only then bought them!
If so, share a title or cover which you find striking.
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| Struck by the title. |
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| Struck by the title and the cover. |
The titles (particularly the subtitles) are often the hook for me to stop and read the blurb, or the review.
ReplyDeleteYes...when I thought about it later (as in, when I was writing the titles for TTT) I realised the subtitles were the real hook for me (too!).
ReplyDeleteI love travelogues, too. The cover of The Silk Roads makes me want to pick it up and take a closer look.
ReplyDeleteI know, right? It's so very pretty and is what seems to have attracted my husband to it too! He's reading it right now. :D
DeleteThe wording of a subtitle is a really important part of the title which I unfortunately tend to ignore more than I should. There have been times when I read a book based solely on the major title and was shocked when it wasn't about what I thought it was about. Then when I looked at the subtitle, I felt a bit chagrined. :)
ReplyDeleteReading non-fiction is fairly new to me. I have only just begun to realise the importance of the subtitle myself. It seems to be a sort of thesis statement, right? I have come across reviews where people have bought books thinking they were something else entirely. So I try to be as careful as I can so that I don't make that same mistake.
DeleteI love the cover of The Silk Roads, and I keep picking it up in Waterstones but never committed to buying it. Yet!
ReplyDeleteI think it's worth picking up! I haven't read it as yet, but the handful of pages I have read so far gives me a good feeling. I was also quite convinced by the reviews on it.
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