Choosing a Paperback Novel

Tips to avoid plunking down your hard earned cash for a book you'll just put down halfway through.

Here are a few tips to help make sure you aren't wasting your money on a best seller you'll just put down halfway through.

If you love to read, buying a new book, be it paperback or hardcover, is always a treat, and in today's tough economy, for most of us, it may have come down to an outright luxury. So here are a few tips to help make sure you aren't wasting your money on a book you'll just put down halfway through.

Don't buy the book just because you like the title. This really goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway- read the summary. The summary used to always be on the back of the book, but in the past few years, it's sometimes harder to find, sometimes even being a page or two INTO the book. Obviously, the summary should tell you in broad terms what the book is about Unless you have money to burn, or are collecting a certain author, don't buy the book just because you like the author. Even our favorite novelists can produce a stinker now and then.

Consider the length of the book, I mean, after all, you're spending your cash, so do you want something to last you the whole week, or are you just looking for a good read, period? If the latter is the case, disregard this advice.

The reviews on the front, back, and inside of the cover, are really your best indicator on the quality of the book. The more, the better. Look for reviews from the following- if they like it, it's probably a good read: Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, NY Times, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Kirkus, Entertainment Weekly. This is just naming a few. Look for reviews by well known national newspapers and magazines.

BEWARE, BEWARE, BEWARE of books with high praise from lots of other authors. This almost always means that the real critics have given the book a thumbs down. The publisher, finding themselves in a fix with a stinker on their hands, gets other authors the represent to help them promote the book. So, be informed, if that's all the book has going for it, in the way of praise, it likely isn't very good. Step7 Most avid readers will have already discovered all of the tips I listed above, but hopefully this advice will be helpful to some.