How do you pick a book

There are loads of books out there and whether you read the paper kind or have an e-reader I often wonder how people go about picking a book to read..  I myself come to this dilemma quite often....I am an avid reader and not only belong to Amazon where I load up my Kindle but also belong to Goodreads where I am part of a Book Challenge for this year and friend people who have the same likes in books.


 

So now to get back to picking out a book.  Years ago I relied on the NY Times book section and what the #1 book was.  Yes, I read all the bestsellers....the Pattersons, the Kellermans, Sandra Brown, Collins, .... they were #1 and I read it.

Now i research books that are recommended on Goodreads and even the authors who are on Goodreads and have been put in touch with so many authors that I would have never known existed.....like Kristen Hannah, Bette Lee Crosby, Gillian Flynn, Barbara Freethy, to name a few.

In fact there are hundreds of books in my "to-read" folder.....and many more to go.  I now read not only mysteries but also young adult, and romances...not a fan of science fiction but have read the Hunger Games trilogy.....among others.

So how do you pick a book to read?