How do you choose a book?

I called the book store from which I have ordered Tatiana And Alexander about a week ago, and guess what? They're sorry they haven't called me yet, because they found out they didn't have the book any longer.

WHAT?!

I hate Murphy law! What am I supposed to do now? Well, apparently, I still have three other options;
* To look for the book in another book store.
* To order the book from another book store, in case they didn't have it.
* To wait for this summer, when I might get a chance to visit London again, who knows? I might find it in one of London's book stores, right?



And for this posts' topic, how do you choose a book?
Throughout my-not-so-long career as a book lover I have tried many ways for choosing a book, ones I have found to be very much efficient, others less effective.

1. When I have just discovered that reading books appeals a lot to me I started looking for some book reviews in some Internet pages (I still do that, frankly) Actually I bought my 1st book after I came across a review at a web page. By looking for some book reviews, you can expose yourself to an overwhelming amount of books.

2. I used to get some books from relatives and friends, I cannot say that it's my favorite way to choose a book to read, I mean, no one is better than yourself to pick a book for you to read. It's a nice gesture, I do not complain but in my opinion a book is something that is going to leave an impact on you, something that is going to accompany you in your spare time, and I have had some bad experiences with books I got as a gift.
Books I have chosen this way:
My Sisters' Keeper - Jodi Picoult
The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
Prep - Curtis Sittenfeld
The Island - Victoria Hislop

3. A way I use a lot to select a book, is to look for some new movies. When I hear about a movie that is based on a bestseller book I like to check the book first. It has became an obsession of my own, because I like to brake the myth that people usually prefer watching a movie instead of reading the book that the movie is based on.
Books I have chosen this way:
The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
Girl With A Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier
Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates

4. Reading tasks. When I was still a high school student (Wow, I write it as if some decades have passed since my senior year! Which was in 2009!!!) teachers have used to decide which book students must read for a reading assignment. From my experience, this way does not work, I never finished a book I was obligated to read. I guess it's derived from the fact that I hate being told what to do.
Books I have "chosen" this way:
The Turn Of The Screw - Henry James
Pride And Prejudice - Jane Austen

5. A way that has never let me down, is to go to a book store/library and simply, to pick whatever I like, it's my personal favorite way because this is how I got to read The Bronze Horseman, which is a book I will never be able to get over its' characters and plot, it's a book I will never quit re-reading at night.
Books I have chosen this way:
The Bronze Horseman - Paullina Simons
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
Message In A Bottle - Nicholas Sparks
The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks

Now, it's your turn, how do you choose a book?
Have a great day,
Love,
Khulood