Holding Out For Better

Do you always take the first product on the shelf, or are you like me, and reach for the next, in back of it, which might be less bent or fresher? It's a fact that good grocery stores rotate their products, so the oldest are in front, so many of us are wise to that system.

I wrap my dog, Rascal's vitamins in liver sausage, or she won't eat them. If I happen to let one part of a pill go uncovered, she'll ignore it and hold out for better. Unfortunately, she's getting into the habit of doing that with her dog food as well. After all, liver sausage tastes better than that other stuff in her bowl.

Countless other everyday examples abound, but since I'm a reader, as well as an author, I'd like to focus now on books. Do you ignore ones by unknown authors, and only look for ones written by those you know you like, or do you try other authors out?

Do you stop reading a book at the first sign of an author error, or do you keep reading anyway?

Do you ignore books that have covers that don't grab you?

If those are your habits, you may be missing out. There are plenty of great authors who aren't well known, yet can offer a great reading experience, if you'd only give them a chance.

About those author errors, one or two are no big thing. Unfortunately, the more you know about writing, the more picky you can get. I'm presently reading a book where the author switches point of view in spots where I'd least expect it, yet the story is so good I forgive her. If I stop reading, I won't know what'll happen next, and I really want to know. So, she may be making errors, but on the whole, her book is worth reading.

About covers, I confess to hardly ever investigating a book further, if I don't like the cover. Maybe I should. I could be missing out on something really good inside, instead of holding out for better on the outside.

What about you? Do you always hold out for better?

Find Morgan Mandel's mysteries and romances on
her Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/author/morganmandel

Excerpts from all her books are at:
http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com

Twitter: @MorganMandel