Bookstore visits and choosing books

Today was the first time I bought books again ever since Easter. I didn’t get to post about it here, but I fasted from book stores and buying books all through out Lent. That was the longest time I didn’t get in a bookstore, and believe me, when Easter Sunday came, I couldn’t wait to go in Fully Booked in Bonifacio High Street.

However, I was surprised when I went out of Fully Booked without a single book. Maybe it was because I didn’t have any money yet (payday isn’t until next week!), or maybe it’s just because…there’s nothing to buy. Or nothing to buy immediately. I visited Fully Booked in Eastwood last week too, but there wasn’t anything too interesting, either.

Today, I visited Powerbooks in Megamall again and finally went out with some purchases. It’s not that I should buy something really, but it’s just weird that I didn’t have anything in mind even after not visiting and browsing books for the longest time, you know? Anyway, I found a lot of new books I wanted in Powerbooks, and came out with two purchases, all within my book allowance for the month.

Now here’s my question: how do you choose which books to get for yourself? I saw a lot of books I liked and were curous about, but I wasn’t sure if they were good, so I didn’t get any of them until I get some reviews. Right now I’m relying only on reviews and such, but sometimes some of the books aren’t reviewed. I’m kind of wary about impulse buys now, so I try to avoid getting books on impulse.

So how do you choose which books to get? Do you rely on reviews, too? Do you just check the blurbs at the back? Friend recommendations? Random leaps of faith?