Usualy it's the cover and back page telling about the book. Dpending on what's going on in the picture, if it's horor, anime, funny stories, or mythical adventures, I'll read it.

Things that have always happy ending aren't as interesting because you can predict what basily happens easily, read it and the outcome and guess would be exact. I like the first copy of things before they're edited for children or something the other.

Usually the books I read are either old, or brand new and popular. The ones well known are usually the first to be cheked out briefly to see what kind of book it is.

Everything. i first pick up a book by it's cover. If I like it enough I turn to the back. If I manage to read the whole summary and like it, I proceed onto reading it. I continue reading it until I get bored or it or hate the scene. Then I put it down. So you have to catch my attention all the way or else I put it down in an instant.

I usually read books from a library.
I always stay at a library for half an hour or more ><

To make me read a book, it will depend on if I find the blurb interesting and if it contains the genre i'm looking for.

i used to totally judge by covers just when it came to picking up the book but actually buying it i would read the back- look over the reviews on the inside cover or on the back- not to read the reviews but see if other authors i like were the ones to say it.
The library in my household has always been mine so i control everything here lol I buy books 98% of the time the other 2% would be borrowing from a friend (i'm not allowed to borrow books from libraries b/c i rack up major debt when i forget to return and just sort of keep them for awhile lol)
Normally though i stick to certain areas and just have to thumb through for seeing what to read- i am a member of several book sites and through them and my friends i do get alot of recommendations. Sometimes i look at the articles which list 25 greatest books for "..." just to get ideas- or best seller lists. the only thing i don't look at is the Oprah list lol i have my reasons ;P

How much the back synopsis can catch my attention. I like ones that DON'T tell the whole story, but leave you thinking, "Huh, that sounds cool, I wonder how that works out?"

In my case when I read a book it has to have a cover that says something to me. So, I suppose you can say that I judge books by their covers...BUT if the book isn't very well written I leave it alone...like its a plague.

The book Starfish for example. It had amazing concepts and beautiful imagery but the writing style isn't even something that I'd emulate willingly. So I left it alone...I still don't know what happens to whats'er face...

My favorite trips, when I can get out of the house, is a trip to the local bookstores. I can spend loads of both time and cash in there and have to be sadly dragged out like a child that didn't get a desired toy.
I'll buy a bunch of books, order a latte and sit at the cafe and read what I bought.
I'm building a hefty library of my own with a variety of books both new and very old. So it's a never ending, fun process.
I never pay attention to the cover of a book. My favorites are childrens books, even though I'm beyond the child/teen stage.
Authors don't impress me either. I find all too often that far too many authors after a while loose their ability to write and are just writing because of their past works.
Books to movies? I have to be honest, I enjoyed watching Lord of the Rings Trilogy and the Harry Potter series more than I did reading them.
I tend to stay away from the public library because I'm trying to focus my attentions on building my own library.
I guess after reading the back of the book I decide then.
Pretty lame but, most times I'm not disappointed when relying on that.

Two words: Edward. Cullen.
Well, that's my answer, but time for a more reasonable answer.
I do judge a book by its cover.
I don't know why, but I guess subconsciously I feel that if it doesn't look good, it doesn't deserve to be read.
And I still think it fits.
If it was a good book, why would the publisher let it be released with crappy cover art?

The title and the summary do it for me. I look for a title that sounds interesting and if I do find one I then move on to the summery. If they're both interesting enough then I buy the book.

Well, first off, for me me to even be remotely interested in a book, it is mostly the title.
If the title stands out or intrigues me, I look at the back and read the summary--which tells me whether the plot is unique or interesting. After reading the summary, I read the first page.
By then, if it has or has not captured my attention, I keep it or put it away.

I used to buy several books as often as I could, but now I've gotten a bit stingy with purchasing. I only buy them if I absolutely can't leave without it.

My family library does not contain a lot of pleasure reading books. Mostly subject books about art and history and various other things.

So, yeah, I've gotten a lot pickier with choosing books that I want to read.

I'm a cover art person. With as much as I read I'm normally looking for specific authors and then cover art. You've got a few seconds to draw my interest.

I'll grab anything with art by Jodi E. Lee or Thomas Canty.
Then I'll look for attention to style.
I like the covers on Neil Gaiman's books.

I'm also tactile, I'll look for books that don't look plasticish.
I like books that have textured covers and pages that aren't uniformly cut.

I simply pick up a book, read the information about it, read inside if I like the style it's written in I read it. Simple.
I've read most books in my hometown library sadly I'm a bookworm so I'm just drawn to books in general.
Sad but true.

I judge a book by its opening paragraph.

The opening paragraph of any book is like the writer's handshake. It's the hook. It needs to be well-written, have a good style about it, and incite the reader's interest.
If a person can't produce a good opening, they're a bad writer, and I wouldn't chose to suffer through the rest of their story.

The cover, title, name of author and even reviews are all completely irrelevant to me; if the opening paragraph is enticing, it's a good omen for the rest of the book.

I usually just get a good feeling

don't know...really sometimes the bandwagon of books i.e Twilight, Harry Potter. Other times just depends on what it is about. I do judge books by the cover too xD

Alot of things convince me to read a book. What people have said of it and alot of the time, just the cover if the art is really interesting.

Although I'm a bookworm and love to read classics... I also do judge a book by its cover. I usually find it very hard to pick up just any book and start reading it. Usually the best books I read are recommended by others. My favorites such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Pride and Prejudice, etc.

ryuu: Same, it helps me decide whether its interesting for me. Most of what I would want to say is already posted :3