When buying a book

I almost always purchase my literature. I prefer to write in my books: circle key words, underline key points, highlight key quotations, and so on. It helps me to really connect with the story and delve deeper into its themes.

I will not, however, write in a hardcover book--only paperback. I decided that I should probably just buy two copies of every novel or play that I REALLY like: one hardcover, and one paperback. This way, I can annotate the paperback copy and use it as reference for when I reread the hardcover edition later on. I'm itching to get my hands on a hardcover copy of Crime And Punishment.

As far as "regular" books go (outside of literature), I base my decision to buy on the subject matter, online reviews (like Amazon), and personal recommendations from friends.

Jam it back in, in the dark.