I normally look at books in selective genres and the covers or the titles draw me in first. After picking it up, I will read the summary and if that's good, I'll read the first chapter. The first few chapters are usually enough to spark some interest.

I go to my favorite section and just start reading the summary on the back. Then pick which sounds the best to me!

The cover and the summary; usually the cover or title name though.

I usually make a judgement by seeing the cover and read a description see if it's good and then read it and see if I like it.

it feels a little shallow of me, but I usually only pick up books that have interesting titles and cool covers. After that, I read the summaries and / or the inside covers to decide if I want to read them. For the most part, though, if someone tells me to read a book I'll do it. I sound picky but I'm actually not when it comes to others' preferred novels. Trust and all that.

I usually read the summary, maybe check out the first page or two. Covers get my attention, but they don't decide if I read the book. And I do kinda stick to certain story elements...fairy tale re-imagining? Good chance I'll read it.

I use pretty much the same method as everybody else here. Genre and author or cover and title, followed by blurb.

If I'm in a yardsale or something where things are all jumbled together with no way to tell one genre from the other, I start by the cover and title. If it looks like a biography or some kind of "bestseller self-help book" (ya know, with a weird picture and a long title in a large font of two or three colors that takes up half the cover), I keep walking. Most of the things I like to read have a painted picture on the front, so I look for those. Anything that catches my eye, I'll read the summary. If all it sounds good, it comes home with me.

Any author I've previous read and enjoyed can bypass the cover check 'cause I already know what genre they're likely to stick to.

I will look at a book because of its cover, but it's the summery that gets me to open the pages.

I must admit, I am very much drawn to a book by its art. However, I find I put a lot of books back on the shelf if the art work does not hold up to the summary of the actual book.

A title is also a good draw for me. If it has a unique title chances are I'll pick it up to see what its about.