How to choose books!!

I regularly buy books of all types - Technical (computers), Autobiographies, Fiction, Fantasy, Science. I spend something like up-to 3 hours browsing the book-racks in Shops, Libraries, Peoples collections, Amazon (esp. the book reviews) in order to find refreshing and enlightening books.

Take a chance once in a while.
Make use of amazon.com reading lists by the users.
References to other books from a good book.

General:
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Foreword - Intention of the author ie what particular axe he wants to grind.
Author tries to keep the audience with him by summarizing what he just said.
Giving same info in more than one way with examples for different types of people.
Blurb at the back of the book.
Whether the author shows Awareness of opinions/theories not agreeing with what he's saying. Does he attempt to reconcile differences or explain them. At least a footnote.

Technical:
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Intended audience.
Giving simple definitions of terminology in every day terms.
Not presumptuously assuming that the reader is following at all times.
Analogies and Graphics are really welcome esp. if it is explaining something.
Defines What the book is about and more important what the book is NOT about.
Tone of the author - friendly, condescending, academic, repetitive.
Sentence construction - compound sentences a para long.
Good Index is essential in Most good books.
Quality of printing ie. cheap paper, binding, readability all have an impact.
I've found reading from some better made books more interesting than the cheaper versions.


Fiction:
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Thoughts which expose you to off-the-beaten-track stuff.
Thoughts which give a different angle on everyday things.
Thoughts which don't relate to your hum-drum life (Alice-in-wonderland)

What books can do for you!!

I've been reading books since a very young age. I always looked at books as a form of entertainment, fantasy and imagination. But one day I read a book called "The Tao of Physics", it changed the way I looked at books. The only thing close to this was going through the National Geographic magazine and (later) the TV channel.

I found out that books connect you to almost any kind of person. Scientist, Writers, Musicians, Doctors all can connect to the reader with their books. This book started the journey of non-fiction for me. I could enjoy the company of people who are at the forefront of any stream of action/thought.

I've read and picked up some valuable thoughts from :
Yoga (Iyengar),
Alternative Medicine (Dr. Dhiren Gala),
Cricket(Dennis Lillee,Frank Tyson),
Guitar(Ralph Denyer),
Acupressure(Park Jae Woo),
Body-Building (Arnold Schwarzenegger)
InterPersonal skills (Dale Carnegie)
Philosophy (Swami Vivekanada)
Psychology (Carl Gustav Jung, Maria Montessori)
Problem Solving (George Polya)