How do you choose your next book?

Completely random based on my mood.

I'm all about the new releases...I like to read books that have very few reviews and I can make up my own mind and not be influenced.
I actively stalk new release lists and add them to my Goodreads TBR list - there's currently 220 books on that, including 25 books that haven't been published yet.
I don't read many reviews before I select a book, but I do look at GR ratings and numbers. If a book is rated over 4 stars and has been read by more than 10,000 people, then I'll often read it based on that alone.
I track everything on GR, so I do look at what other people are reading and I also check out the lists they produce such as "top 10 books of the year so far" and if they sound interesting, I'll add them to my list as well.

I have 120 audiobooks loaded onto my phone, and often pick one at random that I think will suit the mood I'm in.
I also belong to a couple of libraries, so sometimes a book becoming available makes me read it next.

I do the opposite of this, if I find a new author I like, I won't read another of their books for a while (unless it's a series). I don't want to get tired of their style too quickly, so I'll leave it for a few months to (hopefully) enjoy another of their books. However if it's an author I've read previously then I'll often read a new release straight away.

Sometimes it depends on which library holds are available. If it's the 1st in a series, then the next goes to the top of my list though.

Right now a book my DD suggested is next on my list.

I have no "system", I just read what I'm in the mood for and what I have out from the library. I always have so many of them that there's usually something I'm in the mood for, lol. If not then I can always find something else to download. This is one of the main reasons why I LOVE my Kindle...the ability to find a book to read at any time of the day or night, weekend, holidays, whatever.

I also belong to an online book group and every month the organizers divide us up into two teams (based on how many books we read the previous month, so each team is more or less equal). We have a list of 15 prompts and we get points for our team as we log books for those prompts. It's always pretty easy to fit random books into many of the prompts, but sometimes toward the end of the month I'll look at what prompts I have left and intentionally search for a book that fits that prompt. But mostly I don't do that, I just fit in whatever I'm reading. 

I do choose some books based on recommendations or reading about them online.

But when I'm not looking for a specific book, I go with a "somewhat related" system. And that means that my next book has some small element in common with the last book, or inspired by the last book.

So, in January, I started off with a book comprised of short stories by several authors, all having to do with the new year.
For my next book, I chose a full length book by one of those authors. That author's book was set in Ireland, which I enjoyed, so I chose another book set in Ireland for my next book. That book had to do with difficult family relationships, so I chose another book that dealt with families for my next book.

Sometimes the common factor is far more broad---I read a few books in a row that sere set outside of my home country (the US), but noticed that they were all set in either the UK, Italy, or France, so I specifically chose a book set on a different continent after that. Still a country other than my own, but specifically from a different spot in the world. That book was set in South Africa, which led me to Trevor Noah's book, also set in South Africa. From there, I simply chose another biographical book. I might have chosen another book written by a man at that point, or I could have jumped to a new continent. But there's always some little tie in from one book to another when I'm choosing without any recommendation. Could be a genre, a time period, something specific about the author, etc.

Gosh that's quite some system OP 

I open my kindle, go to my library, remind myself of the subject of a few recent downloads and pick one.

I read my book club's picks as a priority. Then favorite authors. I also like Reese Witherspoon's picks.

I usually have 3-4 books going at a time - one 'real' book, a book on my kindle, a library book on Libby, and sometimes an audio book as well.

I choose differently for each of those.

I'm doing a couple of book challenges so the books I didn't already own, I put on hold on Libby - I read those as they come in. When I hear about a book I want to read, I typically put that on hold on Libby also - if it a new book, sometimes it's not yet on Libby so I tag it notify me.

I have a few series that I'm reading - mostly in 'real' book form but I'm using Libby for the books I'm missing and there are two series that I'm reading strictly on Libby and I put the next book on hold as I finish the previous - there's always a long wait for them.

Kindle - I tend to read randomly from there - almost all of the books were free downloads

my home library - if I'm not reading a challenge or series book, atm, I'm trying to choose books that I think will be a once and done so I can pass them along as I finish.


Right now I'm reading Dune (borrowed hardcover) for a challenge. I'm between Kindle books and need to charge the Kindle. I have The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy on Libby as an audiobook -also for a challenge. I'm currently reading Carnegie's Maid on Libby but I may end up DNF that one if it doesn't get more interesting soon as The Overstory and Feed both just came off my hold list (both challenge books)

I read whatever Libby tells me to. Ha!! I have a bunch of books on hold and I generally read them as they become available. When I get backed up, I'll delay delivery for a couple of weeks. I tend to read thrillers/mysteries. That gets dark after a while and I'll switch it up with something lighter to shake it up.

I only really got back into reading about 4-5 years ago so there are ton of new to me authors. So it's easy to find something that I'll likely enjoy with plenty of options to mix it up to avoid getting bored of a particular style, locale, etc.

Same here!

I have a Google sheet that has all of the books I want to read (and let's be real, unless I get cracking, I'm going to need to live to 108 to finish them)... I usually just pick random ones and see if the library near us has them (the sheet also shows the books' call numbers and locations that have it - I realize this makes me sound crazy). I also have those available via audiobook highlighted.

I am #1 in the queue for a few books, so I'm waiting for those to come in. I just wish I could read and cross-stitch at the same time. The dream.

If I like a series, I read all of the series.

I give Pulitzer Prize winners a chance.
Once I tried to read all of those.
Another year I read as many books written by black authors as I could to broaden my viewpoints.
I read the Newbery winner each year.
I browse our library's display of new books.

Mostly pick books that I think sound like something I want to read at that moment. I'm also part of a book club and try to read the next month's pick before the current month (so I just finished the July book and we meet this week to discuss the June pick). I get about 95% of the books from the library and probably every two weeks request 3-4 books from my Goodreads "To Read" list alternating between things that I added to the list awhile ago and brand new things. Then when it's time to read I usually pick whatever sounds good unless the book doesn't have renewals in that case it goes to the top of the pile (on another note, I share books with my oldest and will save books for her to read if I think it's any good). I find my books by the weekly topic on here, a couple FB reading groups, and sometimes just going to the bookstore to browse.