The most difficult part of reading is perhaps picking out the right book. How do you decide that this story or that essay will appeal to you, and that you will enjoy it too in the limited time you have during the day. Spending hours browsing through tonnes of books at a bookstore is not an option for everyone. Then there are those who just walk into a shop and instinctively cull out books from shelves they know they will enjoy.

How do people pick new books to read: is it an innate ability or years of reading experience; do they buy books after reading reviews in reliable publications or on friends’ recommendations? Some people have a nose for the right book while others rely on the ‘quality time’ they spend on the social media.

A voracious reader, Professor Shaista Sirajuddin is perhaps not the right person to be asked how she picks up a book. She claims to have "an eccentric choice" in reading. While she usually enjoys 19th and 20th century poetry the most, "for the last two years I have been reading a lot of books on ecology and nature and thinking about these subjects." The first writer she came across on the subject was travel writer Robert Macfarlane’s The Old Ways. The book had been discussed in an alumni magazine sent to her by Cambridge University. "I trolled through the bibliography and came across Edward Thomas’ 20th Century poetry."

She was brought up surrounded by books. "I have 30,000 books in my house; this is enough material to get started on reading," she says.

"My father introduced me to crime fiction," something that she has enjoyed since her teen years and reads to this day. "He didn’t instill this interest in me by telling me what to read but because he himself read crime fiction. He introduced me to Perry Mason and later I read P.D. James and Susan Hill."

Columnist Kamran Shafi, an avid reader of "biographies and political history books", says picking a book requires more research. "I look out for the newest things and the social media is helpful in that. When someone quotes a book and I find that interesting I will read the book." The social media has indeed made sharing information, especially quoting extracts, easier.

Usually, for most people, the choice of books remains diverse. Artist and art critic Quddus Mirza is notorious for his extravagant book-buying habit. He says that when it comes to his own subject which is Art he makes no distinction and reads everything; but with fiction "I rely on recommendations from friends". Once at the bookshop, he says, he also tries reading a page or two of the book before buying it.

Sirajuddin says picking up a book and reading it is not a task that requires much effort. With a 30,000-strong library, it should come as no surprise. "We breathed books, handled them, touched them. I grew up with my mother reading out stories to me and being told stories by my father. Then I became a literature teacher and reading is a part of my job."

Sometimes, writers themselves provide the lead. Photographer and artist, Ali Sultan, says there are writers that you like so you look for similar writers. "But apart from that it’s by reading what other authors are reading. That is always helpful," he says.

For most it seems it’s forming connections with writers they have already read and looking for something similar works. However, when trying to experiment with a different genre, it’s always good to ask someone else to recommend something. This is what Areej Mehdi, a graduate in English Literature, suggests "If I’m looking for something to read in a particular genre I don’t have much experience in, I would ask for recommendations from someone who already has an interest in that area. Mostly that works well."

For Shafi, literature festivals are also a good place since they introduce you to the writer along with their books. "They’re good and you even find books you haven’t heard about," he says.

It is also important for the book to say something new. "Afghanistan is a subject that has been written a lot about; every time new allegations and new things come to surface. But it is only Ahmed Rashid who has you running to the bookshop," says Shafi.

Mehdi also relies on online sources where she usually comes across book snippets Apart from online reviews, she says "Tumblr is another great place to learn about books. Bloggers usually post snippets of books on their book blogs and sometimes if something catches my eye, I definitely give it a read."

Those who like reading are always on the hunt for another good one. It seems that it is all about being on the lookout consistently and constantly, staying in touch with others who read. That perhaps is the secret behind the instinctive ability to pick out books. No source is left exhausted so that at the end of the day they can snuggle up with that perfect piece of literature.