The Mindset of This Reader.

I'm swimming out here for them books. NOM NOM NOM!

Delicious! I hone in on the things I likes. But what catches my attention? The buzz I am looking for. That Genre Siren Song:

• It sings to my seagull brain. The part that finds da book, gibs money, will double dip when Omnibus hits. Yes...what creates this. 
• Feeding the reader tropes they like. For me, this is like hitting me with the Nostalgic Bat of Awesome Times Past. Like when I hit up LoTR or Narnia for the first dang time. Transported to the freedom of yesteryear. 
• IF the book gets me well away from thoughts of current year anything, HUZZAH!
• Clear Lines of Good and Evil. (That is somewhat harder to find in some books nowadays.)
• Cosmic World Building/Big Dang Universe/If it has Space Shenanigans or Lost Civilizations, that bings on my radar.
• Multi-generational stuff. Most likely happens with longer series.
• Love having a Big Bad to Boo/Hiss at. Maybe one of the Underlings does a Heel-Face-Turn.
• Giant honking ships. Dyson Spheres, FTL, Aliens (Don't care if they act similar to us or not.) 
• Exploring Derelict Ships or "Dead" Worlds.
• Horror+Space, Space Opera x100000, If in the mood I might take a gander at Romance+Space, Mystery+Space, you see a pattern? Most times If any book has Space Exploration in it, that's the intital boost to get me to stop and take a gander.
• Does this book have Space Doggos? AWWW YEEEEES! 
• Does this book remind me of Babylon 5? Space Above and Beyond? Earth 2? Sliders? Early Trek? Flash Gordon? BSG? Twilight Zone? Duck Dodgers and the 24th and a Half Century? :P Or even some classic movie favorites like Alien/Aliens/Robocop/Terminator 1 and 2/Logan's Run and the list goes on.

When it comes to books, My whole brain does this:

• Because Entertainment Value. Since movies and "literary" type novels don't do it for me. Well most current movies, Ill pay special attention to pulps/space opera/sci fi/fantasy that does turn that key to MUST EAT ALL BOOKS! mode. 
• I don't even mind if its simple character arcs or plots. If the wheel ain't broke.....
• Finding Ancient secrets in our solar system setups.
• Indiana Jones in Space. (Ok, ok, preetttty much anything I ever enjoyed as a Kid + Space)
• I like Cap. Kirk type characters. Its quite fun to see guys be all dashing. Really :D
• Alternate Earths like in the Sliders show. Loved the What If X happened? 
• Stargate "All the Things." +You should never leave out Atlantis. It's great in many different settings/genres.
• All the Indies and Trads that are still catching my eye? Primarily they want to tell an interesting and entertaining story. Not wax poetic or about "Here's the Writer's Soapbox." 

All in all, as long as your setting stays internally consistent to whatever you have as a foundation, you could have 12 foot tall giants with 5 heads and I'd still read it. Especially if each of them wielded 3 lazer guns.

Every day I can, I read something. Plus Anthologies are a really neat way to pull me into something else. Or even give a new genre splat a look-see. Never understatement the power of a story collection.