Do you judge a book by its first line, or do you give it a few chapters? > Likes and Comments

I like to give it a few chapters but you can tell if it’s going to be a really powerful book if the first line catches you.

I don't judge by the first line, but I can usually tell how I'm going to rate a book from the first few chapters.

Oh, I judge it by the first lines -- but I've read some decent books that had garbage first chapters; hell, garbage first three or so chapters that were overwritten and so focused on style that they forgot to be stories. Usually they calm down around the fifth chapter or so and I find it easier to get a feel for the story.

But there is some special magic in a book that grabs you from the first page and doesn't let go.

Usually a few chapters

A few chapters, because a lot of good books have simple first lines, like, "It's school again."

First I read the back side of the cover to see if I would even like it.
if I began reading and it is boring I will try to at least read 50 pages if by then it is still boring then I just pick a different book and put
that one in a give away pile.

Yeah, I agree with the comment above - 50 pages is generally a fair indicator. Maybe a few more if it's a particularly long book.

chapters

"It was in that year when the fashion in cruelty demanded not only the crucifixion of peasent children, but a similar fate for their pets, that I was first transported into Hell, for the Prince of Darkness wished to strike a bargain with me."

The Warhound and the World's Pain, Michael Moorcock

Sometimes the greatness of an opening line creates an expectation for the rest of the book that can't possibly be met. But when it is met, you've found another entry for your favorites shelf.

But sometimes you do have to give it a few chapters...

“There was no possibility of taking a walk that day “.

i love a good first line, but i wait until the first few chapters (usually around 60 or so pages) to tell if its promising book

Definitely give it plenty of time, one sentence isn't going to tell me much!