Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

                                                         

Two books with the same author, storyline and happy ending - yet the way they first engage the reader is entirely different.

I have a bit of a soft spot for pretty books. Seriously; if I'm bored out of my mind and book-less, the first book I'll pick off a library shelf is a pretty one. And in modern literature we frequently see that authors use the covers to sell the book.

Imagine for a moment, that Twilight was a Penguin Classic. Would you be as willing to pick it off a shelf with that awful orangutan-orange colour? Not likely; though with that contrast of black and bright red apple and pale skin - also the symbolism of the image strikes up curiosity in the viewer - you are willing to pay $20. 

I think that the Penguin Books are a smart way of differentiating the timeless books from the now ones. 'Pride and Prejudice','Great Gatsby', 'Wuthering Heights', 'The Clockwork Orange' (no idea what THAT one's about!) and the rest are classics in every sense of the word - books that need nothing more than their title and the author's name to sell.

But as well as cover, the blurb is important too. There is nothing that annoys me more than wanting to see what a book has to offer, turning to the back and seeing "Lost myself in this wonderful fantasy adventure! - Stephanie Meyer" on the back. Thank you, Stephanie for your words of wisdom but WHERE IS THE BLURB?! Turns out, some books either don't have one, of its on the inside cover. 

Its not only annoying, but frankly its dangerous for business. When people are scanning the shelves in a rush and picking out books at random (been there, done that!), they're not about to go on a Easter Blurb Hunt. Further more, why does ever book in existence need Stephanie Meyer's recommendation on the front, back, side - or on all three - to make it sell? I mean, I loved 'The Hunger Games' trilogy and NOT because Stephanie did too.

But there's nothing wrong with a nice cover on a book - nice covers can give insight into the storyline and sometimes, are better than any blurb.

So next time you pick up a book, I want you to ask yourself: Are you reading it because of the COVER, the PRAISE or because of the STORYLINE?

You know, come to think of it (just to confuse you some more!), not all blurbs are accurate judges of a book's potential. I mean, glancing at 'A Dog in the Nighttime' my first thoughts were "Weird." After glancing at the blurb my thoughts were, "Weird and possibly not my thing". After reading a little of it and hearing more about it, I began to think "Maybe I could read this." Sometimes, we need to put as much research into the books we read as we do for History assignments and our mum's do for grocery shopping. 

Here are a few variations of Stephanie Meyer's praise for Hunger Games ALONE (just for fun!)

• "Stunning. You won't sleep when you're reading this one."
• "I was so obsessed with this book I had to take it with me out to dinner and hide it under the edge of the table so I wouldn't have to stop reading. The story kept me up for several nights in a row, because even after I was finished, I just lay in bed wide awake thinking about it. I've been recommending it to total strangers in Target." (That's a tad bit weird, don't you think?)
• "The Hunger Games is amazing"

So technically the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover" has some merit. Yeah, don't JUST judge a book by its cover, but by its content. Push yourself, test your limits and learn that there is a world of fantastic literature out there for you to explore if you would only look for it.

What are you still doing here?! Go and seek a book this instant!

Happy Reading!

Love Cool Beans