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How do you decide to read a book by an author you haven’t read before? What sort of recommendations count most highly in making that decision?
If a friend or fellow blogger with similar past tastes to mine recommends a book, it certainly gets my attention, but to be honest, when it comes to trying new authors, I’m just as likely to find it from the back of another book I’ve just read. For example, I loved Ash by Malinda Lo and in the back of that book was an advert for Sisters Red by Jackson Pierce and I immediately fell in love with the cover art.
Which leads me to the other thing that attracts me to new authors – the covers! I’m afraid I often do judge books by their covers and a particularly striking or beautiful cover is likely to attract me even if it’s the first time I’ve ever seen the author’s name. An example of this would be the day I saw a copy of The Plucker by Brom. The cover was so darkly beautiful that I just knew I had to check it out of the library. I fell completely in love with Brom’s work that day!
There have been instances of “cover recommendations” going very badly wrong for me. For example, I read The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, and on the front cover was a quote that read “This is the next The Lovely Bones.” So I got hold of a copy of Alice Sebold’s novel and absolutely hated it. In fact, if I’d read that one first and seen on the cover a recommendation that said, “This is the new The Time Traveler’s Wife,” I would never have read Niffenegger’s novel!
Diary of a Domestic Goddess 
Haha. I’m exactly like you! The covers appeal to me more than the authors!
Here’s my MM: http://palmtreesbarefeet.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/musing-monday-reading-new-authors/
🙂
I have bought a few books just because I loved the cover art. But, mostly I read what the book is about on the cover, and what other book bloggers have to say about the book.
I have to confess, I’m a cover junkie too. 🙂 If the picture looks entertaining, or the title is good, I’ll pick it up and read the blurbs on the front and back flaps, THEN I’ll randomly open it and read a page or two. If I catch myself reading more than that, it’s one I’ll pick up. If I can close it and not wonder what the heck was going on/will happen, I don’t read it. 🙂 I’ve been trying to go back and read some of the “classics” I’ve somehow missed, but…
A big reason I don’t do “reviews” is that I never pay any attention to anyone elses opinion. I’ve added a few book to my “I need to look at that” list, but my inner 6th grader who resented readinglists (but read all the books anyway) still doesn’t like being told what to read. lol
I get recommendations from Library Thing and always check the new book section at the library
but fellow bloggers are probably my number one source of recommendations..like I need more books..lol
Great post! I hadn’t thought of adverts leading me to read other books, but that has happened before.
And yes the covers/titles always get to me.
I’m a bit of a cover snob. A pretty, shiny cover will always catch my attention 😉
I’m sorry you hated The Lovely Bones. That’s one book that I loved and stayed with me for a long time. But I do think it’s one of those books that you either hate or love, with no middle ground.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today 🙂
I choose to read lots of books because of the cover too! Sorry you didn’t like The Lovely Bones. It’s sitting in my TBR pile.
I’m a sucker for the covers too! If the cover is just amazing, I don’t even read the blurb. And I read The Lovely Bones when it was first published, I hoped more, but it was kinda okay. And I tried to read Ash once, but only got first 20 pages through and returned it to the library. Maybe I should try it again! 🙂