A Book By A Different Cover? - Guest Post by Sheri from A Novel Menagerie)

I’m so honored that Wendy enabled me the opportunity to guest blog in her absence. Being that she is one of my most favorite blogs, I look forward to everything that she posts. As I tossed and turned, considering my options about my guest post, I kept thinking about writing about something that would honor her blog and do it justice. You know… something that was important and held merit with book bloggers. I came up… BLANK! But, what I did know is that I wanted to ask questions of her readers that I wouldn’t necessarily get in my blog. So….. that means no blogs about my disappointment on Paula Abdul leaving American Idol, no ranting and raving about the dancing on So You Think You Can Dance, and also no posts about the new reality TV Show “More To Love.” (And, believe me, you, I’ve got plenty to say about that show!)

Trying to focus myself back to a book-oriented post, I kept coming back to something that I’ve been challenging myself with… do I tend to choose the next “review book” based on its cover?

Now, within the confines of my mind, I tend to think that I’m so impartial, fair, and non-judgmental. My obvious answer is, “Of course, I do not judge a book by its cover.” But, after reading several books in this past week, I think I’m only fooling myself. I absolutely place a certain amount of weight on my next reading choice based on its cover. Let’s examine why…

Now, if I have been reading about a book that is just receiving rave reviews, I’m the first one to order it from Amazon.com or the library. The countless number of books on my wish list reflects my belief in the opinion of my fellow book review bloggers. But, what about the bookstore? And, for that matter, what about those great ARC’s/Galleys that appear on my doorstep? As they form their piles by date of release, am I really that faithful to read them all in chronological order? Honestly, I’m not. I cheat.

That’s it. It’s been said. I CHEAT. Every now and then, I’ll pull a book out of the stack just because I love the look of its cover. There’s just a personal pull to that particular book that says, “READ ME!” And, I do.

So, has my cheating paid off? Do the covers reflect the insides?

Yes. And, No. There have been some books that have surprised me… I didn’t care for the cover, but loved the book. And, far and away the same can be said about the opposite.

I shift radically to the liberal interpretation of the coined phrase, “judging a book by its cover.” Do people make immediate impressions of me based on “my cover?” Well, I live in Southern California, so that obvious answer is, “Yes.” Do I hate it? YES! As I ponder the many reality television shows that I watch and review, I never really address the topic of my forming opinions of these seemingly perfect people based on their exterior appearance (i.e. their “cover.”) The very thing that I hate, I do. Initially, we’re all based on our cover.

So, in books and in life… how do you find your perfect match? Do I randomly pick a mom at a soccer match and strike up a conversation to see if a friendship could be fostered? No. Not really. I pick people who seem “like me.” Do I read books with covers that absolutely turn me in the other direction? No. Absolutely not. In fact, any time I see the words or indication of vampires, zombies, or anything remotely scary, I move onto the next blog article to read. I hate vampires and blood and scary stuff. I don’t want to read that! And, the cover with the blood drops… eeewww! NO!

But, what if it is really good? What if I might surprise myself? What if there is a fantastic read in that book Pride & Prejudice & Zombies? I totally loved Pride & Prejudice. Would I like the book with that and the zombies? What is the worst thing that can happen? I start dreaming of Mr. Darcy jumping out of his grave? There are definitely worse nightmares than that.

So, how do you challenge yourself to look beyond the cover… in life and in books? How do you form an open mind that overturns the decisions of the initial reaction?

Do tell!

---

Many thanks to Sheri for visiting Musings of a Bookish Kitty. Be sure and drop visit Sheri at A Novel Menagerie. If you don't already follow her blog regularly, you should!