Ravenous Talks: Book Covers, You Be The Judge

Do you judge a book by its cover?

Stephanie's Thoughts:

We all know the saying, "don't judge a book by its cover." And when we're talking about people, I completely agree with that saying. But when it comes to the literal meaning of judging a book by its cover, I'm sorry, but I think we all do that to an extent. Look at all the memes that are here in the book blogging community like Cover Crazy (and all other versions). We post a picture of a book cover that we absolutely love and adore. When you go through a bookstore, 9 out of 10 times, I buy the prettier looking books over the mediocre ones.

Diana's Thoughts:

I have to agree with Stephanie here. I am one of those people who do judge a book by its cover because to be honest I want it to look pretty! You might think I'm shallow but no, especially if we're talking about a romance/young adult/fantasy book - the prettier , the better. Another thing that I like on covers is to have pictures of couples, girls, boys, anything that will give me a general idea of what the story would be about. After reading quite a generous number of books I came to the conclusion that I don't like surcharged covers, and I enjoy them better if they're clean and sexy. If I see a book with a cover like that, chances are I will read it!

Megan's Point:

I have to agree with Steph too! I judge books by their covers all the time, and I really am less likely to accept a review request or to buy a book if the cover is ugly. I make exceptions for series, though. But about covers-- I will go so far as to make sure I have the matching series covers-- and it drives me crazy when they have mid-series changes! Not only that, but I'll try to get all of one medium. All paperback, all hardcover, etc. So yeah. I'm a book cover judger.

Sarah's Thoughts:

I agree with Steph as well. I judge books based on their covers all the time. I really am trying not to do this as often but it's hard not to since you're always going to have an initial reaction to how something looks. I've passed up books because they didn't have a pretty cover before and for all I know the story could be wonderful, I'm just more likely to buy a book with a beautiful cover as opposed to one with a less eye catching cover.

Angela's Thoughts:

I'm with Stephanie all the way. When I buy books, it's always the ones with the pretty covers that catch my eye. If the cover doesn't look nice, I'm not even going to go to see if it looks interesting. There are exceptions, but I'm more likely to buy/borrow a book with a nice cover. I try not to judge, because it's true, a pretty cover doesn't always mean it's a good book and vice versa, but when I look at books, that completely slips my mind. The first thing anyone sees is the cover, so it has to look good.

So, what are your thoughts on them?