Book Cover Bias

I’m one of those people who shouts, “Ooh! Colors pretty!” at a nice book cover. If I’m at the bookstore, I want to hold the precious. If I’m on Amazon, I’m more apt to scroll the reviews and summary. The author has my attention…at least for the next ten seconds.

For me, the greatest covers belong to the Choose Your Own Adventure series. This article from Slate made me feel all gushy and nostalgic. Even now, when I see that familiar font, and those cover pictures it brings me back. I used to read those books every day until I wore them out. Which Way books weren’t so bad, either. I was so obsessed, I even played the hybrid Apple II+/book titles back in the ’80s. Obsessed!

Someday I’ll write a post about my love affair with Choose Your Own Adventure. It will be very long.

I only have one pet peeve when it comes to covers: faces. I know it’s popular to show a picture of the main character before the reader even starts turning pages. I’m probably in the minority, but if I see someone on the cover, I can’t visualize them correctly while I’m reading the book. It’s like the character moves through the book wearing a mask. This is especially true with movie adaptations. When I read Jurassic Park, I’d already seen the trailer for the movie. Ruined it. And yes, my imagination is fickle. I’m just being honest. This is why I was so hesitant about watching Game of Thrones, and why I can’t read the Charlotte Harris books after watching True Blood. Hell, Robert Redford almost ruined my first reading of The Great Gatsby, for crying out loud.