I don’t like covers that mimic handwriting — because it’s generally not very legible handwriting. And it doesn’t help if the title isn’t easily pronounceable, to boot. (Giroux?)

The paperclip? Loser. Even after reading the spine to discover the title, I am not intrigued enough to wonder what it’s about.

I also prefer subtle colors than loud, screaming ones, but I disagree with Hothouse. Neither the title, nor the cover would have enticed me to pick it up. I doubt seriously that I would have even read the text written on the cover. (Thanks to Jane’s post, it does sound like an interesting read.)

I did purchase a book not too long ago, The Affair by Colette Freedman, because I liked the cover. I’m not sure if it was the winter tree in the foreground or the pink coat that caught my eye, probably both. I picked it up and read the blurb on the back. The story didn’t interest me in the slightest, so I put it back down. I walked around the bookstore and came back to the same table and once again picked up the book. I read the first pages and liked the way the author wrote, so I bought it.

Sometimes you need to listen to your intuition! Still, it shows the power of a cover, not to mention good writing on those first pages.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DugO8jB9_gU/TVyCFCD6BuI/AAAAAAAAC1M/TyNELo2zpzo/s320/herfearful%2Bsymmetry.jpg

I also love this version of “The Historian” by Elizabeth Kostova, with just a sliver of the painting of Vlad the Impaler visible:

http://www.andrefarant.com/uploads/2010/12/The-Historian-Book-Review.jpg