Judge a book by its cover

"Don't judge a book by its cover"

I couldn't even begin to tell you how many times I have been told that, but I actually think that in relation to physical books, it is an outdated concept. Of course, a book doesnt have to be beautifully designed with a catchy title for it to be good, and equally an amazing title and beautiful artwork doesn't ensure greatness. But I can't deny that the appearance of a book is playing more of a role than I care to admit.

Books are everywhere, book shops, charity shops, online. There are thousands upon thousands at our disposal and my own collection is a minuscule dent into what is a seemingly never-ending supply. Sometimes I walk into a book shop and I am so overwhelmed with what I see that I really don't know where to start. So, ashamedly, I start with the front cover. Yes, I judge a book by its cover. But unless a book has been recommended to me or has been surrounded by hype, it is hard to decide which book out of the mass of unknown, is worth my money.

A catchy title is important, it should be relatively short and snappy, so that it rolls off the tongue and is memorable. The cover doesn't necessarily have to be bright or colourful but it needs to stand out. Then I always look to the blurb, a short passage which doesn't give too much away but gives a tiny insight into what the book offers, I dislike it when the back cover is just quotes from reviews, I like to know a little bit about what I'm letting myself in for. Equally I do like to see some quotations from good reviews, I know that they will be completely biased but I tend to look at the credibility of the publication they have been taken from.

Lemony Snicket: A Series of Unfortunate Events

What is so brilliant about the design of A Series of Unfortunate Events is that by giving the series itself an all encompassing name, Snicket was able to give each individual book a quirky and brilliant title whilst still keeping them under one umbrella name. Back when I was buying the books they were hard backs with a bound spine and lovely thick paper that was slightly jagged at the edges, it added character to the book and I also liked the uniformity of the series. Each cover has a beautifully drawn image that sums up the story line of the book and it is almost framed in the centre as a glimpse into the world you are about to enter. I really appreciated the time and thought that went into the creation of the physical book and there was something about it that meant I couldn't just stop at one, not only did I want to finish the story but I also wanted to complete my collection.

Susan Cain: Quiet

I don't really know how well known this book is, I don't see it get spoken about a lot and I suppose that is because if has quite a niche market. It discusses the value of introverts and the success they can achieve despite this preconceived view that they are akward and shy. The books brilliance comes from its simplicity. The title is sharp and short and brilliantly sums up the book in a matter of fact way. You almost can't help but whisper it. The cover is all white and has a shine to it, with the title raised slightly from the page. From a distance it seems to be nothing more than a blank page which is actually quite successful in drawing you in. It is a front cover that matches the words within and it is very effective

            

F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby

As far as I am concerned, The Great Gatsby has always had very successful covers, ranging from the simplicity of the Penguin covers to the iconic blue cover that I have always associated with the book. The title is brilliant and draws you in and because it is so well known the designers have pretty much had creative freedom in regard to the cover as the title speaks volumes. Yes I fell prey to the beauty that is what you see above. I am not ashamed.

 

Frances Hodgson Burnett: The Secret Garden

This cover really stood out to me, the drawings are lovely and the hard back is a cloth cover which makes it feel a bit more special. The pictures within are also beautiful and it all helps add to the magic of The Secret Garden

Judy Chicurel: If I Knew You Were Going To Be This Beautiful, I Never Would Have Let You Go

Right, so my problem here is the length of the title, I don't think that it is necessary and I can't imagine why there was the need for it to be so long. Maybe if the book had been amazing I could have forgiven it, but it wasn't and to this day it still bugs me that the title was allowed through the editing process. For me a shorter title is often more effective as it is easy to remember and simply rolls off the tongue so much better.

Here are another two books which I think have beautiful covers and I would be lying if I said that their covers didn't play a role in my decision to buy them.

Let me know in the comments how much the cover of a book effects your decision to buy it!

Eilidh 

Shh: a shout-out to the introverts.

I am a self confessed introvert. Never have I seen the allure of a night out "on the town", the idea of prolonged social activity sends shivers down my spine- even the thought of it makes me tired! For a long time I thought I was alone in this, many of my friends lived for Friday night when they could say goodbye to school and hello to a thriving social life. Instead, I could often be found in bed reading a book or re-watching Greys Anatomy for the millionth time! It wasn't so much that I didn't like talking to people, but rather that five days a week I was in school, which meant that by the end of the day, and most certainly by the end of the week, all I wanted was a bit of alone time and some much needed rest. I am now at university where I feel my introverted tendencies have become even more obvious, I find myself turning down requests to go out, simply because the idea of going out just doesn't appeal to me. I would just like to point out that my introversion is mixed in with a bit of shyness and anxiety and I know that shyness and anxiety doesn't automatically make me an introvert but I feel that I definitely match many of the qualities found in an introvert! 

Recently I stumbled across a few things that have brought introversion to the forefront and I have realised that the reason I felt singled out in my need for alone time was because introverts don't shout about it from the roof tops- that's just not our style! 

So first I would like to talk about "Quiet" by Susan Cain- I have recently started reading it and although I have yet to finish, I am so far loving it! As an introvert who has always considered it as a weakness, Cain's book, which focuses on the power of introverts, has really made me more confident. It has also made me realise that there is no need for me to change myself to suit a world that is seemingly dominated by extroverts. I picked it up at my local Waterstones and my eyes were immediately drawn to it, from a distance the cover seems blank, and although I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, I felt this cover was very effective and I had high hopes before reading a single word. 

                                 

I have just started my second year university exams and after my first exam on Friday I picked up the May copy of "Company" to cheer myself up. It was whilst flicking through that I found this article titled "how the internet helped the introvert". I felt this was particularly relevant as I actually started my blog to give myself the voice which I felt I lacked in my everyday life. When I am writing a post I don't feel the pressure to make constant conversation, I can write a post at 4am in the morning or whilst I eat my lunch- there is no pressure to do certain things or be a certain type of person, I really feel as though this blog has allowed me to be the person I want to be. 

               

What this book and article have made me realise is that my introversion isn't a negative trait and that I can be just as successful and happy even though until this point I felt as though I lacked the voice to do it.

I would love it if you could let me know if you consider yourself an introvert. Have you ever considered it a weakness? 

Love

Eilidh

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