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I try not to do this, but sometimes its hard.

If there are two copies of a book in the library (one has a nice dust jacket that's taped to the book, and the other is pretty old and has a crumbly cover) I usually choose the nicer one. I know there's no difference and the text is the same, but I'm always inclined to check out the nicer version.

So how do you feel about judging books by their covers? Are there any covers that particularly bother you?

ah ok I know what you mean. I also don't like covers with real people on them. I like to imagine what the characters look like and when there are pictures, they force an image on you.

I know it's bad to judge a book by it's cover. It's really hard not to though.

For example, the Twilight saga looked really nice. I thought the cover art was beautiful. I then proceeded to read the book and a part of me died. It took so much effort just to push through the first few chapters. Since then I have tried numerous times to give the series another chance. It keeps failing.

On the other hand, I continually looked over Homeland because it didn't look that great. It is now my favorite book ever. Now that I know who the characters are I also like the cover a lot more now. The newer covers they have for the series are nice and all, but I actually prefer the covers that I once passed up.

I find i look more at the titles. if its got an intersting title ill read the blurb and decide if its worth it... the cover should also indicate which type of book it is, usually by the colour scheme...
whites/pinks etc = romance
greys/blues/blacks/reds etc=crime/action
bright colours = are comdey
pales/whites =can also be tragedies
sepia tones = historical
Rich blues etc = fanasty
reds and Blacks (sometimes sepias) = vampire

Though be aware there are exceptions to every rule... but generally its the colours we respond to first; becasue they highlight our faveourite type of book before we even have to pick it up.

I'll admit it, I'll pay extra for a better cover. Since I buy used though, extra typically only means a dollar more at most. I don't judge entirely on covers when buying a book. They may attract me to a book, but I read the back and usually check reviews on books before buying. I'll put off buying a book sometimes in hopes that a new edition with a better cover become available.

Here's what I don't like in a book cover. Actual people on the cover are one thing I try and avoid, there's just something creepy about them on the cover... staring at you... all the time. Then there are covers that are just so bad that you wonder who actually thought that they would help sell the book. Books published by Baen are particularly bad at this. I think their thought process must be: "Oh, it's sci-fi? Well then, draw something blowing up on the cover and make the title really big and shiny." And of course there's the embarrassingly sexual covers. You know, the beefy guy clad only in a loin cloth shoving his sword into the sky while some female, either barely clad or entirely naked, clings to him. Anyways all those tyoes of covers I usually try and avoid

Covers that attract my attention? That's a little bit harder for me to pinpoint. Covers without people, real or drawn, are usually pretty good. I like to somehow be able to relate the cover to the contents of the book, so I don't want them to be too abstract and out there. Past that I can't really say what attracts me to a cover.

I was browsing Amazon (probably about 3 or 4 years ago because I was a freshman at the time) and I saw a box set (Breaking dawn wasn't out yet, so there were only 3) of the Twilight books for a good price. It was so appealing, so I thought for sure I would love the books. I learned to never buy books online that I haven't read. xp

I totally agree with what you said about not being able to read books with sexual covers on them in public. Actually, I've never picked one of those types of books up, and a lot of that has to do with: a) I don't like those kinds of books, and b) I always imagine people walking past me thinking, "Ugh, what horrible taste in books she has."

No offense to anyone who does read those kinds of books.

Aside from that, I guess I do judge books by their cover a little bit. I mean, if I see two books next to each other and one has a cover that catches my eye, and the other is just plain and nothing particularly stands out, then obviously I'm going to pick the exciting cover.

But then I'll read the book and maybe flip through the book and read it a little. Normally, though, I go to the bookstore with a book in mind already.

Yea, I usually judge a book by its cover unless I've read the summary online. And online, I don't judge a book by its cover when searching because there are all these editions and it doesn't matter.
Although, images on the cover make a difference. Say if there was just a leaf on the cover or a pirate swinging down from a ship, or a cover relying some guy's toned and muscular abs for sales (okay, I've only seen maybe 2 books like this) I give them a miss.
In real life, a lot of it is based on colour, for me. I tend to give pink and oranges and yellows a miss, I've noticed. I like dark covers, velvet/fabric covers, something simple and I even consider old, dilapidated ones. My librarian (or was it someone else?) said a worn book indicates a lot of people liked it. Ironically though, for this reason present readers largely ignore it.