Any Patricia McKillip book with a Kinuko Y. Craft cover--they're such rich, lush, fairy-tale images that prlefctey capture the flavor of the books' prose. Every time I walk by SONG FOR THE BASILISK, I stop and simply stare at the cover for a bit before continuing whatever I was doing.The very first Lois McMaster Bujold book I read (she's now one of my favorite authors) was picked up based on its cover: Paladin of Souls. The US hardcover edition has such painting feel, as if it were a classic I'd see hanging in a museum somewhere.On the other hand, the UK cover of the very same book is absolutely horrible--the Pillsbury Nazgul cover, I think the author called it.A bad cover can definitely keep me from picking up a book, because if I cringe at the cover I tend to assume I'll cringe at what's inside, even though I know that's not fair. A classy or gorgeous cover will draw me to a book and persuade me to take a look at the jacket copy or back, even if the title doesn't really catch me.

by Tazlim 12:46:42 AM 2012.12.09