On Judging Books by Covers

I will freely admit to judging books by their covers.  Gasp!
Of course I don't exclusively make my reading choices on aesthetics, but they do certainly help!  First impressions make a big impact!  This was probably the reason it took me so long to finally read The Thornbirds.  It has a hideous cover.  But thanks to a persuasive cousin, I finally did! 
So, my last post on the home library got me to pondering, what makes a great cover?  I don't really have a good answer to that, it's kind of a mixed bag, so I'll show you a sprinkling of what I like to see on my biblio-covers!

(all of the above were designed by the amazing Coralie Bickford-Smith, who pretty much has the Midas touch as far as beautiful and interesting book design goes)

Anyway, for a bibliophile like myself, a trip to the bookstore isn't simply a utilitarian task - it almost takes on the reverence of a museum visit.

Happy reading, everyone!

Fantasy Bachelorette Pad - Part 3

Miss Scarlet in the LIBRARY.
Since my last Fantasy Bachelorette Pad post was on the home office, I thought I would do something a little related to that with the home library.  I love to read, and I always have to buy the prettiest version of whichever book I am to read next - because let's face it - holding a pretty, well designed book is just better than holding a half-price mass-market paperback.  So I've been building up my library for a few years now, and I didn't hesitate to jump on the color-coordinated book styling bandwagon.

Here's my inspiration:

And here's my version, with an admittedly large number of knick knacks, unfortunately.  Also, sorry about the darkness of the photo, it's always a sunny day here in North Texas.

I have a lot more books than this, but since my "library" has to double as my media entertainment center, my little shelves just can't take any more stuffing than this!  It's my dream to one day have an entire library devoted room in my house, much like the inspiration rooms, with floor to ceiling shelves and a comfy chair to read in. I am about to move (to Dallas) and will probably be downsizing so it will be interesting to see how I fit my library into the picture in my new abode.