If you grew up like I did, you probably heard “don’t judge a book by its cover” all the time. Granted, the phrase typically refers to anything other than books, and was used all the time throughout my younger years to remind us not to judge something (or more often someone) by their outsides, and to get to know what is on the inside before making up my mind about something. 

For some reason, when it comes to actual books, this is so difficult for me to follow through on. I’m kind of like a magpie with book covers—pretty, sparkly, shiny, or interesting illustrations always catch my attention and make me want to pick the book up. I’m so much more likely to pick up a book if it’s got a cover that is eye-catching and attractive. On the other hand, a book can be the most interesting and best ever, but if the cover is plain and boring, my eyes skip over a cover like that and then I’m less likely to pick it up.

No matter how eye-catching or intriguing a book cover might be, I always read the blurb. If the blurb doesn’t appeal to me, I’m not taking that book home. While I have a habit of putting the prettiest book covers facing out on my shelves, they’re all books that I’ve read and loved. Even a book with a pretty cover and an appealing blurb is getting resold on my Pango account if I didn’t love it, because I need to free up room on my consistently overcrowded shelves. I’m not quite at the point where I just gravitate to the blurbs, but it makes me wonder if there are people out there who do just focus on the blurb instead of the cover.

Which one attracts your attention more, the cover or the blurb?