March 27, 2008
Mar
'08
Today’s Booking Through Thursday question is: While acknowledging that we can’t judge books by their covers, how much does the design of a book affect your reading enjoyment? Hardcover vs. softcover? Trade paperback vs. mass market paperback? Font? Illustrations? Etc.?
Well, I wouldn’t say cover art affects my reading enjoyment of books, but the other elements certainly do. I’ve read books with miniscule fonts slapped onto large pages - rather, I’ve struggled through books with miniscule fonts slapped onto large pages, mostly finding myself trying very hard to get into the story and yet wanting nothing more than to start a new book. I generally don’t like reading books with a lot of illustrations because I tend to get sucked into them and lose my place in the story (unless, of course, it’s a storybook); however (and possibly hypocritically), books that strive to have small illustrations at the beginning of each chapter, I feel, should have different illustrations which take some point from the theme or a detail in the chapter. For example, I’m currently reading a book which has a small picture of a castle at the beginning of each chapter. No fun! I want each picture to be different - a woman heading the chapter with the friendly neighbor woman who makes breakfast, a frighteningly skinny man heading the chapter with the creepy butler. Perhaps I don’t enjoy the story less because all the illustrations are the same, but I feel I would enjoy it that much more if they were different.
I’d be surprised to find out if different book formats didn’t affect someone’s enjoyment of a book. Most people seem to prefer certain things over other things - personally, I like trade paperbacks best. I really dislike reading hardcovers, but I will if I have to; and mass market paperbacks are fine but they can sometimes get too uncomfortable. You also often face the problem of tiny font, too many words, not much space, but they still managed to squish so many ideas onto one page. Trade paperbacks are comfortable, easy, and they sort of flop around. They remind me of bunny ears. Plus, you really have to try to crack the spines. I feel like I can’t open mass markets or hardcovers all the way while I’m reading because I don’t like cracked spines. Trade papers, however, open fully without that awful bone-cracking sound.
Now, as I said, book covers don’t affect my enjoyment of the book, but I’d like to close this meme by inserting the fact that I do often judge books by their covers and have been known to buy really crappy books with really awesome covers over really great books with terrible covers.
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I choose books by the spine. I don’t really know what attracts me to the spine, but once I choose the book I read the back of the book. If the back of the book passes my interest, then I start reading the front of the book. If the book catches my interest then I get it.
As for whether the book is hardback, trade, or mass market I don’t care. Though if the book is a favorite I will purchase another copy of it in hardback.
For book covers I could care less. Though as far as the romance genres go, I do enjoy looking at the males models. But I don’t buy the books just cause the model is a hunk I find attractive, lol. The books, no matter what genre, has to have a plot for me to enjoy it. Though I have been known to read anything I can get my hands on. You know, cereal boxes, cans, movie boxes, soda bottles, cards, etc. If it has words I probably have read it, lol.
Mar
'08
I do that too, Hev! I have many fond memories eating cereal while reading the back of the box.
One of my favorite things to do at work is joke about the romance cover men, because some of them just look so ridiculous! Sometimes I’ll send picture-texts to my friend Megan (who reads the stuff) and tease her about the covers. It’s all in good fun. 
Mar
'08
Wow, that’s really something to think about… xD I never thought about books like that before. It was just sort of a subconscious thing for me, but now that you call details out like that and address them, I completely know what you mean..!! ^_^ How cool, that you bring this up. I completely agree with you… I have the same issues, albiet on a lesser level.
I can still relate. hehe
Mar
'08