Books. God, I love 'em. And what makes a good book? You know, how sometimes you can tell that a book is bad, and you just love it anyway? And other times you read and reread a passage 5 times because the arrangement of 24 letters is just so much more beautiful than any other arrangement of letters. And then you look around for someone to read it to - whether they like it or not?
I have read the Twilight series 4 times through. Harry Potter, at least 9. But, I'll take on a Neal Stephenson epic at the slightest provocation; and William Gibson, with his esoteric vocabulary and obscure references is my absolute darling. Side note: what is up with the website, WG? You coined the term cyberspace! And a writer who treasures words - well, you can just tell, can't you? My point is, there is just no telling what will appeal to you at any given time. Books are magic like that.
And sometimes, you just have to put a gorgeous dress on the cover. The selection series by Kiera Cass. Oh my God. My inner little girl, paper doll collecting fashionista just HAD to pick this up. And read it. And by golly, read the next 2. Well, I had to find out who is chosen, didn't I? But the point is, the covers. They are just so pretty - with the colors, and the ruffles, and the red hair, and the outline of the tiara. AND, they are perfect for the books, which contain a profusion of dress descriptions to make my heart dance, (there is really little that I like better than costume as character description) and princesses, and love triangles and ALL the things! - so you feel like you totally got what you came for. I found this post from the author about the covers here http://www.kieracass.com/journal/2013/10/1/notes-on-my-covers.html which is really cool, and does not actually mention the designer :( Maybe there was a team? This is a really interesting example of a book cover that actually needed the resources of a publishing house to create. It would have been difficult for an indie designer to pull this one off. Will have to keep my eye out for that.
These books are really fun. But I would never have picked them up, if not for these wonderful covers.