Titles, etc.
I went on my book binge today! It's very strange: some days I'll go to the bookstore and find absolutely nothing I want, while other days I'll find way too many new books and agonize over what to buy. Luckily, today I had the latter experience! Here's what I eventually decided on: (1) Maria V. Snyder, Storm Glass, (2) Daphne Du Maurier, Frenchman's Creek, and (3) Marie Brennan, Midnight Never Come. I've read Frenchman's Creek before, so I already know I'll like it, and I really enjoyed Snyder's "Study" series, so I have high hopes for Storm Glass. Plus, the cover art for all three books is quite striking:
And speaking of cover art: we all know we're not supposed to judge a book by its cover. But what about judging one by its title? Normally I'll make my selections by reading the online reviews and the cover blurb of a book - but I won't even take it off the shelf if its title doesn't interest me. Sometimes the title ends up being the only thing I like about the book! Today I was struck by two titles, Water, Stone, Heart by Will North and The Collector of Worlds by Iliya Troyanov. Although both books look somewhat interesting, I wasn't tempted to buy them. And I still remember one particular title I saw by chance in a bookstore: The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things by JT LeRoy. I've never read the book, and I probably never will. But I can't help it - great titles resonate with me. And similarly, of course, lame titles make me extremely unwilling to read a book. I think I might be overly swayed by this stuff. :)