They say don’t judge a book by it’s cover, but so often I ignore this advice preferring instead to do exactly that.
Cover art is the thing that draws my attention in the first instance, if it is clearly chick-lit adorned with high heels, coffee cups, lipstick or other fanciful nonsense designed to attract female readers then I avoid it like the plague, I can’t be doing with all that girly tosh, I also tend to avoid covers that don’t inspire me much. Then the title of a book is what interests me next and finally I will read the back cover blurb. If after all three I am still keen, I will buy and eventually (given my history as a possessor of many unread books) I will read the book.
The cover of The Mine is, I must admit, not the sort of cover that would normally draw me in. I could also likely say that the title of the book in all its simplicity gives nothing away to attract attention to the content – thinks “oh a book about a mine, nice” and passes it by…
Well, this attitude would clearly have led to missing out on a great read in this instance had I let my normal ‘judge a book by it’s cover’ lead the way – thank fully I didn’t and I sat down to read the mine on my Iphone – another rarity in itself, I hate reading books in digital formats generally, much preferring to physically hold a ‘real’ book.
So, how did The Mine manage to succeed where so many have failed? – In grabbing my interest and holding it, especially in digital form!? Continue reading
