Getting sucked in - Karen Bush
What is it that attracts you to a book, that makes you pick it up and read a little to see if you like it (and if so, then to buy it)? Much has been said here about the importance of getting a book cover right, and when I'm browsing in a bookshop, it's certainly the first thing which catches my eye and makes me look closer. The title may hook me further, but as far as I'm concerned personally, the first pull comes from the appearance of the cover. I've read books which I've loved, but would never have considered if the cover hadn't lured me over and then sucked me into picking them up - Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn is one such. Although I did enjoy reading Shogun many years ago, it was only because I missed the last episode of the mini-series on TV and wanted to know what happened that I bought it - Japanese Samurai stuff isn't something which ordinarily holds any appeal for me. But this ravishingly gorgeous cover (and this picture really does...