Have you ever read a book just for the cover or title? Have you ever just randomly grabbed a book and decided to read it? I don’t usually do that. I tend to over-research when I am looking for something new to buy. If I don’t go that route, it is usually a recommendation from friends.
One time, though, I was in a large book store (I forget which, but it was a big one like Barnes & Noble), and none of the books on my to-buy list were there. Rather than leave empty-handed, I decided to look over the spines and pick one that lured me. I found Noir by K.W. Jeter. Now, this may illustrate my own failings since before then, I did not even know about K.W. Jeter. Allow me to apologize for this. But I saw the title, the aesthetic of the cover, and I thought, ‘if it’s called Noir, it had better be good.’ I figured the author was pretty ballsy to use that title, so I felt it was worth the chance.
It did not disappoint. I was blown away, and it has become one of my favorite novels. Not only that, but it obviously led to my learning of Jeter, and I have since gotten more of his works.
I am somewhat cynical when it comes to covers, but I am less so regarding titles. In my opinion, the titles and cover should be representative of the contents of the story; however, it’s an abstract. The results of this will vary from person to person. Some publishers also have control over the cover image, title, blurb, etc. so it may be a less sincere marketing effort. Of course, we have to glean new readers somehow, right? Titles and cover art work in that effort.
So, do you ever just randomly pick a book? If so, how do you make your choice?
Dance of the Butterfly 
I always read the first page. Recently, I haven’t gotten to the second page of most books I check out.
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I have not done that. I will typically open the book to random points and read a bit.
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The only book I bought strictly on the title and cover was Dean Koontz’s Phantoms. Back in 1983 I was traveling for business and in the Toronto Airport, I had about 10 minutes before my flight, saw the cover and thought it was Science Fiction. It obviously isn’t, but what a great way to be introduced to Dean Koontz.
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I just did this! I randomly grabbed a red and black covered book solely b/c it was within reach while waiting in line for a beer (yes my favorite book store has a microbrewery in it). The book was Battle Royal by Koushun Takami, I started reading it while waiting to order. 6 hours later and I had forgotten about my now warm wheat lager and had spent the entire day in a book store reading. I ended up paying for the book I had finished while in the store.
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That is a huge find for being random. Thanks for sharing.
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