Hilarie
Musing Mondays are a weekly meme hosted by Rebecca at Just One More Page. This week Rebecca asks:

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about book covers…

We all know the old adage about not judging a book by it’s cover, but just how much sway does a book cover have when it comes to your choice of book – whether buying or borrowing? Are there any books you’ve bought based on the cover alone?

I hate to admit it, but I do think a cover can have a series impact on the success on a particular book. I say this because there have been a few occasions when I have received a book to review and put off reading it because it doesn't have a particularly flashy cover. Of course, often after reading the book, I find myself pleasantly surprised. However, no matter how many times this happens, I still find that I haven't completely learned my lesson because I keep making the same mistake again. I also have bought more than a few books because of a flashy cover. A few that specifically come to mind are:

I've also noticed that some covers also stand out because they seem sort of wrong for the book. The best example I can think of is the cover of my newest copy of Persuasion by Jane Austen:

This is a lovely cover, but makes absolutely no sense in my opinion. I find it very unlikely that any of the female characters in Persuasion would be wandering the fields in bare feet. Despite the fact that I obviously know better, I have no doubt that book covers will continue to influence me in the future. What about you?