Looking back on my past year of reading, I’ve come to some decisions.

I will no longer buy a book based on book buzz and cover design. This will be hard. But I will wait.

Too many times this year I just had to, I mean just had to read certain books. The premise interested me. The book had a rockin’ cover. The kind you want to hold next to you and stroke the pretty picture on and off during the day. And the book got major buzz. Call me a sucker.

Okay, sometimes this paid off. Most recently I bought these three books for the previously mentioned reasons and it paid off. I loved them!

Sadly, there were several books I purchased for previously mentioned reasons and they disappointed. I shoulda waited. I shoulda read the reviews because it turns out I wasn’t the only one who had certain issues with them. I shoulda gone with my gut when I read the first page and didn’t get that confirmation of insta-love.

That’s not to say these books were badly written or weren’t entertaining. I finished them.

On the other hand, I will be willing to try books that have a terrible cover. As in at least read the first chapter, especially if it’s at my library!

Because I almost missed out on this incredible book.

(Seriously? Is that the best cover they could come up with?)

And, okay, here’s my confession. I’ve had this one arc for a few months. I didn’t even read the first page because the cover was so unappealing and I didn’t get the title at all. When I finally opened it, I didn’t make it past the first page. It wasn’t the book. It was me. It’s the kind of book I need to give more than a page. But sometimes I end up loving those kinds of books.

Can you guess which book I’ve shrugged off for months?

Yeah, that’s right. I feel like such a schmuck.