Middleton Public Library discussion

A lot of the story focused on design, typography, and the details of physical versions of books. Is there a book that you love, simply because of its physical traits (cover art, font, overall design/layout, smell, etc.)? Do you abide by the “don’t judge a book by its cover” rule?

I definitely judge books by their covers, and there are books that I've bought purely for their pretty covers (I can't stand Nora Roberts but I keep buying her books because they're so shiny and beautiful). I think font also plays a big role in how readable a book is, and I've had books where the spacing was too crowded or the font was awful, and that made the reading process so much more laborious and less enjoyable. I personally love the trend of more books having graphic design in them because I think that makes the reading experience more interactive than just staring at a text block.

While I also love self published or indie books, I think there's a subtle message that a book with a more professional cover has had more people put effort into it, which often translates into a better book. There are certainly lots of good books with bad covers and the inverse of that, but I have to say, I'm a sucker for pretty cover.

My favorite cover (and book) of 2016 is probably Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal, which looks like this: