Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

has been on my list for a few years. It does not have an attractive cover for sure. This would also work, I think, for the heist prompt!

Hahaha I know I am often repulsed by a book because I hate the cover! But of course I can't think of any right now. (Sara, that book is definitely an ugly cover!!). I say we start a Listopia for this one! I'll do it when I get home tonight if no one else starts one!!

Mostly just find the covers dull or weird.

Slammed
Blindness
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Fang Girl
Bridget Jones's Diary

I must admit that I probably do judge a book by its cover...
I hope someone knows the best book that has an ugly cover. I don't want to go in knowing that I am about to read a bad book.

I feel like this is probably going to be pretty subjective. I just found a listopia titled "Books with Ugly Covers," and another called "Popular Ugly Covers." While I agree that I don't like some of them, I think others are just fine.

Here are the links, if you want to check them out:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

Wow most of those "ugly" covers are covers that I love!!!

A LOT of sci-fi and fantasy, especially from the '70s, '80s, and '90s, has some pretty contemptible covers. Especially those that decide they need a lady in a chain-mail bikini or some other skimpy outfit when such a thing doesn't even feature in the novel proper...

This has been on my TBR list for a while, and every time I glance at it, the artistic, design-conscious part of my brain cries softly.

I was one of the people that suggested this category! Some titles that have been around for a long time have had some bad covers at one time or another.
I would like to read These Old Shades which had a rather frightful cover for the Pan books edition.

Another example is the Ballantine 1988 cover for The Return of the King. Deliciously silly.

Whistling For The Elephants - it is bright orange with a bird and an alligator tail on it. It is the ugliest book I own.

I got Little Boy Blue

I loved Daughter of the Forest , but hate the cover. In fact I think all the covers in that series are ugly so maybe I'll finally read Son of the Shadows .

Anabell wrote: "Mostly just find the covers dull or weird.

Slammed
Blindness
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Fang Girl
[book:Bridget Jones's Diary|2274..."


Bridget Jones is a quick funny read.

I am pretty stoked about this category, because I love to hate ugly covers!
I hate a text-only cover, especially when it has the first sentence of the book on it. What, are you trying to assure me that the book contains words? I'm aware of how books function, thankyouverymuch. A great example: I would like to point out that the first sentence of the book is the same friggin' size as the title! How are you supposed to tell which is which?? (it's a good book, though)
I also can't stand those really popular fantasy novels that have people whose dimensions are just a smidge off. I'm looking at you, original paperback editions of the Wheel of Time series! Imagine meeting these people and their giant heads in real life.
This category is already delighting me with ranting opportunities. ;-)

Christy wrote: "I am pretty stoked about this category, because I love to hate ugly covers!
I hate a text-only cover, especially when it has the first sentence of the book on it. What, are you trying to assure me ..."


I love your enthusiasm!!! I actually feel more invigorated about this category after reading your post :-). (I am not joking!)

I browsed my TBR and finally came across a book that is frequently recommended, but I just don't want to read, because I hate the cover. SO many times I've wanted to delete this book from my TBR list because I don't like the cover. The art just looks so amateurish, makes me worry the book will be amateurish too. So, unless something UGLIER comes along, I think I will read: Archangel

Nadine wrote: "Christy wrote: "I am pretty stoked about this category, because I love to hate ugly covers!
I hate a text-only cover, especially when it has the first sentence of the book on it. What, are you tryi..."

There is some intense neck flexing happening on that cover.

There’s a bookstore near me that sells really old books so I’m sure I’ll find something delightfully tacky.

Maybe the Minotaur book covers would be considered ugly?
The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break
The Minotaur Takes His Own Sweet Time

I totally have the perfect book for this category (at least for me) ...tell me that cover isn't U-G-L-Y!!! (at least creepy ugly)

I don't really pay too much attention to book covers, most professionally published books have ok covers and that's it. But with one book it took me a while to figure out what bothered me about the cover, which actually looked better than most. Then I realised that the book was set during the 1920's but the woman on the cover was styled in a "noir" style, which is more like the 1950's in this case. Very annoying... Not sure if that would be "ugly" enough but at least it's a bigger problem for me than a "mildly ugly" cover.

Sara wrote: "Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts has been on my list for a few years. It ..."

Sara, that book is wonderful! I loved it.

Going through those Goodreads lists, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is pretty meh. If I’m hadn’t heard more about the book, the cover certainly wouldn’t attract me.

The Relive Box and Other Stories is a fairly uninspiring cover as well.

Chinook wrote: "Going through those Goodreads lists, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is pretty meh. If I’m hadn’t heard more about the book, the cover certainly wouldn’t attract me."

That's the book I'm planning to read too. Not so much ugly as just dull and boring.

I've been wanting to read Jitterbug Perfume but always hated cover. Score.

Melissa wrote: "Anabell wrote: "
[book:Bridget Jones's Diary|2274...


Bridget Jones is a quick funny read. "

Oh I like the book but I think this cover is really creepy.... I have been reading murder mysteries lately. That might have something to do with it ;-)

I would definitely go with The Perks of Being a Wallflower for this prompt. Not just this edition, but all the editions of this book has ugly cover, don't now why :(

ran across this terrifying monstrosity at the bookstore last night. But I'm not sure it's enough to convince me to take on Russian literature.

Regarding the Pain of Others

Invisible Monsters

The Mullet: Hairstyle of the Gods

Here's a few cover that I don't like from book on my TRL:

There’s a book called Undiscovered Gyrl and the cover is absolutely horrendous. And yes, it is actually spelled ‘gyrl’ on the cover too

I have been wanting to read A Little Life but the cover really doesn't attract me at all. It actually turns me off a bit.

Sharmon wrote: "I have been wanting to read A Little Life but the cover really doesn't attract me at all. It actually turns me off a bit.
"

I agree! That book gets fantastic reviews, but then I look at it, and ... nope.

I think this begs the question of edition. Like there are books that I personally feel have an ugly cover but maybe not all covers are ugly. So if I take it out of the library what if it's a less ugly covered edition?

Tara wrote: "I think this begs the question of edition. Like there are books that I personally feel have an ugly cover but maybe not all covers are ugly. So if I take it out of the library what if it's a less u..."

I think that still counts.

Sharmon wrote: "I have been wanting to read A Little Life but the cover really doesn't attract me at all. It actually turns me off a bit.
"

Haha yes! I've always hated this cover. Never thought to even see what it was about because of it. I'm so bad at judging books by their covers, but the ones I pick up are usually good!

These are some books that my library added in 2017 that I think have ugly covers. There were pleeeenty of others that I find ugly (mostly romance, crime, a lot of sci-fi) but I wanted to choose one that I wouldn't kick myself trying to finish as well. The titles of these prompted me to look further into them.

I rarely view covers of newer books as ugly. And on the flip side I usually don't pay too much attention to pretty covers (with some exceptions).

But in my opinion, most covers from the 90's and earlier are ugly.

Claire wrote: "These are some books that my library added in 2017 that I think have ugly covers. There were pleeeenty of others that I find ugly (mostly romance, crime, a lot of sci-fi) but I wanted to choose one..."

no kidding those are ugly!! (excluding the first one - that one is just text, looks okay to me) especially the middle three - yikes!

I've picked Summer Sisters by Judy Blume



Not super ugly but just really blah and boring to me. Also, I've been wanting to read it since I picked it up from a used bookstore.

Partly just personal taste, but Christian fiction has a ton of ugly cover options... :-P

I'm reading The Time Machine right now, and my library's audiobook has one of the ugliest covers I've ever seen!

I feel like this is so subjective that you can just pick anything and call it ugly. I'll probably save this prompt for last when I'm running out of time!

When I was younger, I didn't want to read The Hobbit because of the cover. Here's the book I had:

Awful! Especially for a book with some great cover art.

My picks from my bookshelf: Beloved, The Bonesetter's Daughter, and Wuthering Heights

I would suggest Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro. While my edition has a really nice cover I find the latest cover to be so ugly that I hesitate to gift it to people.

I just don't think any covers are ugly *shrug*

A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

Sofie wrote: "I would suggest Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro. While my edition has a really nice cover I find the latest cover to be so ugly that I hesitate to gift it to people.
"

I don't think that cover is ugly, but I've never understood what it has to do with the story. With all the time she spends yammering on about boys playing soccer (yeah, okay, I hated this book), I would expect the cover to be a long shot of a field with boys playing soccer, in background a mansion, in foreground a gazebo or pavilion of some sort. OR, an old abandoned boat lying on the edge of a marsh.

Which cover do you have that you like?

Jackie wrote: "I've been wanting to read Jitterbug Perfume but always hated cover. Score."

I would venture to say most Tom Robbins books have ugly covers, or certain editions of each title have ugly covers. Good idea - thanks.

I'm slotting Trainspotting in for this one. I don't like any of the edition covers.

Ronni wrote: "When I was younger, I didn't want to read The Hobbit because of the cover. Here's the book I had:

Awful! Especially for a book with some gr..."

Lol, I read that exact same book/cover! It was so hideous, I donated it as soon as I was done.