14 January 2010

Booking Through Thursday: Flapper? Or Not?

Suggested by Prairie Progressive:

Do you read the inside flaps that describe a book before or while reading it?

You mean the blurb? Doesn’t everyone? (Judging by some of the other responses, apparently not.) I always read it before reading the book; if I’m browsing at a library or book sale, the back cover (or inside flap) is how I determine whether or not to read a particular book. A tempting blurb can induce me to read a book I’ve never heard of.

In fact, I can’t imagine reading a book without reading the cover first! Perhaps that would be an interesting library experiment to try: ignore the blurb and dive in unprepared.

6 comments:

Nise' said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Nise' said...

It might be fun to do what we normally don't do when choosing a book. It could be a challenge!

Jennifer said...

No, I do not read the flap. My answer: http://www.rundpinne.com/2010/01/booking-through-thursday-14-january.html

Alayne said...

Same here! I love reading the flaps.
Alayne - The Crowded Leaf.

Marie Cloutier said...

I flap when there's a flap to flap but I read a lot of paperbacks so it's not always possible! I like getting a little head start on what's going on and usually find the summaries don't give away too much. :-) I can't imagine not reading it either- how else do you find out what it's about if you're browsing, LOL! :-)

Amat Libris said...

Nise': I think the next time I go to the library I might try picking out a few books on cover and title alone! Could be fun, or a total disaster.

Jennifer: Then you're one of the people I don't understand!

Alayne: Me too; I can't leave any bit of a book unread.

Marie: That's exactly what I thought when I read the question!

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Header image shows detail of A Young Girl Reading by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, c. 1776