In a perverse turn of events, I have grown weary of the jacket copy and blurbs on books. I started reading back cover copy the other day in my search for some new books, and rejected every single thing. Every thing seemed “meh”. Every thing seemed like something I had read before, and while surely the nuances and originality of each story are to be found within the cover of each book, not much lately has enticed me to try what is between the covers.
Although I am quite sure it’s a phase, it’s an interesting place to be for one who loves to read and acquire books. In some ways it severely restricts the decision making process for acquiring new books. I am left to consider three things. The cover, the publisher, the author. That works for authors and books already on my radar, but not so helpful for the new stuff. I haven’t found that I can judge books by their covers so much as to forgo other information.
When I go through a reading slump, it’s a simple enough thing to take a break and watch TV, and if I need a break from the blog, that’s pretty easily accomplished too, but I haven’t stopped being curious about books and what they might contain. It’s an odd thing when none of the jacket copy is appealing. I think it’s not helped by the fact that I also write summaries for book reviews. I’m tired of those too. Very interesting.
