maybe sometimes it's ok to judge a book by its cover

We were told early on to never judge a book by it's cover. Of course, this English idiom, according to Wikipedia, is a metaphorical phrase which means "you shouldn't prejudge the worth or value of something, by its outward appearance alone."

Now, literally speaking, we shouldn't discount a book just because its cover is ugly is hideous isn't pleasing to the eye.

I've been known to break this rule every now and then.

I'm not a picky reader. If you recommend a book saying it's good, chances are I'd add it to my reading list and get to it sooner or later. I do have specific genres I stick to. I'm a fan of all things romance (I mean, come on, who isn't?) and chick-lits. However, my ultimate favorite would be suspense, mystery and crime; mostly law (John Grisham, etc.), forensics and police work (Tess Gerritsen, JD Robb, etc.).

I also read young adult fiction - I literally grew up with JK Rowling's Harry Potter (which is THE ultimate, in my own opinion). And I'm a fan of Rick Riordan's books, too. I read a few fantasy books, such as Abbi Glines' Existence Trilogy, but that's about it.

I was never a fan of Dystopian novels, until about recently. And even now, I'm still not sure if I'm a fan per se, but I do enjoy it.

The first Dystopia-type books I've read was the Hunger Games Trilogy, and I was a bit late in that. I had no actual plans of reading it, but last month, I finally gave in. It opened up a whole new world for me, and that was the start of my Dystopian adventure. Friends gave me more recommendations, starting with Veronica Roth's Divergent, and Lauren Oliver's Delirium Series.

I preferred to choose on my own, though. I was still undecided when I saw Kiera Cass' The Selection. Now, if you've seen this book, then you can see why I was attracted to the cover.

Isn't it pretty?

So I read it because the cover was nice, and I continued reading it (even finishing the 2nd book and the novella) because the story was good.

This is a very Dystopian month for me. After Kiera Cass, I moved to to Ally Condie's Matched Trilogy, Rick Yancey's The 5th Wave (sadly, I didn't like this), Suzanne Young's The Program, and the first two books of Marie Lu's Legend Trilogy.

Dystopia aside, I also discovered lots of authors this way. I've been "judging" books by its covers way back, and from time to time, I'd pick up a book with an author I've never heard of. And despite being unfamiliar with the author and the way he/she writes, I'd read that book because I liked the cover. If I didn't like the book, then no harm, no foul. But if I did, then I can add another author to my must-reads. I think it's a win-win situation for me.

So maybe, just maybe, sometimes, something good comes out of judging a book by it's cover after all.