You can't judge a book by its cover

I get a thrill when I see a book like this on the library shelf. I'm old enough to remember the days before beautiful book covers. Some books had covers but many, many looked just like this. I have enjoyed hours and hours of blissful reading holding a book that had nothing special on the outside.

Now, most books have wonderful, evocative covers. But they disappoint me over and over again. I've bought or borrowed way too many books that promised lovely writing, great stories, lasting treasures inside, but failed, and failed miserably to live up to that promise. The design people seem to be the stars of books, rather than the writers.

But still, once in a while, I am delighted to find that the words are equal to the cover.