Booking Through Thursday: Blurb: 10/29/09

Something I've been thinking about lately: "What words/phrases in a blurb make a book irresistible? What words/phrases will make you put the book back down immediately?"

I'm not much of a blurb reader. The books I read tend to be hardbacks that have long since lost their dust jackets or are so old they were never printed with a dust jacket. I am more attracted by cover art, book design and book title than I am blurbs.

The time where I rely on blurbs most is when I am pitched books to review on my blog. Then I read the blurbs and I make up my mind based on them.

Below are a few books that I picked to read this year based on their blurbs. All except Bronte's Book Club were review books.

The Books I Read Because of Blurbs:

Falling into the Sun by Charrie Hazzard:
"After discovering her neighbor's suicide, Kate Nardek realizes that the same kind of despair that spurred her neighbors self-destruction fuels her teenage son's violent blowups. She seeks psychological help for him, a decision that changes both their lives. In her quest to vanquish her son's demons, Kate must face down her own, and consequently rethink her beliefs about mental illness, good and evil, death, and her own self-worth. Michael's journey parallels Kate's as his soul flies into the center of creation. There, he discovers something has noted every twist of his life. This being's perfect knowledge generates the healing salve of perfect compassion. If Michael confronts the truth behind violent episodes in his recent life, he too can learn compassion. Gripping, poetic, and powerfully uplifting, Falling into the Sun explores spiritual truths of Hindu, Native American, and Christian traditions as it tenderly grapples with the generational legacy of alcoholism and mental illness."

Bronte's Book Club by Kristiana Gregory:
"Bronte Bella had just moved to sunny California from her mountain town in New Mexico. Living right by a beach is wonderful, but word-loving, quirky Bronte is worried she won't fit in. She starts a book club to make new friends, but at first no one comes in this story about trust and friendship."

The Chemist by Janson Mancheski:
"Last spring, three girls went missing. Nothing linked the cases except a frustrating lack of clues or motive. Then, one of them turned up headless in Lake Michigan pumped full of date rape drugs. Detective Cale Van Waring doesn't have proof, but he knows the girls are being abducted. Now, spring has returned, and so has Van Waring's invisible kidnapper. Another girl is missing, but this time Van Waring finds a spotty trail. With his boss on his back and his girlfriend threatening to leave unless he commits, Van Waring struggles to put the pieces together before another girl ends up missing—or dead."

Diary of a Dead Man by Walter Krumm:
"Entering the hotel room that first day of June, Cameron Taylor anticipated the culmination of a passionate affair with a mysterious woman named Emily. Instead he found only her lifeless body. To preserve his reputation and to avoid being wrongly accused, Cameron is forced to cover up a crime he did not commit. However, the grisly burial in the basement slab of lot ninety-six is only the beginning. Someone is watching. Pictures are taken. Blackmail.

"To fight for his freedom, he will face the very source of temptation that put him in jeopardy to begin with. It is a temptation he desperately needs to resist.

"As this fast-paced thriller unfolds, Cameron must navigate through a dark maze of lies, murder, and intrigue that threatens not only his own life but also the lives of his wife and children."

Legs Talk by D. E. Boone:
"In the most ORIGINAL book of its kind, author D.E. Boone take you on a very humorous and visual journey into the world of dating. A tale of girl meets guy, falls for guy, and finds out he's not what he said he was. As normal as this story sounds, it's anything but. This sassy black and white picture book is told from the waist down.

"Legs Talk is a quirky gift book for adults. Photographs of a model's legs take you on this relationship voyage from beginning to end. The pictures tell the story, but the captions pack the wallop! Legs Talk makes a truly unique gift for friends, family and anyone going through a break up.

"If you're fed up with the dating scene and need a good laugh about it, Legs Talk is the book for you.

"Put on your heels, and take this ride on the rocky road of romance. You will be glad you did. "

booking through thursday

Comments (16)

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Comment #1: Thursday, October, 29, 2009 at 13:41:22

Bluestocking

Yeah, it's more the whole paragraph for me rather than individual words. Here is mine

Comment #2: Friday, October 30, 2009 at 18:48:18

Pussreboots

I'm more impulsive with titles and cover art than I am with a few keywords snatched from a blurb.

Comment #3: Thursday, October, 29, 2009 at 13:52:39

JLS Hall

"Falling Into the Sun" is a great title. And the book sounds interesting, too - this is the first I've heard of it.

Comment #4: Friday, October 30, 2009 at 18:53:50

Pussreboots

Falling into the Sun was a difficult read for me in parts but I'm glad I stuck with it.

Comment #5: Thursday, October, 29, 2009 at 14:58:40

Amy Reads Good Books

Great response!! I agree. . .I think that I'm usually more swayed by the cover art than by blurbs.

Comment #6: Friday, October 30, 2009 at 18:56:47

Pussreboots

If the question had been about cover art, I could have easily named a couple dozen books I've purchased by cover art alone.

Comment #7: Thursday, October, 29, 2009 at 16:16:59

Tara SG

I passed along the One Lovely Blog Award to you!! You can get it here!

Tara SG
25hourbooks.com

Comment #8: Friday, October 29, 2009 at 19:00:00

Pussreboots

Thank you for the award. I am thinking about which blogs to pass it along to.

Comment #9: Thursday, October, 29, 2009 at 17:06:34

Karoline

Diary of a Dead Man actually caught my eye. I have to admit sometimes cover art attracts my attention too. :)

Comment #10: Friday, October 30, 2009 at 19:04:43

Pussreboots

I have to admit that the title first caught my attention with Diary of a Dead Man but the blurb sold me on it.

Comment #11: Thursday, October, 29, 2009 at 19:45:40

Jennifer

Cover art and title are big for me too, although I find they're often misleading. I guess you have to start somewhere though. :-)

Comment #12: Thursday, October 5, 2009 at 09:46:15

Pussreboots

I don't mind misleading cover art or titles unless it fundamentally opposes the novel in some way.

Comment #13: Thursday, October, 29, 2009 at 22:32:02

Novroz

Sometimes I also pick a book based on the cover art...sometime it works sometime it doesn't.

Comment #14: Thursday, October 5, 2009 at 09:50:13

Pussreboots

I've been pretty lucky with the books I've picked for cover alone.

Comment #15: Friday, October, 30, 2009 at 11:54:21

gautami tripathy

I like the books you mentioned here!

Comment #16: Thursday, October 5, 2009 at 09:53:23

Pussreboots

Thanks. You and I seem to have very similar tastes when it comes to books.