A Game Of Book Covers ft. Your Tita Kate

You’ll be lying to yourself if you say that you’ve never judged a book by it’s cover. We all consciously or unconsciously do it and sometimes buy a book solely because of that gorgeous cover. And you know what, it’s okay. That is exactly why so much time and effort is spent on book covers.

But how much can you exactly tell about a book by it’s cover? Maybe the genre and a vague idea of the plot but not much, right?

Today I’m playing a fun little game with my wonderful friend Kate 🙂

Kate is an awesome person who runs a book blog as well as a booktube channel so you totally need to go check out both her platforms!

Kate and I both chose 5 books that the other person has never heard or seen of and then we took a guess at what those books were about. There were some giggles and surprises in store for us as we tried and mostly failed at this game.

Books Charvi Chose for Kate

Every Ugly Word

Kate’s thoughts: I feel like this is a teen book about bullying??? Or perhaps a Snow White retelling?

What the book is about: You’re actually right about Every Ugly Word, at least a bit. It talks heavily about teen bullying while also being a sort of urban fantasy. I really would love to read this if someone wrote it as a Snow White retelling too.

Too Close to Home

Kate’s thoughts: a murder mystery that takes place somewhere in that part of America where it’s all cornfields, racists, and serial killers

What the book is about: Haha it’s certainly a murder mystery somewhere in which a family is slaughtered and the family was living right next to the main characters’ house. And maybe the killers other wrong house… I’m snorting as I imagine the cornfields in this scenario though XD

Words on Bathroom Walls

Kate’s thoughts: okay wait no this is the one that seems like a teen novel about bullying?

What the book is about: Oh no, Words On Bathroom Walls is not about bullying even though the MC is kind of a loner who gets harassed a couple of times but the book on a whole revolves around something much more different. It’s about a boy named Adam who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and is never able to tell apart what is real and unreal but with the help if some drugs he starts getting better. He even makes friend with a new girl but then the drugs start failing and he’s desperate to jeep his dark secret hidden away from the girl as he struggles. It’s a pretty great book, especially a great introduction to schizophrenia.

500 Words or Less

Kate’s thoughts: I’m choosing to believe this is f/f romance about note-passing told in epistolary form

What the book is about: I would give anything to read an epistolary f/f note-passing novel but sadly it’s far from it. The plot basically revolves around a biracial mc who recently went through a breakup and lost her friends and in order to get back her reputation she starts writing college application letters for all her classmates. I know, sounds insane! She battles racism through her journey and starts questioning who she really is. Plus the book is actually written in prose.

The Marriage Clock

Kate’s thoughts: a desi girl rebelling against her marriage-minded parents?

What the book is about: Okay The Marriage Clock is kind of the opposite of what you just suggested. Leila’s parents want to get her married off but Leila dreams of a life where live comes before the marriage so everyone comes on an arrangement wherein she has a 3 month deadline to find herself a husband failing which she’ll have to agree to let her parents arrange a husband for her. It’s pretty much mission impossible!

Books Kate Chose for Charvi

How She Likes It

Charvi’s thoughts: This cover gives me such mystery thriller vibes but the title gives rom-com vibes? I’m so confused. Okay so maybe the girl disappears and the guy has to figure out how the girl liked certain things in life in order to find her?

What the book is about: CEO of a makeup company has a one-night stand with a guy who then applies for the position of her PA the following morning. Of course, they fall in love. Lmao.

Mango Summer

Charvi’s thoughts: If the only mango in this book is in it’s title I’m gonna be mad. Total It’s such a cute cover it looks like maybe these two cuties bond over mangoes??

What the book is about: The owner of a mango orchard is worried that her trees won’t produce crop for that year because there’s an old legend that the owner of the orchard has to have kids in order for the mangoes to grow. She considers getting into a relationship with a convenient guy (her best friend’s younger brother) and wonders if she should have kids with him, but realizes her happiness shouldn’t be dependent on marrying or having kids and just being content with who she is. The mangoes sprout the next season and she discovers that the magic is all about being truly happy and content, and it was just that her ancestors’ happiness was tied to marriage and children and hers isn’t.

Love At First Run

Charvi’s thoughts: Okay this one seems straightforward enough – boy and girl or maybe boy and boy or girl and girl are running and crash into each other or just see each other and they’re in love. Boom.

What the book is about: It’s how a woman learns to turn to running marathons in order to process her emotions and stress and falls in love with her running coach.

A Conspiracy Of Stars

Charvi’s thoughts: I’m digging that cover! So it looks like a sci-fi book? So the main characters have to go into the universe and figure out something about the stars and their alignment to save the world? Idk I’m just guessing.

What the book is about: In this book, humans have migrated to another planet with an indigenous population. The human government have come up with a plan to try and take over that planet from the indigenous species and it’s up to a teenage girl studying to be a scientist who discovers that she has a telepathic connection with the indigenous species to stop them.

Brave Enough

Charvi’s thoughts: I have literally no clue. Looks like YA Contemporary? The girl is maybe into art and has to be brave enough to let the world see her art? I don’t know, the cover gives me an artsy vibe.

What the book is about: A ballerina is diagnosed with bone cancer and has to learn how to be a dancer again after her amputation. She’s helped by a former drug addict she meets at her clinic who is slowly overcoming addiction.

So turns out that I’m not the best person to go to when you want to guess what a book is about just looking at the cover and title…

Well that’s what blurbs are for. Anyway, I had a really fun time playing this game with Kate and I hope to bring more such game posts on the blog if that’s something you all would be interested in reading 🙂

What did you think about this post? Were you able to make some correct deductions from the book covers? How many of you buy a book by just looking at it’s cover and title? Are any of you interested in playing this game with me? Feel free to let me know!