BTT: Cover-up

From Booking Through Thursday:

While acknowledging that we can't judge books by their covers, how much does the design of a book affect your reading enjoyment? Hardcover vs. softcover? Trade paperback vs. mass market paperback? Font? Illustrations? Etc.?

It used to matter a lot. For a while I did most of my reading while carrying our son in a sling. He used to love sleeping that way and often slept for two hours. The sling left my hands free and I used that time for reading. As you can imagine, I really preferred small, light paperbacks at that point.

Now my favourite format is trade paperback. Trade paperbacks and hardcovers are usually most pleasant to read, as they often have slightly larger type. I have pretty good eyes, but still - larger type is more pleasing to read. Trade paperbacks beat hardcovers in weight, so they offer the best mix of features.

Airy, clear fonts are the best. Illustrations are usually a good thing, but I can live without. Maps I like a lot (thanks, BooksPlease, for reminding me of that).

As I mooch most of the books I read, I don't choose, I just grab whatever I can get. Given a choice, I would choose a trade paperback.