By Its Cover is my completely independent 2-part book review column. Selections are made based entirely on the book's cover. I'm testing the old saying in my quest to find new authors.
Title: Love and Other Near Death Experiences
Author: Mil Millington
I worked with a guy named Mil once. He was Turkish, looked good in red, talked about laundering money, and was 6'5". I felt incredibly short next to him. Anyway, though it's probably a pen name, in this case, or I feel extraordinarily sad for the poor guy, I got it because of the author's name.
It's British pop-trendy near chick-lit. I can't imagine what guy would read it despite the fact that the main character is a guy. It's similar to the last book I reviewed, which I why I hesitated to use it, I do read more than fluff...or intended to. However the genre's flashy covers stand out in shelves of worn-spine classics.
So far, and this is no Yank-bias, Stupid and Contagious was better. These books are heavy on conversation, and it needs to be short and quirky. This lingers, the way a real convo would, but you don't want to read real convos. It fumbles a little in the prose areas, too. And it's not helped by the fact that I'm simul-reading Persuasion by Jane Austen.
Full review to come.
