Meeting half way

Train chaos this weekend (surprise), with the result that I'd read the poetry I'd taken with me by the time I got to York. Not to worry - I nipped into Borders and scanned the shelves in the poetry section. Now, I'm not likely to struggle to find something there to interest me, as may be obvious. But I was struck by the extent to which finding the books on offer interesting depended on my knowledge and enthusiasm, rather than any particularly compelling presentation. If I didn't recognise the names, one slim volume with blurb would seem much like another.

In the end, I settled for Daljit Nagra's Look We Have Coming to Dover! and Jamie McKendrick's Crocodiles & Obelisks. Largely based on the writer's reputations and what I've read of them already, but partly based on great titles and (in Crocodilse & Obelisks' case) one of the most beautifully coloured covers I've seen in ages. When choosing books, I reserve the right to be shallow - not that I think there's anything shallow about liking beautiful things...