i totally judge a book by its cover.

My biggest problem when I go to the book store is that I have very specific criteria that need to be met before I purchase a book.

1. It has to be paperback (b/c I read on the bus and hardcovers are just to0 heavy to carry around).
2. It has to be less than $15 (Suze Orman said that buying books new is one of the biggest wastes of money, but I simply cannot help myself when I walk past a Books, Inc.).
3. It cannot have an Oprah's Book Club sticker on it (Did you know they are actually PRINTING the stickers on the book cover now? You can't peel those suckers off anymore.)
4. It has to have a cool cover (Yes, I know. But I like a cool cover, ok?)

Well, I broke my 3 of my own rules recently. A couple weeks ago, I was standing in an airport bookstore getting ready to hop on a plane for Costa Rica. I needed a good beach read and my friend Denise told me I should buy "Daughter of Fortune" by Isabel Allende. Actually, "told" me is putting it mildly. She put it in my hand and said, "You HAVE to read my favorite book. Read it! DO it. You'll love it. I swear."

Ok, the book was $17 (rule 2), it had a big ol' Oprah seal of approval on it (rule 3) and I HATED the cover (rule 4). It's this cheesy picture of a woman who looks suspiciously like Catherine Zeta Jones and I have a thing against CZJ, I really do. It could be b/c I think she is stunning, but I think it has more to do with the fact that I think she seems like a real bitch in interviews.

So, against my better judgment (and the fact that I needed to catch my flight.....and the fact that she was was very forceful and was kinda scaring me), I bought it.

And. I. Seriously. Love. It. A review will certainly follow as soon as I finish.

So, thanks Denise, for making me break all my own rules.