Judging a book...

I've done a lot of reading in between my writing lately. I need my little escape you know?  I've taken a lot of recommendations from others and have found myself very glad I have given these books a try. Why you ask? Because several of the books I had previously seen on the shelves in Barnes & Noble or Borders and have passed them by. Again you may be asking, but why writer girl? Why not give these great books a try sooner? Simply put, their covers did not catch my eye.  Yes yes I know you're sitting there shaking your head thinking, "Duh,you of *all* people should know not to judge a book by its cover." You're right, but hey, I'm only human! Certain images catch my eye while others make me have unfair preconceived notions about them. I know it's horrible and trust me, I'm happy that I've taken the recommendations at people's word, but it leads me to wonder about my own books should they ever make it to a shelf.  What draws people? Bright colors? Dark and mysterious? Photographs or artist rendered images? I'm sure it's different for everyone and I know people in the industry must research this kind of thing. I'll have to Google around a little and see if there are any statistics out there for the common (wo)man to look at.
All that being said, don't be like me people. Even if a cover doesn't grab you initially, pick up the book and read the blurb, otherwise you could be missing out on some fantastic literature! If that happens, don't say I didn't warn you...