I remember seeing someone reading Mistborn in one of my college classes (back in 2010) and while the cover intrigued me, I thought nothing of it. TWO YEARS LATER, I saw it on my older brother's bookshelf and asked him about it. He said it was awesome. Still skeptical, I read the back cover ("Once, a hero arose to save the world... He failed.") and THAT'S what hooked me.
And now I have an entire shelf on my bookcase just for Brandon's books.