I Judge Books By Their Covers

A huge part of what makes me decided whether or not to read a book is its cover. Sure– if a book has a gorgeous cover, but the inside-flap summary doesn’t appeal to me, I’ll put it down. But, the point is, I wouldn’t have picked up the book in the first place if the cover hadn’t caught my eye, right? Covers have the power to attract or turn off potential readers; I’d say that, most of the time, publishers do a pretty darn good job. Yes, sometimes covers aren’t so great. Today, though, I’ll be spotlighting the best and brightest book covers (in my humble opinion) in different categories. Yes, folks: I’m judging books by their covers.  This will probably be the first in a series of posts on book covers. The awards I’ve selected for this session are as follows:

Overall Best Book Design

Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley (and its sequels)

Just looking at the cover, this book may not seem worthy of the top award. But take a peek on the inside: the start of each chapter has a simple yet compelling silhouette illustration, an elegant border, and a quote from a song or poem. Every detail of this black-and-pink glory fits the story perfectly.

Most Intriguing Cover

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

When I first saw this cover image, I didn’t care what the book was about. I had to read it, period. The stars, the colors, the impending kiss…every element screams, “This book is a must-read!”

Best Depiction of Main Character

Beka Cooper: Terrier by Tamora Pierce

Every detail of Beka Cooper is straight off the pages, from the white stripes on the Puppy uniform to the circling pigeons.

Most Haunting Book Cover

I Am Morgan La Fay by Nancy Springer

This oldie-but-goodie cover is complete with  leaves, lace, swirling colors, a scary castle in the background, and a pretty girl who looks like she could destroy you in an instant. You can tell it’s a fantasy, and you can tell it’s going to be a little creepy. Look at those mismatched eyes…

Bonus: Look-Alike Covers

Heaven Eyes by David Almond and Stravaganza: City of Masks by Mary Hoffman

These covers share the same colors and a “blue eyes gazing intently from over an old brown city scene” theme. I think– just think, mind you– that Heaven Eyes came first, but either could be the copycat. I like the Heaven Eyes cover better, too. I’ve never seen anyone wear as much eye makeup (with the possible exception of Taylor Swift) as the lady on the Stravaganza cover.

 

Review: Heaven Eyes

Yesterday I finished reading Heaven Eyes while waiting for some batteries to charge. 🙂 It was a quick yet very powerful read. Here’s the review…

 

Heaven Eyes by David Almond

Copyright 2000, Delacorte Press

Erin Law and her friends January Carr and Mouse Gullane live in a home for “damaged” (orphaned children) with many others like them. Erin and January plan to run away from the orphanage, which isn’t hard ~ They’ve done it many times before. But this scheme is different, for they are serious about getting their freedom: They’ll sail away down the river on a raft made of old doors. They Erin and January pack there meager belongings and slip out, noticed but unhindered, and get down to the treacherous river. Mouse tags along and insists on coming, despite January’s discouragement. As the three friends cut the raft from it’s tether, a magical journey of discovery begins.

Screaming with terror and exhilaration, the children are swept away from the orphanage by the strong current. They run aground on the Black Middens, an expanse of rotting oil and mud that can have a quicksand-like effect. Getting to more solid ground, Erin, January, and Mouse meet Heaven Eyes, a strange girl who can see beyond the dreary, everyday world to the Paradise that lies beneath.

A beautifully told, moving tale that will leave the reader feelling enlightened and uplifted, Heaven Eyes is another fabulous story from the acclaimed author David Almond. Although sometimes events and feeling seem unclear and unbelievable, things can flow perfectly with a bit of imagination.

Rating: 4 stars

For more information visit http://www.davidalmond.com .

 

Giving the Local Library Some Business

I just realized today, after a visit to my little local library, that I haven’t had a full-fledged trip there in some time. While nosing around in the young adult section, which I had previously considered fully read, I found quite a few fantasy (and other genre) books that looked good, and that I hadn’t read yet. I’ve also started visiting the libraries in neighboring towns.  I now have a fairly large “To Be Taken Out” pile in my mind. Amazingly, I’m getting very interested in genres other than fantasy. 😉 For almost the whole year, I’ve been on an anti-library streak, only reading books that I’d purchased. I’m trying to get off that now. To celebrate this development, I though I’d list the four books I got. Unfortunately, the library limit is four books taken out at a time…

1. Swordbird by Nancy Yi Fan: Apparently this book was written by a girl about my age! I thought I’d read it to encourage by dream to become a writer. Also, I’m trying to expand my reading interests to encompass genres I normally would have snubbed; this one’s an animal fantasy.
2. The Riddles of Epsilon by Christine Morton-Shaw: Seems like a perfectly chilling read. I suppose I could have waited til Halloween and read it as a toast to the season, but it just looked to good to wait. If you had a free slice of cake plopped in front of you, would you wait for a more appropriate season to eat it?
3. Heaven Eyes by David Almond: It seems like Mr. Almond is a very highly acclaimed author! The library had quite  a selection of his works. This one looked like a good one to start on, the cover is absolutely gorgeous.
4. Silver Phoenix: Beyond the Kingdom of Xia by Cindy Pon: Pretty cover, intriguing teaser, interesting subject, and it’s your favorite genre ~ What more could a reader want? This one just jumped out at me from the shelf.

 

I can’t wait to dig in!