Judging a Book By Its Cover
Today I'm going to talk about some book covers from books coming out this year. They say "Don't judge a book by its cover" and I don't, but I will at least pick up and look at a book because of a cover that catches my eye. I admit to not having great taste when it comes to trends in color and design, but I know what I like when I see it. And I'm sharing that with you, today.
Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare - This is the first in a series, but the series is like, fourth in a series of series. They all share characters and whatnot, so I probably won't read it. I haven't read any of the others. But I do like this pretty cover. I like the gate in the background and the swirl of leaves.
The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu - I like the colors and the tree image. I like that the words appear to be lit. I have no idea what this book is about.
The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller - I like the red and black and the fancy scrollwork on the background and the sword hilt. I'm not sure that the font of the title matches the rest of it, but it's not enough to deter me from enjoying the overall effect.
Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty - This scrollwork is simpler, but man I love a good doorway. I love the Middle Eastern feel of the tilework around the doorway.
Igniting Darkness by Robin LaFevers - More fancy scrollwork, another sword. This one changes it up by putting it on a white background. Nice touch.
Night of the Dragon by Julie Kagawa - Purple is my favorite color. The more I look at this cover, the more fun details I see. Like the cherry blossoms around the edges, the dragon images in smoke. Very nice.
The Queen's Assassin by Melissa de la Cruz - I'm digging those black roses!
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel - What a pretty watercolor look!
A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende - More watercolors. Plus shiny bits. I really like this cover that isn't really of anything. It's just a pattern.
The Ancestor by Danielle Trusoni - It's purple. There's a mountain. And a castle. This book was designed for me.
Creatures by Crissy Van Meter - I think those are drawings of sea critters, but it's hard to tell. I don't normally like drawn covers as opposed to photographs, but I like this one.
Miss Austen by Gill Hornby - Right after I say I don't like hand drawn covers, I pick this drawing of a hibiscus. It's simple. It's purple. Very good.
Westering Women by Sandra Dallas - Ok. I don't care for pictures of women with no faces, but the scene in the background is fabulous. It looks like the scenery in western Texas/Oklahoma and Eastern Colorado/New Mexico.
The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner - More people with no faces, but I like the flowers around the border and the little peek of Chawton House.
Greenwood by Michael Christie - There just aren't enough book covers with trees and forests on. Forests are my jam. This isn't really a forest, but it looks like it might have been once.
The Tenant by Katrine Engberg - The street light with the windows behind it is an interesting angle. I love to look at the outsides of people's dwelling spaces. I don't know why. I'm weird that way.
Here are some covers that I don't care for:
(I don't know why Goodreads is making some of these larger. Way larger.)
So what have we learned from this exercise? I don't particularly care for people on my covers, but if the rest of it is good, I'll like it. I like detailed, fancy, gates and ironwork, etc. I like mountains and trees and the color purple. I don't like close ups of faces, hand drawn artwork, cartoons. And I don't like my eyesight messed with more than it is naturally.
Tell me some of your favorite covers.