Cover Talk: Other Covers

One of more interesting cover-related things is how books get different covers in different countries. Sometimes there are only slight changes, but a lot of times a different country/language warrants a whole new cover that better appeals to that particular market. I've seen other bloggers (most recently ComaCalm's Corner) do similar cover comparison posts and today I'm going to look at different foreign covers for a few YA novels, discussing which ones I like best and which looks like it fits the story best.

Book #1: Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi

Top: American; Left: French; Right: German.

I've never been a huge fan of the American cover of this book; it's very glitz-and-glam for a book that's incredibly bleak. The French cover captures that bleakness (and also, with the stars, the poetry of the novel and of Juliette's character, I think) so much better. And while the German cover is undeniably beautiful, it's a bit too bright for how I imagine the setting of the story. My choice: French, which translates to "do not touch me," according to Google.

Book #2: Twenty Boy Summer, by Sarah Ockler

Top: American; Left: Dutch; Right: German

This is a tricky one, because here's the truth: I like all three of these covers. But at the same time, I'm not sure that any of them are as eye-catching and pretty as I'd like or capture the story as well as I want. I like the symbolism of the American cover because the colored sea glass is a pretty big part of the story. Meanwhile the Dutch version, with the couple walking on the beach, is pretty and simple but not so unique. The German cover isn't at all what I'd expect from this book, but I really like it; it's cute and bright and the girl reminds me of main character Anna, especially near the end of the book. My choice: German, which according to Google Translate means "the stars still shine." (love that)

Book #3: The Fault In Our Stars, by John Green

Top: American; Left: Dutch; Right: German

Ah, another interesting one. On the whole (aside from the Dutch cover) these all seem a bit... bright... for The Fault In Our Stars, which is at best a melancholy book. That said, I absolutely love the German cover, even if I don't think it's totally 100% spot-on. My choice: German, which Google Translate tells me translates to "is the fate of a dirty traitor."

Book #4: The Future Of Us, by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

Top: American; Left: Spanish; Right: Danish

The American cover doesn't quite work with me, despite the fact that I like the inclusion of binary code. The Spanish cover has models that, at least in my mind, look like Emma and Josh, but doesn't really get at what the book itself is about. The Danish cover, on the other hand, isn't perfect, but has a sort of 90s-zine look and incorporates the technology of the book. My choice: Danish, which translates to "yesterday today tomorrow." Or something.

I should note that the fact that I didn't choose any American versions doesn't mean I don't like American covers. But sadly, many of the books with covers I love haven't been translated into other languages (and if they have the cover hasn't been changed much.) So, which covers are your favorite?

Cover Talk: Paperback Swap

Visiting the topic of covers once again, I wanted to talk about hardcover-to-paperback changes. You know what I mean. When the hardcover of a book has a great, artistic, stunning cover and then the paperback comes out and... what? Generic photo of a pretty girl glancing off to the side wistfully as her hair blows around her face? Yeah. Fortunately that's not the only kind of hardcover-to-paperback cover swap that happens, but it is the kind that bothers me most. So today we're looking at dramatic cover changes of books that I love.

Book #1: If I Stay, by Gayle Forman

One of the worst offenders. And the truly sad thing is that, not only does hardcover of the sequel (Where She Went) match the paperback cover, but the paperback, generic as it looks, actually fits the story. Which sort of diminishes this very beautiful, moving story of love and family and difficult choices and makes it seem, instead, like the basis for a Lifetime Original Movie. The book is so much better than that. My choice: hardcover.

Book #2: Bunheads, by Sophie Flack

This one is a bit trickier. Confession: I didn't like the original cover the first time I saw it. I was looking at the book from a distance and couldn't quite tell that those are dancers (and not, like, weird flowers) on the cover. But, after I saw the cover up close I realized that it's actually pretty awesome. A sort of kaleidoscope effect. But now there's this new paperback cover that focuses on only one of the dancers and I just don't know what to think of it. Not because it's not pretty (it is; they both are), but mostly because of the color/font combination. The black works on the hardcover but I feel like there's too much of it on the paperback and honestly I'm not loving the font, especially so huge. But it's still a really close call for me and this is one cover change where I feel like the covers really complement each other and both fit equally well for the story. My choice: hardcover, but just barely.

Book #3: The Mockingbirds, by Daisy Whitney

This is another tricky one, but for a different reason. There are two ways to think of The Mockingbirds: you can think of it as a book, or you can think of it as the first book in a series. Granted, this series only has two books and (because I think it was originally intended to have more books) ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. But still. There's a sequel here (The Rivals) and for that I think the yearbook-esque cover works so much better. The cover is pretty great and matches the original (hardcover) cover to its sequel. On the other hand, if you're looking at The Mockingbirds as its one, one-shot book, you can't get any better than the To Kill A Mockingbird-inspired hardcover edition. It's artsy, mysterious, and just... perfect. My choice: hardcover, which gives you a clue as to how I view The Mockingbirds.

Book #4: Imaginary Girls, by Nova Ren Suma

Too easy. It's not that the paperback cover is bad, necessarily -- it totally has the whole eerie/mystery feeling to it that matches the story. But it's bleak. Dark. It looks like a book that's all mystery, and Imaginary Girls isn't. It's a story that, at its core, is about the love between two sisters, and the hardcover, in addition to being brilliant in every way (colors. font. layout. everything.) hints at more than just a dark and stormy night. My choice: hardcover.

Book #5: Suite Scarlett, by Maureen Johnson

Let's end this with an interesting cover set. Historically I feel like Maureen Johnson's covers sort of get the short end of the stick. She has all these headless girls everywhere, but surprisingly Suite Scarlett has a cover (two, actually!) that match the book really well. The girl on the hardcover looks just like how you'd expect Scarlett to look (except that the model is probably older than Scarlett) and is seated behind a hotel desk. And the paperback has the whole hotel-key/New York thing going on. I don't dislike either of these covers, but I do much prefer the paperback. It's more simple and, despite Scarlett being the protagonist of the book, there's a whole host of important characters. My choice: paperback, surprisingly.

Thanks to space and time and not wanting this post to be so incredibly long, I'm forcing myself to stop after five cover comparisons, but there are so many others out there that I wanted to include. Anyway, what do you think: does it bother you when the paperback of a book has a drastically different cover than the hardcover?

Cover Talk: Amazing Books With Sad Covers

Continuing from last week's critique of YA covers and inspired by one of my favorite books, I wanted to bring attention to some of the books I love most of all (in YA especially) with less-than-stellar covers. I'll be the first to admit that I put a lot of stock in covers. More than I should, probably. And it's sad because if I'd judged these books by their covers I never would have picked them up in the first place. But one caveat: what I like/dislike as far as covers go certainly isn't the same as what everyone else likes. I know there are readers who love some of these covers that I don't care for.

Cover #1: serafina67 *urgently requires life*, by Susie Day

This is the book that inspired this post. I love love love love this book, but the cover isn't great for me. Though I do like the whole internet/blogging aspect that's going on, the colors are bright and kind of clashing (more so in real life than in this online picture) and it doesn't give much idea of the story inside, aside from the internet aspect. There's little idea of characters or plot here and it's sad because this book is so sweet and funny that I wish it had a much more awesome, less bright-and-blah cover.

Cover #2: Sequins, Secrets, and Silver Linings, by Sophia Bennett

Like serafina67, this is another UK YA with a not-so-great cover. The image and color scheme gives the book a fluffy, everything-everywhere-is-pink-and-frou-frou treatment that doesn't mesh well with the story. Because while there's a huge fashion element here, there's also lots of humor and heart that don't quite make it to the cover. The way the model is dressed is fairy generic and I don't think it's very representative of either the main character or her unique friends.

Cover #3: The Truth About Forever, by Sarah Dessen

This one isn't limited to just one book, sadly. Dessen's novels on the whole seem to usually be wonderfully-written stories wrapped in vaguely pretty packages that may or may not have anything to do with the story at hand. I'm picking on The Truth About Forever because it's my favorite of her books and just what does that flower have to do with the story? What do most of her covers have to do with the stories within? Not much, usually. And though I don't love the UK cover for this book, at least it has a heart instead of a flower on it -- much more related to the story, I think.

Cover #4: The Naughty List, by Suzanne Young

Okay, this cover is a little cute and at least related to the plot of the book, which is about catching cheating boyfriends, but still something about it feels really off to me. Maybe it's the pairing of the photo with the fake window, maybe it's the photo itself -- I don't know. But something about it I just am not a fan of.

Cover #5: Where She Went, by Gayle Forman

I was disappointed when for the paperback of If I Stay they changed the cover from this (artsy and hopeful/bleak) to this, but then even more disappointed that the hardcover of Where She Went matches the paperback's cover. It's pretty, but it's also such a generic and melodramatic YA cover. Plus, the fact that this book is narrated by a male character isn't reflected at all (even though I definitely think the model resembles what I think of as Mia). I like this slightly changed paperback cover so much better -- it still has the windy-haired girl, but the addition of the city in the background is huge to me. (Also check out this German edition.)

Once again I have to say that I love all five of these books. They're all very awesome and very different and I'm sure plenty of people love the covers I'm not such a fan of (my sister adores the Where She Went cover). Still, in talking about judging books by their covers, I have to say that I'm so glad I didn't make the decision to read or not read these books based on their covers. (Or, in some cases, their titles.) What book do you love despite a not-so-great cover?

YA Cover Critiques

My plan for today was to write a response of this Huffington Post article and discuss all the things I disagreed with in it. But there was so much I didn't like and since the writer's intention was to stir up some "controversy," I've decided to go in a different direction and instead look at some recent YA covers and discuss them. These are all books I've read this year, though some of the books were published earlier. I'm looking at a few different things in these covers:

1. Are models used on the cover? And if so, are the models a good representation of the characters within the book?

2. Font. This is one of my BIGGEST THINGS in covers and something that I always think is the most overlooked aspect of many YA book covers.

3. Do the different elements of the cover come together? Are they cohesive; does the cover have a finished, polished look?

4. Is the cover a good representation of the story?

5. Does the cover make me want to pick up the book?

Cover #1: 7 Clues to Winning You, by Kristin Walker

This is a contemporary YA novel. It's told in first person from one girl's perspective and the characters are juniors in high school. The models on this cover look a bit young to me and the amount of people on the cover makes me think that it's a multiple POV story or at least a novel with a large cast of characters, neither of which are true. On the whole, I'm not impressed by the cover; it gives no indication of what the story is about (a girl who starts at a new school where her dad is the principal and ends up running an underground scavenger hunt to earn the respect of her peers) and definitely doesn't make me want to pick up the book. It feels and looks like a bunch of different stock photographs photoshopped together. I like the font, but the colors and arrows don't fit the mood of the story at all.

A better cover: I'm horrible at graphic design, but in my head I imagine a Geek Charming-ish cover for this book. Pretty, preppy girl, preferably with a head and maybe a backpack instead of a purse. Also, the cover needs pink.

Cover #2: The Probability of Miracles, by Wendy Wunder

This is another contemporary YA told in first person from one girl's perspective. And I love this cover. There's very little I can say critically against it. The font is incredible, as are the colors, and the feather against the sky sets up the idea of "miracles" really nicely I think. If anything, I wish the model looked a bit less vibrant and healthy since the protagonist of this novel is living with incurable cancer. This is one book where I love the cover more than the story itself; it's just the right mix of artsy and current.

Cover #3: Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi

This first-person futuristic sci-fi-ish novel is more along the lines of what many think of as far as YA novels are concerned, which is why I want to talk about it. For much of the story the protagonist, Juliette, is very much a broken girl and this model has such a fierce look that I really don't think it's a very good representation of her. Though the shiny and embossed cover effects are awesome, overall this is a cover that, while technically pretty and well-put-together, just doesn't make me want to pick up the book. The colors all go together and the font is pretty good, but it gives absolutely no idea of the story inside and doesn't do the book justice. 

A better cover: Honestly, I'm not sure, but I'm thinking a darker, more drastic and less generic cover. Get rid of the fierce girl in the wedding dress for starts. I'd love a cover with the color scheme of Restoring Harmony, or maybe something like this foreign cover for Neva, which is still a little generic but I feel like would fit the mood of Shatter Me  so much better.

Cover #4: Cinder, by Marissa Meyer

Another sci-fi novel, this one a science-fiction-y retelling of Cinderella. Mostly I really like the cover. The font is great -- both fairytale-looking and futuristic. And I love the translucent leg with the robot parts inside. If there's anything I don't love it's the fact that the shoe is red instead of glass, but that may just be because my vision of Cinderella is the Disney version. Still, I like this foreign cover just a teensiest bit more.

Here are a few other things about YA covers: just like YA is more than one genre, so are its covers. Contemporary, historical, sci-fi, dystopia, paranormal, and fantasy cover trends are all a bit different. What I think of when I think of YA covers may not be what you think of, and it definitely isn't what you'd typically see face-out in stores. What types of covers do you think of when you think of YA book covers?

Tuesday Ten: Covers from My Wishlist

This week's topic from The Broke and the Bookish is top ten covers, and I've decided to narrow the field quite a bit by doing a post dedicated to the top ten covers from my wanting list. (My "wanting" list is a wishlist shelf I keep on Goodreads. Right now it has 84 books on it and some of them don't even have covers yet.) I've included publication dates for the books that aren't yet out.

1. The Disenchantments

Nina LaCour

The huge sunglasses, the font (for me, font can seriously make or break a cover), the t-shirt and the light filtering in... everything about this cover is so so awesome. It screams YA to me without being the sort of cover that looks just like every other cover. I absolutely love it.

2. Girls Don't Fly

Kristen Chandler

Again, the font here works so well. I love the image of the bird, the top half of the girl's head/face, and all the sky behind her. This cover is just so, so cute.

3. Love and Leftovers

Sarah Tregay

I love Converse shoes (or even just Converse-looking shoes), so any cover that incorporates them so well is a win with me. Like the cover to Girls Don't Fly, this is just so cute (and even cuter in real life). I especially like the blue/red color theme.

4. Life is But A Dream

Brian James

Pub Date: March 2012

Okay, so upon closer examination the girl on this cover looks a bit, um, dead. But that's not what catches my eye! Nope, what I'm really looking at is the flowery words and the hint of sky up top. This cover has an artsy feel that's missing in a lot of YA covers.

5. Reunited

Hilary Weisman Graham

Pub Date: June 2012

The cover of this one reminds me a little bit of The Lonely Hearts Club, which I also love. And aside from that connection, it's bright, bold, completely cute and eye-catching at the same time. As far as covers go, this one feels like a must-have to me.

6. Take A Bow

Elizabeth Eulberg

Pub Date: April 2012

Oh, and speaking of The Lonely Hearts Club, here's an upcoming book by the same author. What I like most abouut this cover is all the lights. They really overtake everything and I love it. 

7. Someone Else's Life

Katie Dale

(UK cover)

Alright, here's the deal: this isn't the US cover. This is the UK cover and I really, really like it. The US cover, on the other hand, is a total dud. The two covers could not be further apart if they tried, and I wish the American one had more of the feeling of whimsy that this cover has. Between the dresser, the writing on the wall, and the picture frame, this cover is such a winner.

8. The Selection

Kiera Cass

Pub Date: April 2012

I get that pretty much everyone is sick of all the YA dystopian and paranormal covers with beautiful dresses on them. And mostly, I get that. But this particular dystopian with this particular cover, I love. The story is supposedly a sort of futuristic Bachelor-type thing, so the beautiful dress makes perfect sense. Plus, the mirrors and never-ending images make it even more striking.

9. Awkward

Marni Bates

Another oh-so-cute cover. It looks like adorable Sharpie-scribblings on a notebook, and the girl on the cover looks young enough and frenzied enough to fit with YA and with the title of this book. This cover is just altogether too, too great.

10. Never Enough

Denise Jaden

Pub Date: July 2012

If this cover were just a little different I could easily hate it. But the colors, the lighting, the font, and the girl's expression all work together really well to make it one of the more striking and beautiful covers I've come across lately.

John Green Covers

I have a few reviews to write for you guys, as well as a discussion/opinion post that's been on my mindgrapes for a while, but right now I'm too immersed in writing and Cybils reading to do much of the blogging, which is a shame. I always feel bad when I don't have a post up daily. Not because I think I need something up every day, but because if I skip a day or two it's too easy to skip a month or two. At least, for me it is.

So anyway, what do we think of the cover of John Green's upcoming book? I think it feels a bit too cheery for me, and simplistic in a kindergarten-classroom sort of way instead of a minimalist way. I like it, but I don't like it nearly as much as I'd like to. If I'm being totally honest, I like quite a few of the fan-made covers more than this actual cover.

Also, are any of you going to submit covers for the contest to design the next Abundance of Katherines paperback cover? I HOPE YOU DO. If I had any cover skills at all, I would.

Tuesday Ten: Books I Read Because of Their Cover or Title

I rarely read books solely based on the cover or title, if I'm being honest. Especially as I've started reviewing and just by osmosis seem to know so much more about what books are coming out and what they're about. But for this week's Broke and Bookish Top Ten Tuesday, here are ten books where the title/cover played a huge role, even if it wasn't the only thing.

1. After the Kiss

Terra Elan McVoy

That cover. So, so, so good. I just love it.

2. Sweethearts

Sara Zarr

Alright, I admit, the flap copy played a part in me buying this book - the story interested me. But without that adorable and slightly-sad cover I never would have picked the book up. Plus, can we mention how great the title is? LOVE. (It should be noted that this is one of my all-time favorite books.)

3. The Summer I Turned Pretty

Jenny Han

Yes, the covers of the books in this series are beautiful. But what really caught me was this title. I adore it. I'm not sure I can think of a title that's captured my attention more than this one.

4. The Lonely Hearts Club

Elizabeth Eulberg

YOU SEE THIS COVER? Adore.

5. The Geek Girl's Guide to Cheerleading

Charity Tahmaseb & Darcy Vance

Okay, okay, another brilliant title. Just the perfect amount of geeky and quirky here. And who doesn't love a good fish-out-of-water tale?

6. Some Girls Are

Courtney Summers

Another great title. Dang, they're more plentiful than I thought apparently. And I could talk about this one for ages. And yeah, I knew it was about girls bullying each other and that was definitely a big part of the reason I read the book, but the title helped tons.

7. Scrambled Eggs at Midnight

Heather Hepler & Brad Barkley

WIN WIN WIN. So many wins for this title/cover combo. And the book also is great.

8. Tweet Heart

Elizabeth Rudnick

This one's a bit of a cheat: if I'm being honest I bought the book 100% because it was written in tweets. (Tweets!) But I figure it sort of works because I could tell that from the title. Right?

9. An Abundance of Katherines

John Green

I know a lot of people didn't love the hardcover cover of An Abundance of Katherines, but I must be in the minority here because this cover was THE ENTIRE REASON I picked up the book. I absolutely love it and am sad that I now have the paperback version. (Thank you to my dad for LOSING THE BOOK. Or giving it away. Or whatever my dad does to the books I let him borrow that makes them disappear.)

10. A Little Friendly Advice

Siobhan Vivian

Again, the cover, so adorable. So perfect.