Cover lover (teil eins)

This week's Top Ten Tuesday Theme is Ten Book Cover Trends I Like/Dislike. To argue against a popular idiom, I don't believe the clothes actually make the man, and as a result, I own some really ugly books that have some really great text inside. Buuuuut... in the same way a schmick haircut and a good pair of jeans can make an already intelligent and articulate man just sort of more, so too with a really great book cover design. (Don't think too hard about this metaphor. I'm not.)

There are a few book cover design trends that always appeal to me (and one that definitely doesn't); to save your feedreaders, I'm going to break them into a few posts. In this one, perhaps my favouritest of all the trends: hand-lettered titles.

I've always been a sucker for some good hand lettering. I love its informality, its imperfections, its humanness. In seeing the lines of the artist's pen, you get a glimpse of the human behind it. So it was the covers, with their gorgeous hand lettering, that drew my attention to The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and This is What Happy Looks Like. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of romance as its own genre (I prefer it by-the-way, in books) so the stories were not my favourite. But I'm hanging on to these copies because their art makes me happy. The combination of finer and heavier letters in varying fonts and sizes really works, So... good hand lettering is what happy looks like?

I'd like to shake the hand of whoever's responsible for the re-release of John Green's other books to align with the design of The Fault in Our Stars. This is pretty much everything I like in cover design right here. Limited colour palette, little to no imagery, stylised graphic symbols, the font doing all of the work, and hand lettering, yo. The same basic principle applies to Let It Snow, with the added bonus that it is shiny and silvery. Oooh!

Liar & Spy makes the whole hand lettering even cooler by pairing it with a moody watercolour illustration. (This book, by the way, is a perfect read-aloud for older tweens).

So, too, does this gorgeous edition of Coraline. The lettering is creepy and intriguing with just the right amount of prettiness, and works so well with the illustrations. I love it!

Do you love hand lettering or hate it? Is it a trend you're ready to see fade out, or should it march on forever? (In case you were unsure, I'm in the forever camp). What other book cover trends do you love/loathe?

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Conversations:

• Brenda Wilkerson -- I'm alternating between being so happy you can relate, and so sympathetically frustrated on your behalf. We put so much pressure on ourselves and our time!
• Laura Elizabeth -- Ah, you do this, too? Holidays represent so much hope and anticipation and wished-for things that I feel sure we must look on them as miracle-workers. I hope yours is at least a bit miraculous!

Reading my way through 2014:

This week over at The Broke and the Bookish, Top Ten Tuesday is all about bookish resolutions. I have a post in the works about my history with resolutions and the ones I'm pondering this year, but I'm going to deviate a little to talk about my resolutions specifically to do with books.

I don't tend to make book-centric resolutions, but a couple of years back, I resolved not to buy any secondhand books for a whole year. My library was getting all triffid-like and the worst thing about secondhand books is that you can sometimes pick up five for a dollar. There is no stopping the growth of the book haul when they're so cheap! So for a year I didn't buy any secondhand books (except for this one time my sister expressly invited me to a book sale and I couldn't refuse, on the grounds of social etiquette -- and so my excuse shall remain) and it was actually pretty liberating. For a whole year, I didn't buy secondhand books, which meant that if I wanted to buy anything, it had to be a new book, from an actual bookstore. It was a great year for me in learning to appreciate the humble bookstore, as I'd previously been a thrifted book junkie. New books cost a lot more and therefore the collection grows much more slowly -- which was exactly what I'd needed -- but for the first time in a while I also experienced the joy of reading new releases and keeping a closer watch on publishing news and developments. Not to mention the fact that my dollars went to authors and bookstore owners rather than garage sales and whatnot. It was a great experiment and it's actually changed how I shop for books these days.

This year, my bookish goals (all of them casual, none of them binding) are less about buying books and more about what I actually do with them. Oh, and there's less than ten, but you'll forgive me that, won't you?

• write more reviews; I love love love to talk about books in real life, but my ratio of books read to books written about is woefully unbalanced. This year, I'd like to be more diligent about jotting down my thoughts post-reading, and then sharing them, too.
• write more honest reviews; this one's a bit misleading. It suggests that my reviews thus far haven't been honest. That's really not true at all. However, I do have a tendency to only review books that I like, respect, or enjoyed in some aspect. Whenever I attempt to write more critical reviews, I can't help but consider the fact that the author -- who for good or ill has slaved over the words I might be panning -- may someday stumble across the review. Even if I don't respect the finished product, I respect the work that's gone into it, so it's hard for me to share reviews of books I don't think are great. Here's to bravery!
• read more poetry and biography; the last few years have been very heavy on YA fiction and I'm not complaining because that's my jam. It's what I love to read and write, but I found that by the end of 2013, I was really craving some poetry and biography into the mix. I miss poetry! I miss real peoples' lives set down in words!
• read the numerous e-books I've downloaded; reading for me is like 70% words and 30% the aesthetics of actually holding and interacting with a book. Therefore, I've been slow to jump on the e-book wagon even though I am seriously affectionate towards my iPad. Last year, a book I couldn't afford in hard copy forced me into e-book land so now I know I can actually read an entire book through a screen, I'm determined to get through more of the e-books I have.
• read things way outside my natural choices; university has been fantastic for forcing me to read stuff I might never otherwise pick up, but I complete my Master's midway through the year, so I'll have to keep myself on my toes picking through some great literature I might have otherwise overlooked. It's eye-opening and challenging, and I think we can learn heaps when we read outside our comfort zone.
• participate in more top ten tuesdays; because book memes are the best memes.
• post book-haul pictures; because ditto for pictures. I love seeing others' books and bookshelves, so I assume the same must be true (for at least some of you) in reverse.

So there you go -- my reading goals for 2014. What's on your list?

Top 10 authors I'd put on my auto-buy list:

Just about every week, I intend to take part in The Broke & the Bookish's Top 10 Tuesday feature. And quite as regularly, I spend so much time explaining my choices that I completely explain my way out of ever sharing the finished post. Not so this week. There will be caveats -- it seems like it's not in me to completely give myself over to something without at least a small percentage of reserve -- but I'm determined to post my list all the same.

Perhaps the most obvious disclaimer I'd make about a list of authors on an auto-buy list is that I don't automatically buy anything. For starters, there's the money thing; I work part-time and I'm a student -- I have to think about what I purchase. And while I definitely spend a disproportionate amount of my earnings on books, I still have to think about it. Then there's the matter of only wanting to own books that I'll read several times or loan out to lots of people, and my favourite authors don't always write my favourite books, weird as that may seem. Finally, there's this fear of my books banding together like some sort of sentient paper blob, rising up in the night, and swallowing me whole -- all because of the sheer power of their combined volume. So yes, I don't just buy whatever books I want.

Finally, I stuck to children's and YA fiction because, honestly, one has to draw the line somewhere. Enough minutiae. Here, in alphabetical order, are the authors whose books I leap to investigate as soon as they appear:

Paolo Bacigalupi -- this is a new discovery for me, and how can his books be on my list when I've only read two? Yes, it's positively shameful. But it doesn't matter because I am intrigued by Bacigalupi's wordsmithing, and his excellent ability to build compelling worlds in dystopian and science fiction settings. I want to read more!

Suzanne Collins -- if you've read my blog for a while, you know I loved The Hunger Games trilogy, and while they weren't classics in terms of literary richness, they are absolute classics for me in the realm of character development, as well as a mesmerising story arc I just couldn't look away from. Collins' The Underland Chronicles are, I think, better written than The Hunger Games, but they don't have the exposure the Games has. Based on both these series, I am super keen to see what Suzanne Collins comes up with next. There had better be a next, Ms. Collins!

Sarah Dessen -- I randomly picked up a Sarah Dessen book, What Happened to Goodbye, in a little indie bookstore at my sister's house, when I was flying home after the birth of her second little boy. It was a completely spontaneous purchase, something light and happy for the plane ride. I couldn't believe how delightful it was, and over a few months, I read six of her books in quick succession. It was probably overkill, but I loved her 'voice', especially in the teen lit genre that can so often descend into mere fluff. I would be reticent about wholesale recommending her stories, as some of her characters have less-than-savoury lifestyle choices, but I am still very keen to see what Sarah Dessen writes next (a new book is out soon!).

John Green -- ah, John Green! How can I explain my feelings about this guy's work? Green is an incredibly gifted author whose rare voice will stand out as one of the greats of this generation, I believe. He is also a brilliant, kind, thoughtful, and genuine person who is engaged in really healthy, wise discussions about life, culture, faith, and politics. His characters are intriguing, and he has the power to draw out really vivid responses to his work without devolving into sappiness or tacky pathos. However, some of the actions of his (frequently sexually uninhibited) characters -- as well as their vocabulary -- are not ones I would choose as role models for my teen friends. I recognise this sounds incredibly naive and cloistered, since one of the ways we learn is by watching others live their lives. But this is my hesitation with Green's books, and I would not be honest if I didn't share it.

Rosanne Hawke -- Rosanne Hawke is one whose books I do automatically pick up whenever I see them. I was privileged to study under her during my bachelor degree, and was delighted to get to learn from someone who occupies a respected and unique place in Australian young adult literature. Rosanne's work is one that definitely deserves the title of 'literature' -- rich, high quality writing that totally avoids the abyss of trend-focussed YA cliches. Much of Rosanne's work is issues-focussed and delves into the real challenges of young adult life, but it does so in a healthy, thoughtful, discreet way.

Odo Hirsch -- Odo Hirsch! Odo Hirsch! Lovely, happy, quirky characters! Beautiful word choices! Delightful worlds and adventures!

Patrick Ness -- Patrick Ness gets the award as The Writer Most Likely To Take Out Your Soul, Wring It Dry, Then Try To Stick It Back Into The Cavity Inside You. It's hard to express just how this guy manages to do it, but his voice and language are profoundly unique, and the characterisation impeccable. I can't describe what Patrick Ness's books do to me, so I'll just give up trying.

Veronica Roth -- I want to hate Veronica Roth because she is younger than me and she has already written the first two books of a bestselling trilogy which is being turned into a movie. But I can't hate her. I can only be happy that she has achieved this immense success -- and that she thanks God in the acknowledgements of her books. You go, girl.

Lemony Snicket -- Lemony Snicket, aka Daniel Handler, is a man who is obviously in love with words. He's probably best known for his Series of Unfortunate Events books, but his dry, dark sarcasm, his slightly morbid humour, and his delirious and unashamed love of the English language come through in all his stories. It's good stuff.
 
Jerry Spinelli -- I love Jerry Spinelli's characters because they are rare and beautiful. Spinelli celebrates words and he celebrates special people, and he does both extremely well (the Newbery society or association or whoever they are agrees with me). My favourite thing about Spinelli is his ability to bring the beauty of the outsider into the light. His books are just beautiful.

Bonus round! Top 10 authors who'd be on my auto-buy list if they were still alive and therefore still producing new work:

Louisa May Alcott
Amy Carmichael
Mary Grant Bruce
Charles Dickens
CS Lewis
LM Montgomery
Ellis Peters
Rosemary Sutcliff
Elizabeth George Speare
Ethel Turner

Who's on your list?

The Spring reading stash:

This week's top ten Tuesday challenge at The Broke and the Bookish is all about the books on our Fall reading list. Autumn? I wish! Spring is lovely, for sure, but it leads to Summer and -- I think we all know that I'm not so much a fan of Summer. Not compared to a Queensland Winter, anyway. But the Fall/Spring thing is irrelevant. Here -- which is far more important -- is my list of Top Ten Books on My Spring Reading List:

1. Unstoppable by Nick Vujicic
2. Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
3. The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
4. The Boat by Nam Le
5. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
6. Eat This Book by Eugene Peterson
7. His Name in Fire by Catherine Bateson
8. The Messenger Bird by Rosanne Hawke
9. Word Hunters: The Curious Dictionary by Nick Earls and Terry Whidborne
10. City by James Roy

I'm excited about diving into all of these. Seven fiction, three non-fiction. Some have been on my to-read list for a while. Others are brand new releases. This list includes six books by Australian authors, which makes me happy. Four of the books were published this year. There is one verse novel in the pile, as well as two short story collections. One of these books won the Newbery Medal, and another won the Prime Minister's Literary Awards. One is written by a past creative writing professor of mine, and another is written by a cool Brisbane author. One was a birthday gift, and another is required reading for uni this semester (guess which). Four were published by local publishers UQPress, which makes me feel patriotic.

What's on your Spring (Autumn?) reading list?

Ten beautiful book covers:

Top Ten Tuesday is a fabulous book-blogging tradition created by the ladies at The Broke and the Bookish. To tie in with YLCF's March of the Books, I'm playing along with Top Ten Tuesdays -- and secretly hoping it'll become a habit.

This week's theme is 10 favourite covers and I probably should confess: I'm not the best person to be talking about covers of books. The swirly ones with beautiful imagery don't call out to me as much as the simpler ones do. You probably won't find an abundance of pretty books on my bookshelves because I don't generally buy for the covers. Nevertheless, this afternoon I walked throughout my house plucking books from my various bookshelves and stacks to-be-read, searching for the ones with the covers I love the most. These are what I came up with:

Creative Journal Writing by Stephanie Dowrick.
This is a perfect example of the kind of cover design that appeals to me. It's spare, fresh, and classic. The typography is enduring, and the calligraphy is just right.

Veneer: Living Deeply in a Surface Society by Timothy Willard and Jason Locy.
The colour is terrible, but the type -- bold and stark front and centre -- is fantastic.

Finish This Book by Keri Smith.
Keri Smith is a genius and an artist. Her book looks like something I'd want to make for myself, and the fact that the cover consists entirely of hand-drawn lettering makes it just so cool.

Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien.
If I someday wrote a book, and it got published, and the cover looked anywhere as cool as this, I would be delirious. This is beautiful. Again, it's all about the type (are we detecting a pattern?), but the graphic elements are perfect, too. Whoever designed this cover should totally get a raise.

Eggs by Jerry Spinelli.
No title necessary -- just the picture. Genius.

Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce.
I once swore I would never read a book in which the author's name appears larger than the title on its cover. It suggests -- or so I argued -- that the book is sold purely on the basis of the author's past work, and not on its own merit. I obviously broke that vow (it was a silly vow anyway), and this book is one of my vow-breakers. More hand-lettered type, and a cute artwork, too.

Mess by Keri Smith.
Everything I said about Finish This Book also applies here. Looovely!

Reading Like A Writer by Francine Prose.
I feel my love for the content of this book made me love the outside irrationally, because now I'm looking at it and it's cute and lovely, but it's not amazing the way Birthmarked is amazing. See? I love books the way I love people. Once I know them and love the insides, it's hard to tell whether they're actually attractive or not because they just ARE.

Sagas of the Icelanders.
There's Icelandic hills and a dragon's head, you know. Plus, this book is super-fat and the edges of the pages are raw and deckle-edged, and overall, it's just really nice to hold in your hands.

The Family at Misrule and Little Mother Meg by Ethel Turner.
Like how I squeezed these in two-for-one? I've had these books since I was in my early teens, and I LOVE the covers. Plus, it's nice that I have some traditionally cute books to share in this post, proving I'm not just obsessed with bare covers and type. I devoured these books hundreds of times in various different imprints, but these remain my favourite covers. I read an article about the artist which discussed how they (she? I think the artist was a woman) crafted her paintings from photos of people she thought resembled the characters in the books. Perhaps that explains why the paintings look so real. And yeah, I admit I had a little-girl crush on grown-up Bunty in Little Mother Meg. He just looks so clean-cut and lovely, and he's so changed and matured from who he is in Misrule. He turned out quite the sweetie.

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Sigh. I guess my book-cover-lovin' styles are a little weird. You should see the books I picked for my "top ten battered old books whose covers I love" post. It's like I figure the daggier the better when it comes to secondhand books -- but I'll save those for another post.

How about you? What cover designs do you love? Or does the cover mean very little to you?

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Conversations:

Jessica -- don't worry! I'm behind on blog commenting and reading myself.

Un -- I think you're right! The fact that there's only this little grainy square to work with does, in a sense, make the picture-taking easier. It's like it has to be even more amazing when you have a good camera, too. However, of course that's not the case! Just taking the pictures themselves is awesome. They don't all have to be artworks! (Make sure you email me yours, okay?)

Amanda -- yes! They're just so happy to look at!

Brenda -- absolutely! :)

[tuesday top ten] to-be-read this spring

Top Ten Tuesday is the creation of the blogging team over at The Broke and the Bookish. Each Tuesday, there's a new top ten to explore, and this week the theme is the top ten books to-be-read this fall spring. Rather than listing ten books I'm looking forward to finding, I'm going to go ahead and list ten books I already possess, ones which are patiently waiting for my attention. I have an absolutely terrible habit of starting too many books at once, getting overwhelmed, and then -- in spite of loving them -- having to shelve some until I have brain space to spare. So the books I'm listing here are ones I've begun or almost begun and can't wait to finish.

1. Breath for the Bones | Luci Shaw
This was recommended for school one semester. I bought it, started it, fell in love with it, and didn't get to finish it. It's an exploration of art and faith, and it was gentle and powerful. But I only got a third of the way through, so I'm looking forward to reading more.

2. Out of the Silent Planet | CS Lewis
The brilliant CS Lewis and his bizarre science fiction. I got halfway through this one (and own the other two in the trilogy as well) and this time, I want to finish it.

3. My Seventh Monsoon | Naomi Reed
This looks to be amazing. It was a gift from friends for my birthday last year, an autobiography about a Sydney woman transported to the Himalayas. I'm excited about this one.

4. By Hook or By Crook | David Crystal
'A linguistic travelogue' exploring words and their weird histories.

5. The Clumsiest People in Europe | ed. Todd Pruzan
This was a delightful across-the-world gift from a lovely friend (hi, Asea!). It's darkly hilarious -- the naive and even bigoted 19th century observations of a woman called Mrs Mortimer, calling out the peoples of the world on their failures and foibles.

6. Taj and the Great Camel Trek | Rosanne Hawke
A children's story set in the untamed years of Australian exploration and centering on twelve-year-old Taj, an Afghani camel driver. Rosanne Hawke is a wonderful Australian YA author (and one of my lecturers, to boot!).

7. Loser | Jerry Spinelli
Jerry Spinelli is golden, and I think this very quirky story is set to break my heart a little bit. I'll have to report back when I'm done.

8. The Shifting Fog | Kate Morton
This is the only one on my list that I don't have a lot of enthusiasm about. On a purely aesthetic level, this is 566 pages of narrow margins and small print -- and I generally do not have the time or patience for intensely wordy books. Also, the story -- a moody mystery -- is told predominantly in flashback, and I am not a fan of flashback. But I want to make myself finish this.

9. The King's Speech | Mark Logue & Peter Conradi
I saw the movie, and now I want to read the book that inspired it. Real history, y'all!

10. Ransom | David Malouf
I've started this one already, but got distracted. It's a powerful prose retelling of Homer's Iliad, and the writing is delicious.

Four of the ten books are Australian, so that's a nice percentage for local reading. What would be on your list?

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Conversations:

Samantha R -- it was very cool and fun indeed!

Laura Elizabeth -- peaceful is right. That sunset was amazing!