Historical fiction cover

Dee Brown, Creek Mary's Blood. 

At first glance, it's a fairly innocuous cover that tells you it's about Native Americans, set in the past. 

But there's a bit more to be read from the cover. Native Americans in the American past are often located in the popular narrative of the 'olden days' of the 'wild west' - and often as bit players. The cover places the Native Americans front and centre.  The fact it's an old photo also shows the story is set not too long ago (ie, recent enough that cameras were around, which - for me - pushes it out of some long-distant mythical Wild West era and closer to a time within living memory. 

The tipis indicate also that the story features the Plains peoples (who use tipis). And the title of course place a female character front and centre. While my initial thoughts are that the cover doesn't really show the scope of the story within, it still shows a whole lot. 

This was a required text for a university course. I didn't get into it in one go. I read/skimmed the first lot of required pages (some small number like 20 pages or something) dutifully and stopped - which is significant because usually, once I start reading, I don't stop. 

Then, when the next lot of required was due, my heart sank. It was 180-odd pages. But to my surprise, I powered through them and kept going through to the end. I ignored my other required readings with a clear conscience, telling myself virtuously that I was getting ahead on this text. 

A well-told story. 

Pulitzer Prize book cover

Jhumpa Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies. 

Lest I give the impression I only ever read 'light' or 'fluffy' books, this is a collection of short stories which offer snapshots of the human experience, through the lens of the Indian diaspora. 

Touching, heartbreaking, despairing and profoundly sweet in turns, the stories are told with a kind of clinical compassion. You can reach in and feel the helplessness, the ennui or the bleakness of the characters' lives. Or you can see the happiness of lives lived between the words. 

 I return to my favourites more than others. The final story in particular - of a life well-lived - is at once ordinary, uplifting and beautiful. 

Chick Lit cover #4

Alison Sherlock, The Desperate Bride's Diet Club. 

I did my usual with this book. Picked it up because of the cover illustration, rolled my eyes at the title and skimmed a couple of random pages and put it down.  It stayed with me so I went back a couple of days later and reconsidered. 

I did like it. The characters stayed with me and I thought they were nicely drawn out. The dieting guru was a real witch ( I need to practise writing out my own witchy characters, and she's a good model to start with!) 

But I didn't think the bad guy's comeuppance was great. It was a very obvious climactic scene, but there wasn't enough seeing him hoisted with his own petard. We see all the excruciating moments that the heroine goes through kinda at the hands of the bad guy. And sometimes I just want payback (even though - I know, I know! - the heroine always has to rise above such pettiness. But still...)

Definitely has re-read value. 

Vroom with a View cover

Peter Moore, Vroom with a View

How absolutely gorgeous is this cover? Love, love, love this style of illustration. 

It helps enormously of course that Peter Moore's writing is witty, lighthearted and delightful to read. 

He calls his Vespa 'Sophia'. Of course. 

Chuck Amuck Cover

Chuck Jones, The Life and Times of an Animated Cartoonist. 

Who doesn't love Chuck Jones' creations?? Even in Dodo-Land, I was able to grow up with Merry Melodies and all the gang. 

There's so much to look at in this cover:

- the cool b&w outlines of the buildings. 

- Daffy in his predicament (with his quintessentially Daffy reactions) but in that well-known surreal cene which also plays with the 'gap' between viewer and creator. 

- I'm surprised how I can still recognise all the characters in silhouette!!

Time for a re-read, I think...

Agatha Raisin cover

Agatha Raisin series, written by M. C. Beaton. 

This series has been re-released with this light, illustration-based style of cover. I like it, of course. 

The books are good fun in that flippant whodunit style. Although I have to say that M. C. Beaton has an absolutely scathing way of describing some characters. Painfully merciless. 

I was a bit of a fan of the Hamish MacBeth TV show, based on her other well-known book series, which I've not had the chance to read. But I read recently that Beaton is NOT a fan of the show. In the books, Hamish MacBeth is a apparently a burly chap. In the TV show, he's a skinny pot-smoker (as played by Robert Carlyle). 

Fair enough, I'd be annoyed too, if someone messed with my character from my imagination that much. 

I wonder how they'd go bringing Agatha Raisin to life??

Notebook Cover

I love stationery! 

Show me someone who doesn't like/ can't appreciate stationery, and I show you my enemy. 

I especially love notebooks - new, blank, pristine - and ready to become a treasure chest filled with a universe of ideas. 

There is a ridiculous side-effect though: the prettier/groovier the cover, the greater my expectation that the content I will fill it with is special and worthwhile - content that is worthy of the cover. 

This notebook is now a couple of years old. But that's nothing for me. I once held on to 2 special notebooks I received as a child for 17 years total before I found a deserving use for them!

This one will probably be hanging around a good while yet.