Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. I'm excited to participate; after all, I make lists FOR EVERYTHING! This week's topic focuses on covers that we wish we could redesign. I want to preface this by saying that my dislike for the cover is not a reflection of the actual book itself. In fact, I like many of the books that I am showcasing today, I just wish the covers were more appealing. Here we go!
1. Angel Star by Jennifer Murgia- I feel really bad saying this as I thought this book was entertaining, but I feel like a cover redesign is in order.
2. Bumped by Megan McCafferty- Not only am I not a fan of this book, I also loathe the cover.
3. The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell- I really liked this historical fiction for the most part, but I'm over the whole girl running while looking behind thing.
4. Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready- I LOVED this book, but this cover just doesn't do it for me....Enough with the ribbon already.
5. Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers- I am definitely not a fan of this cover. Ugh.
6. Minder by Kate Kaynak- I also feel bad saying this, because Kate is so nice and I understand the point behind the cover, but I'm not a fan.
7. The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell- I couldn't even bring myself to read this, because the cover is so freaky.
8. L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad- I guess I am still in a state of shock that she wrote a young adult novel. This one is too cutesy for me.
9. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand- Personally, I am not a fan of Rand and this cover is one of my least favorites.
10. Any romance cover that includes the following: A man without his shirt on, a man without his shirt on wearing a kilt and/or short shorts, a man without his shirt on wearing a kilt and/or short shorts while swinging a large sword. And it really makes my day when there is a scantily clad woman on the cover desperately clinging to him like he is the last man on the universe. Seriously? BTW, Jenny over at Supernatural Snark often writes about this very topic and it's laugh out loud funny. Make sure you check it out!
So, what do you think? Agree or disagree? Let me know and tell me if you think I left any out. I'm sure there are plenty more out there!
Angel Star and Shade both need a redesign and I agree that almost any romance novel cover is just pathetically over the top, personally I would be embarrassed to be seen reading one.
ReplyDeleteI liked the cover of The Vespertine (definitely more than the ARC cover)because of the brown of her dress and the flow of the movement.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you however about the covers for the other books, especially Bumped, Atlas Shruggeed, Personal Demons, and the romance novel.
Personal Demons reminds me of the covers for adult UF titles as well as looking dated. That whole girl in the front with one guy and another guy in the background thing reminds me of the book covers of my youth in the late 80s through the mid 90s. The clothes have changed but the concept has not. I didn't like those covers back then and I certainly don't like them now! Some of these YA titles do not have teen friendly covers. I'd be interested in hearing what teens think of them.
I've heard of librarian that ask YAs to get their feedback on what draws them to pick up a book and what causes them to skip it.
Shade & Personal Demons also made my list! I almost added Bumped to mine as well, lol.
ReplyDeleteWhoa, #7 is freaky! Definitely agree with your picks, :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of these (especially the romance covers!) but I love The Vespertine's cover :) I can see your point though.
ReplyDeleteDEVIL IN A KILT!!!! BAHAHAHAHA!
ReplyDeleteHowever. I feel the need to read it now. Out of sheer ridiculousness.
Okay, I like the cover of Shade with the smoke tendrils and the ribbon, but I don't understand why we just have an arm. That's odd. Why would you cut someone off at the shoulder? It's like she's been amputated and we just get the removed limb. I do like the colors though:)
ReplyDeleteAlso, the Reaper/Angel cover absolutely freaks me out. I don't know that I could pick it up either!
And thanks for the Cover Critique shout out:)
Totally understand the cover love/hate issue. It doesn't reflect on the story itself, but it does stop some from reading it at first glance. A shame too...some really great reads fall victim to it. As for your fab list, agree with most, especially Minder...and yeah, the "Reapers" book was freaky looking....and ditto on number 10. LOL.
ReplyDeleteOnly one I disagreed on was The Vespertine, but then again, books and their covers are all a matter of preference. For me, one that comes to mind is actually the UK edition of The Red Pyramid. Got a copy of that one in lieu of US one by accident (don't ask) and yeah...I was dying the read it originally, but now when I do, I'm seriously gonna have to chuck the dust jacket. It's that disrupting to me. Thanks for sharing! Happy reading....
I love the Atlas Shrugged cover but I agree on Minder :)
ReplyDeleteLol. I agree with your list, ESPECIALLY with bumped. I really really dislike that cover.
ReplyDeleteI almost put a lot of these on my list too! I really liked Bumped, but the cover majorly freaks me out O_O I also don't really understand what the cover of Shade is supposed to represent. Great list!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh. I totally agree. I know you're not supposed to judge a book by the cover, but I totally do. I'll read a book that doesn't sound completely interesting just because of it's well made cover and skip over others because they look cheap or cheesy!
ReplyDeleteI so agree with you on the Angel Star cover. It could be so much better!
ReplyDeleteI actually like the US cover for Shade, though. I am not a fan of the cover for the follow up, Shift, it must be said!
Personal Demons did not work for me as a cover, or as a book. :/
The cover for Bumped doesn't do a whole lot for me - I requested it on Netgalley, but now I don't think I want to read it after reading a couple of bad reviews.
By the way, you don't have a spammer on your blog - it's just me catching up with comments! lol!