Beginnings

Welcome friends! I have started this entry in the global technosphere because I have been in love with books since the age of 2. Among the busy business of being a new teacher, this is my outlet for sharing thoughts on a love of reading a wide variety of books. My inspiration can be summed up with a yearbook quote from a teacher written when I was 8: "To the only girl at recess I see reading a book. Good for you!"
My blog title is quoted from a classmate who asked me this once. Believe it or not, I've also heard it as a teacher :D

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Top 10 Meme- Book Covers


This meme is hosted by Jillian at Random Ramblings, where a weekly topic is chosen from which you are invited to construct a top 10 list.  This week's topic is Book Covers.

Here are my choices in no particular order of preference:


1)  A Room of One's Own- Virginia Woolf
I immediately sought out this cover as I find its simplicity breathtaking.  The symbolism of using a key as a bookmark suggests what every reader hopes to find when opening a book.

2)  Balzac & the Little Chinese Seamstress- Dai Sijie
I don't know of any little girl who didn't at least once wear a pair of little strap-up shoes like these.  The stark red with the scuffs caught my attention as being a coming-of-age story, which it is, and the shade of red is distinctly Asian.

















3)  Are You My Mother?- P.D. Eastman
Okay...you're probably thinking "huh?!?"  Two things:  I wanted to include a children's book in the mix as they often have sweet, beautiful covers.  Secondly, I've always loved this cover with the lazy dog and the bright, energetic little bird.  The story is a classic that my mom often read to her 1st graders.

4)  To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee
This is the 50th anniversary edition cover, which strikes me with the black letter branches and the shadowy figure of Scout against the moon as a backdrop.  I think this is (perhaps unintentionally) trying to appeal to the graphic novel crowd.


5)  The Green Mile- Stephen King
I kind of cheated with the first one as its actually a movie poster.  Compared with the book cover, which only has a tiny piece of the other on it (at the bottom), I think the gorgeous bright clouds are more striking than the shiny portrait of Tom Hanks.


6)  One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest- Ken Kesey
For this one, I have no excuse...I needed to post two covers.  The first is the edition I own and I think the solitary Chief on the roof against the hazy sky speaks to his character.  The second is geared more towards the psychedlic nature of the novel's language with its neon rainbow colours.

















7)  The Poisonwood Bible- Barbara Kingsolver
People generally have mixed feelings about the book, but you can't help but be mesmerized by its bright orange cover that can instantly outshine any book held against it.

8)  The Stone Angel- Margaret Laurence
I'm not fond of the generic print on this edition, but it has the best resolution of the painted matriarchal portrait in its middle.  It's a testament to grace & wisdom with age.

















9)  The Devil Wears Prada- Lauren Weisberger
Clever imagery with the devil's pitchfork stiletto, which sends a clear message about the backstabbing fashionistas depicted.

10)  The Accidental Tourist- Anne Tyler
Not a striking cover in comparison to the others here, but the armchair with wings is an original logo used by travelogue writer Macon Leary in the story that gives him a sense of homey but restrained comfort wherever he goes.

Looking forward to seeing more cover ideas on this week's meme!

5 comments:

  1. I am especially fond of the To Kill a Mockingbird cover. I'm also a huge fan of graphic novels, so I suppose they've done a good job. :) I very much enjoy this silhouette style of book cover and listed several on my own list.

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  2. I went to the bookstore today and saw the To Kill a Mockingbird cover, and fell in love with it! I even said, "Pretty!" out loud. Then I go home and see you included it.. it deserves to be on this list :)

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  3. Ooohh, I love the cover for a room of one's own and I adore the Are you my mother? one, I used to love that book as a kid so pretty and whimsical :)

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  4. Wow, that cover for A Room of One's Own is wonderful. Penguin has been coming out with some wonderful covers lately, especially for the modern classics. It adds just that much more pleasure to bookstore browsing.

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