Judging Books by Their Cover
As the phrase goes, judging a book by it's cover, isn't the best thing to do. But on the other side of that, as a designer there is nothing I love more then a book with a beautiful and clever designed cover. I have, and will, read many books with sub par cover designs (in my own personal opinion) and a lot of those are books I greatly enjoyed.
Portland has a great library system, The Multonomah County Library has a vast amount of books. You can even put a book on hold that might already have all copies checked out. When I learn about a new book I want to read, I go to the cover to tell me if I should borrow it from the library, or if I want to purchase it.
Here are a few books I have read, or hope to soon, with covers I also happened to be very fond of.
Let the Great World Spin
One of my favorite books, it's been a number of years since I have read it, and once I finish the giant list of new books I want to read, I can't wait to re-read this one. The novel interwines a handful of people's relationships in New York City in the 1970s. The wonderful cover illustration is by Matteo Pericoli.
The Flame Throwers
Selected as one of the 10 best books of 2013 by the NY Times Book Review, The Flame Throwers is also set in the 1970s, but set in Reno. Other subjects of this novel are motorcycles and Italy. Book jacket design by Charlotte Strick. Charlotte also designed another book I bought and read this year called Nobody is Ever Missing.
Red or Dead
720 pages about the English Soccer Club Liverpool under the coach Bill Shankly. I purchased this book for my boyfriend who is a Liverpool fan. He said the authors writing is hard to read, but I just love the simplicity and symmetry of the cover. Book jacket design by Christopher Brian King.
Marshlands
I have yet to read this book, but just got it on my last trip to Powell's Books. The cover design is by Oliver Munday who has done a handful of other great book cover designs and illustrations.
Currently I am reading Where'd you go Bernadette. The cover is pretty good, but it made my list of one to check out from the library. So far I am loving the funny story about a Seattle family that moved there from LA. The story focuses on a brilliant young daughter and a tad bit of a crazy (but in a hilarious way) mother.