Last week, I asked a few people what was their take on book covers. Here's what Lauren @ 365 Days of Reading had to say! Thank you Lauren!
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Covers and Titles: the Experiment
I decided that instead of writing an essay on how covers and titles relate, and how they can sometimes be confusing, I’d do an experiment! I went to the bookstore, picked three random books off the shelf, and recorded my thoughts.
Choker by Elizabeth Woods
Initial impression: Gorgeous cover; story perhaps has to do with the woods? And the rose looks like it could wrap around someone’s neck like a choker. Still, the cover tells me little about the actual story.
After reading the blurb: Hmm. The story sounds more like contemporary YA, but to me the cover screams fantasy. I can see how the woods/trees could have a tie-in (people could be going missing into a nearby woods or something), and the title, Choker, does have significance (it’s the main character’s nickname).
Overall: The title matches the synopsis, but the cover doesn’t quite fit, in my opinion. Would I still buy it? Heck yes. I just did. *cha-ching*
Beautiful Dead by Eden Maguire
Initial impression: This cover is very artsy: it’s got some weird photo filters and a splash of graphics for a title. The girl has wings, so I’m going to assume the story has something to do with her being an angel. She also looks kind of goth/punk, so I’m also going to infer that she’s a loner. But the title? Um, the dead are not beautiful. In any way.
After reading the blurb: The weird photo filters and the endless sky/grass must be representative of “limbo”. I still don’t understand the girl, though, because the main character herself is not in limbo. Also, the title, Beautiful Dead, makes much more sense now (it being the name for the people trapped in limbo).
Overall: I feel like this cover does represent the synopsis, despite the confusion about the girl. The book sounds interesting enough, but I probably wouldn’t pick it up.
Bitter Melon by Cara Chou
Initial impression: The title reminds me of a particularly bad experience with honeydew, but I’m sure that’s not relevant. The only way I could see the title being relevant to the story is if it’s some sort of metaphor for something that is bittersweet.
After reading the blurb: Okay, from reading the blurb, I can’t see any reason why Bitter Melon is a significant title. Its meaning is probably hidden somewhere inside the book. It’s cool that they featured an Asian girl on the cover, since the main character, Frances, is Asian. Other than that, I can’t find any connections between the cover/title and the synopsis.
Overall: This is a prime example of a book with a confusing title. Still, the synopsis makes it sound like an interesting book, and the cover isn’t bad, either. Would I buy it? Sure.
I decided that instead of writing an essay on how covers and titles relate, and how they can sometimes be confusing, I’d do an experiment! I went to the bookstore, picked three random books off the shelf, and recorded my thoughts.
Initial impression: Gorgeous cover; story perhaps has to do with the woods? And the rose looks like it could wrap around someone’s neck like a choker. Still, the cover tells me little about the actual story.
After reading the blurb: Hmm. The story sounds more like contemporary YA, but to me the cover screams fantasy. I can see how the woods/trees could have a tie-in (people could be going missing into a nearby woods or something), and the title, Choker, does have significance (it’s the main character’s nickname).
Overall: The title matches the synopsis, but the cover doesn’t quite fit, in my opinion. Would I still buy it? Heck yes. I just did. *cha-ching*
Beautiful Dead by Eden Maguire
Initial impression: This cover is very artsy: it’s got some weird photo filters and a splash of graphics for a title. The girl has wings, so I’m going to assume the story has something to do with her being an angel. She also looks kind of goth/punk, so I’m also going to infer that she’s a loner. But the title? Um, the dead are not beautiful. In any way.
After reading the blurb: The weird photo filters and the endless sky/grass must be representative of “limbo”. I still don’t understand the girl, though, because the main character herself is not in limbo. Also, the title, Beautiful Dead, makes much more sense now (it being the name for the people trapped in limbo).
Overall: I feel like this cover does represent the synopsis, despite the confusion about the girl. The book sounds interesting enough, but I probably wouldn’t pick it up.
Initial impression: The title reminds me of a particularly bad experience with honeydew, but I’m sure that’s not relevant. The only way I could see the title being relevant to the story is if it’s some sort of metaphor for something that is bittersweet.
After reading the blurb: Okay, from reading the blurb, I can’t see any reason why Bitter Melon is a significant title. Its meaning is probably hidden somewhere inside the book. It’s cool that they featured an Asian girl on the cover, since the main character, Frances, is Asian. Other than that, I can’t find any connections between the cover/title and the synopsis.
Overall: This is a prime example of a book with a confusing title. Still, the synopsis makes it sound like an interesting book, and the cover isn’t bad, either. Would I buy it? Sure.
From this experiment, it is fairly obvious that titles and covers don’t always reflect the story they encase. Still, it’s these titles and covers that made me pick those three books off the shelves. I guess what I’m trying to say is, “does it really matter?” Sure, it’s fun to analyze the relationships between the story and the cover, but I doubt a lack of connections between the two will make you decide against buying the book.
I so agree that even if a cover has nothing to do with the book if the cover is beautiful/if the blurb sounds great then it doesn't matter!
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