Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Top Ten Tuesday: Getting Personal

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is...

Getting Personal!

This week is a cover freebie, and I wanted to focus on covers featuring people. I remember having a long debate with my daughter about covers, and she doesn't tend to like covers that feature people. She allows, that it is ok, as long as there are no full faces, such as people turned around or in profile. I am not sure where I stand on that whole issue, but I have liked lots of covers, which showed people, both illustrated and photographed - some with faces, some without. I think I can be initially drawn to a cover, because it is simply attractive, but I tend to really like, or even love, a cover after I have read the book, because I tend to understand or connect to it more. Anyhow, here are some favorites from the past year featuring people.
  • Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales - I love that this cover features all the major players in the story, and they were captured so well. 
  • This Time Will Be Different by Misa Sugiura - At first you think this is just a nice picture of a young woman, but the floral accents are a really meaningful part of the story. 
  • Night Music by Jenn Marie Thorne - This was a story of music and young love, and this picture captures that, plus Oscar's charm. 
  • There's Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon - This cover model nailed who Sweetie was, and having her covered with some of the Holi powder brought me back to one of the fabulous dates she and Ash went on. 
  • How to Be Remy Cameron by Julian Winters - I am pretty sure Remy wore this exact outfit in the book, but the addition of the family pet and the post-its made this cover even better. 
  • Love from A to Z by S.K. Ali - This captures a moment from the beginning of the book, but it was where it all began for these two, and the model is even wearing a blue hijab, which was Zayneb's signature color. 
  • With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo - Emoni was an aspiring chef, which is represented by the food on the cover, but everything about that young woman is the perfect embodiment of her. 
  • Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen  - With the city lights behind her, I can see that little spark in Ever's eyes, and it captures her at the beginning of her personal journey in Taipei. 
  • The Upside of Falling by Alex Light - I requested this book, because the cover was so cute. Becca was always reading, and talking about Brett's smile, therefore, I find this to be a fantastic snapshot of those two. 
  • I Wanna Be Where You Are by Kristina Forest - Chloe, looking hopeful and hanging out the window of Eli's car shows an important moment in this book, and it was a great one to feature on the cover. 

Yea or Nay: Covers showing people?
Let us know in the comments!

50 comments:

  1. Aren't they all gorgeous! I'm loving the illustrated cover trends too, they're so eye catching. I love the cover for There's Something About Sweetie. I haven't read that one yet but the cover is just so joyful and I know Sandhya Menon won't let me down. Her books are such warm, feel great reads!

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    1. I like the illustrated trend, but struggle with them for more weighty books. They are sort of like cartoons, and in my mind, I always associate them with lighter, HEA type books. I adore Menon's books. They are honest, but still totally feel good.

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  2. The cover for Sweetie never fails to make me smile -- I love that her eyes are closed and she's just lost in her laughter and so obviously enjoying herself. That's a picture of happiness right there.

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    1. And, that captures the essence of who Sweetie was. She was a fabulous character.

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  3. I think I'm with your daughter - I tend to favor covers with people on them when you can't see their face - or the head is cut off completely! I kind of like to picture for myself what the characters look like.

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    1. And, that was her reasoning exactly. She doesn't like the when her image doesn't match up with the cover.

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  4. Interesting! I don’t mind illustrations of people, but I usually don’t like photos. Probably because the cover people rarely look like the characters in my head.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. This is what my daughter says, and what I am hearing here today. I usually will be consider what they put out there, but be mad if they missed details that were mentioned in the book.

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  5. i think aj has stated the problem for me.
    sherry @ fundinmental

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  6. Actual photos of people on book covers are a bit hit or miss for me, but I'm really loving a lot of the illustrated ones!! You chose some good ones. It's great when it really captures the character, or a moment in the book.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. We cannot escape the illustrated covers these days. I think they are being a bit overused, but I do like them

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  7. I like illustrated covers for the most part, and even more when they sort of tell a story with the illustration. Only Mostly Devastated is fun.

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    1. I love that one, because it features all the characters and not just the couple. It was the right choice, because the story was elevated by the ensemble in this book.

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  8. I prefer covers with people for my romances, but I want them to be real people and not illustrated. I only like illustrated for either YA or Women's Fiction.

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    1. Interesting. I feel like romances were the first to full-on embrace the illustrated cover. The ones that are coming out these days, have a cartoon, cute vibe to them, and I think should be used for lighter, HEA type books. I see them being employed for heavier books, and I feel deceived.

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  9. I'm not much of a fan, but I do like some of these!

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    1. So maybe you like, but don't love people on covers.

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  10. I go back and forth with people on the cover. Sometimes it totally works and sometimes it just feels all wrong. One pet peeve is when the cover model(s) looks completely different from the character (s)he is supposed to represent. I get that often authors have no say so in the cover but it’s obvious that the designers have no idea what the character actually looks like.

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    1. I read The Music of What Happens this weekend, which has a great, illustrated cover, yet, the boy on the cover did not have green eyes. His green eyes are referenced many times in the story, yet, no green on the cover. That bugged me.

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  11. Yes, what Tanya said. Sometimes it feels like the cover designer didn't even read the book. Overall I agree with your daughter though I don't dislike all the covers you posted!

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    1. I even feel like that with some covers I see without people. Maybe I won't totally understand the cover before I read the book, but after, I should be able to look at that cover and see something that connects to the story. Those are the covers I tend to really like

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  12. Oh nice topic! I feel I'm most indifferent to the cover, but I don't always gravitate towards the "people" covers either. Usually because they look nothing like I imagine them to in my head. And sometimes it's because the publishers decided to choose a cover model that looks nothing like the book heroine and can get away with it. Lol.

    Here's my Tuesday Post

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

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    1. That seems to be the consensus around here. For me, sometimes I look at the cover, and it helps me form the picture in my head, since I am more of a visual learner.

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  13. I love most of these because they're not just a generic person on the cover. They all say something specific about the story.

    I'm listening to Loveboat Taipei right now.

    Karen @ For What It's worth

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    1. I hope you are enjoying Ever's story. Things get really messy in Taipei. I was a little torn up about the triangle, but happy with the ending.

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  14. I can relate to your daughter a bit -- I tend to avoid books where women are in ballgowns on the cover. Something about it repels me. XD That said, I love these books. Karen nailed it-- each of these covers calls out details about these stories, which is probably what makes them so memorable. I bet the books with people on them I shy away from are ones where the covers don't truly reflect the book's contents.

    Great TTT!

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    1. That, is interesting. I don't if I tend to avoid any books because of covers. I need to be convinced to read a book with an ugly cover, but not sure about any particular thing that turns me off. Now, content-wise, I can pinpoint my offenders, but not covers. My favorite covers are the ones I can look at and connect to the story. I never like the pandering type covers, that are random.

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  15. I tend to prefer covers with people on. I don't mind non-human covers, but I do find the abs on many romance covers appealing.

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    1. I feel like, as a romance reader, it's rare not to have people on the cover. And, HA! Abs are great.

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  16. I love the cover of I Wanna Be Where You Are. The publishers let Sandhya Menon have input on her covers, and they turn out so nice!

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    1. Menon is lucky, because I know a lot of authors have no input, but I feel like they should.

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  17. I agree with your daughter. I like people on the cover, but I prefer it if I can't see their faces or at least not their whole face. It taints how I picture the characters in my head and it annoys me when pictures on the cover don't match what I see in my head, you know?

    Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!

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    1. That is what everyone keeps saying. I think I am ok with it, unless they don't match the description in the book

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  18. Ha! I think I can relate to your daughter on this one. There are some exceptions, though.

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  19. Fun topic and I love that you had a debate with your daughter about this. I'm not typically a fan of full faces. I'm totally fine if it's an illustrated covers like the ones you've highlighted, but a cover that's basically a close up of someone's face is a nope for me. Menon's books are the only ones I can think of that I like that have faces on them. I like the style and how the girls on the covers aren't just staring out at me. I know, I'm weird, lol.

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    1. I don't have many people to discuss book things with, but the kid is one of my favorites to book-talk with. I think the draw of Menon's covers is that she is capturing a moment and the essence of her character in one shot. Dimple smiling and sipping. Sweetie laughing covered in Holi powder. These say so much more, than a simple posed picture.

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  20. I would have said I prefer no photos of people, but I have always adored that Sweetie cover. The colors on all of these are so yummy too!

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    1. It is a wonderful cover, and yes, the colors are lovely. I am glad they chose the picture with Sweetie covered in Holi powder. Beautiful, indeed, but also meaningful and connected to the actual story.

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  21. I don't mind faces on covers, but for YA (or adult) I prefer real ones to cartoon ones...I tend to associate the latter to MG novels. If anything, the covers that turn me off are those with a nondescript image and the title spread all over them with large lettering. They look boring and lazy.

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    1. That is interesting. I never thought of cartoon vs. real life images for age group, but rather, I feel the cartoonish illustrated covers convey a lightness and should be used for "fluffier" reads. I feel deceived, when they are featured on heavier books.

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  22. Ah such a great selection of covers! I don't really mind faces on my book covers, but I have a slight preference for drawn ones rather than "real" ones, somehow. I Wanna Be Where You Are and The Upside of Falling are two of my favorite covers! <3

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    1. There has been so much interesting feedback about faces on covers. I don't think I have a preference of read vs drawn, but I know I get frustrated, when the person on the cover does not match the description of the person in the book.

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  23. I love the cover for With The Fire On High! It catches the eye everytime I see it and makes me curious about the book.

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    1. And it really convey's who Emoni is too. That's why I like it so much

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  24. I don't really like people on the cover much but there is a trend of illustrated people on the cover and that is a trend I really do love! I have quite a few of these on my TBR like Love from A to Z, With the Fire on High and Night Music ;)

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    1. All three of those books were amazing, so I hope you get a chance to read them. Isn't it funny, that we seem to enjoy illustrated people more than real people? I have been hearing that from quite a few people.

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