Tag: Pretty Spines

Words in books are important. They're the marks on the page with an ability to construct entire universes and deliver them straight into our minds, should we feel compelled to move our eyes from one to the other. Agreed, they're pretty amazing. I'm glad that we've acknowledged this.

Call me superficial, but today I don't want to talk about the words themselves, but something else that is pretty damn gorgeous. Today I'm going to discuss book covers, and the cream of the crop at that. You know the kind that I'm talking about. The ones that make you want to gather them in your arms and start stroking them lustfully in Waterstones (Ahem, that can't just me).

A little while ago I watched the booksandquills Pretty Spines Tag, where Sanne listed some of her favourite cover art from her own personal library. I thought that this was a great idea and had a browse through my own collection to pick out some of my 'pretty spines' and of course to write my own tag response. Here's what I came up with!

You can view Sanne's great video by clicking here!















Look at them, aren't they beautiful ^_^

Perfect
 By Rachel Joyce

 
            Back                                                                                                                                                          Front

I wasn't expecting these beautiful illustrations under the jacket of my hardcover copy of Perfect. The images are reflective of the story told within the cover, and just look really dainty and lovely. Yes.


The Shock of the Fall 
By Nathan Filer

Another of this year's purchases, I was initially drawn to The Shock of the Fall by it's captivating cover. So shiny.

 

Pandemonium 
By Lauren Oliver

I love this edition of Pandemonium. It's artwork almost seems like a painting and has a really delicate texture to touch. Plus, the whole trilogy looks even better as a complete set!







The Canterbury Tales
Retold by Peter Ackroyd

This cover is absolutely littered with illustrations. It looks like one well penned doodle with an eye pleasing colour scheme. In short, I find it charming.

 Jayne Eyre and Tom Brown's School Days
By Charlotte Bronte and Thomas Hughes

 












           
               Bronte                                                                                                                                                Hughes

There's something about these two that just looks classic, which is fitting, as they are 'Classic Adventures' after all! Perhaps it's the leathery texture or the fancy gold lettering, but the truth is they look just fine sat side by side on my bookshelf.

The Hobbit 
By JRR Tolkien

There are so many different editions of JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit, and I'm really not surprised as it is a great (and hugely famous) piece of literature. I've actually had my eye on the pocket edition for a while now, which is really cute and well designed. Despite this I still love my own copy, it's simple and striking, as well as shiny. I really like shiny things.





And there you have seven of my 'prettiest spines' to date. The quest continues... such a list will never be complete!

Book Review: Perfect by Rachel Joyce

Title: Perfect

Author: Rachel Joyce

Publisher: Random House

Star rating: * * * *




So I finally finished turning the last pages of Perfect, and my mind is buzzing with thoughts. If you've already read Part Two of my Christmas Book Haul you'll know that I received this title while knowing very little about it. Initially I found Perfect to be one of those books that took me a while to really engage with but, by the time I was halfway through, I couldn't stop turning the pages. In fact I spent an entire day in my pyjamas specifically to finish reading the book; and it was worth it.

The privileged eleven year old Byron Hemmings is the voice for many chapters in the novel. The plot begins by focusing on two seconds that were to be added to time in England during 1972, and we soon learn of Byron's fixation on the consequences of their addition. Indeed, this fixation ignited a chain of events that caused his life to alter in inconceivable ways. It began with an irregular movement in the ticking of his watch, and a collision with a little girl and her red bicycle. 'If only James had never told him'.

I personally found that the chapters set in 1972 were the most interesting for me to read, particularly in terms of characterization. I warmed greatly to Diana, Byron's mother, and her emotionally abusive relationship with her husband Seymour often pained me to read. James, Byron's best friend and the individual that informed him of the two seconds, was another character that I enjoyed following as the story progressed. Although James was often in the sidelines to begin with he played an instrumental role in 'Operation Perfect' and the unfolding of the book's events.

I also found it really interesting that many of the characters were from an upper class background. It gave them an alternate outlook on life, one that was often highly pressurized and a direct contrast to many of the characters that were encountered in other chapters in the novel.

Perfect uses a split narrative and those chapters that did not occur in 1972 took place in the present day, and through the voice of a middle aged character simply named as Jim. His struggles are clear from the very beginning, but it is not until I finished the book that I fully understood them, and his link to Byron Hemmings. I found that I didn't really engage with the characters as well in these sections of the novel, but their inclusion was definitely vital and enhanced my understanding of the story, although I didn't realise this in the beginning!

I definitely recommend Perfect to anyone that enjoyed Joyce's previous novel 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry'. For me a bit of perseverance was required, but the deeper I progressed into the novel the more gripping I seemed to find it. Because of this, I have given it a four star rating out of five.

Book Haul: Christmas 2013 Part 2

Welcome to Part Two of my Christmas Book Haul! In this second installment I have listed the remaining books that I received this Christmas season, and will be discussing my initial thoughts prior to reading them. Once again you can click on any of the titles in order to find out more about the book, and to be linked straight to its Goodreads page.

 

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff 

 

 Title: How I live Now

 Author: Meg Rosoff

 Publisher: Penguin

First Thoughts

Yet another young adult novel, I discovered this title on YouTube where it was featured in a video by booksandquills who gave it a positive recommendation. How I Live Now features Daisy, a teenage girl who is sent from America to live with her cousins in England. Daisy's aunt is away when war breaks out in London, and the cousins are then left to fend for themselves. As a fan of Young Adult Dystopian fiction, I can’t wait to read this book.

Perfect by Rachel Joyce 

 

 Title: Perfect

 Author: Rachel Joyce

 Publisher: Random House

First Thoughts

Admittedly I still don’t know a lot about this book, which I stumbled upon after reading Joyce’s successful novel ‘The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry’. The book itself is gorgeous and my hardback copy is covered in detailed illustrations beneath the jacket. Looking at the back cover of Perfect, it simply reads that ‘In 1972 two seconds were added to time. Were they to blame for what happened next?’ and doesn't give much away at all! I've chosen to continue this blissful ignorance in the hope that I can jump into reading it and let the content be a surprise. After greatly enjoying the previous novel written by Joyce, I look forward to discovering what happened next.

Shift by Hugh Howey

 

 Title: Shift (Silo 2)

 Author: Hugh Howey

 Publisher: Arrow

First Thoughts

The second installment of a Science Fiction trilogy that was originally written as a series of novellas, I have been eager to read Shift after devouring the first novel ‘Wool’ some time ago. Shift is in fact a prequel to the previous book, and I am hoping that it will shed some light as to why Earth’s inhabitants have been forced to live in underground ‘silos’.

  

How To Make Your Man Behave In 21 Days Or Less Using The Secrets Of Professional Dog Trainers by Karen Salmansohn 

 

 Title: How To Make Your Man Behave In 21 Days Or Less Using The Secrets  Of Professional Dog Trainers

 Author: Karen Salmansohn

 Publisher: Workman Publishing Company

First Thoughts

I laughed a lot when unwrapping this last gift! This book is pretty self explanatory and appears to be written with the humorous comparison of men to dogs, and the secrets of how to train them- the men that is. I’m saving this book for the day that I need a pick me up. Here’s to hoping that it teaches me a lot!

And that concludes my 2013 Christmas Book Haul. I'm very grateful for all of the books that I received this year- it definitely looks like this year of reading is off to a good start!