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: The Shock of the Fall

Name: The Shock of the Fall
Author: Nathan Filer
Publisher: Harper Collins
Star Rating: * * * *

‘I’ll tell you what happened because it will be a good way to introduce my brother. His name’s Simon. I think you’re going to like him. I really do. But in a couple of pages he’ll be dead. And he was never the same after that.’

It’s true, Simon never was quite the same after that. Not in a he’s-gone-forever kind of way, but in more of a he-never-left kind of way. After a tragic childhood accident that led to the death of the young boy, Simon stuck around in the mind of his younger brother, Matthew, and on the occasions that he did leave it was never for very long. 

This beautifully written story follows the life of Matthew Holmes and his spiralling descent into mental illness. Upon reading, I was struck by the normality of Matthew’s character. Schizophrenia as a disease is accompanied by so much stigma, and I applaud Nathan for writing Matthew with a rich personality. Matthew isn’t portrayed as a madman, but as a nineteen year old man who is suffering from a terrible illness. It’s clear that Matthew is not a fool, although he isn’t always quite in touch with reality either.

Simon has a voice inside Matthew’s head. His death was the trigger for a lifetime of guilt and an illness that was sitting only a few branches up in the family tree. Mental illness happens. It happens to ordinary people, living ordinary lives, and this book delivers that message home.

As well as being wonderfully written, I want to take a moment to appreciate this book’s beautiful design. For one, the cover is gorgeous (it’s just so shiny) and it really stands out on a bookshelf. 

Matthew is writing his own story, in different locations while using different tools and mediums. This is captured visually through the text itself, his font switching a computer and a typewriter. The inclusion of letters and drawings also adds to the telling of the story, and I can easily visualise the stack of papers building up as Matthew continues to write and compile his life.

Matthew is in and out of hospital and in and out of touch with reality. With each page we learn more about his struggles, but also about the treatment of severe mental illness in 21^st century. The author has done a wonderful job at tackling such a sensitive topic, and as a registered mental health nurse, Nathan’s years of practical experience are clear within the words that he has written.

The Shock of the Fall is a fantastic debut novel. It is a haunting, insightful and enjoyable read.