August 26, 2010 2:53 PM

COVER NEWS: My Bollywood Wedding

We're looking forward to Rekha Waheed's Little Black Dress novel, My Bollywood Wedding. The book is due for release next year, and here's the gorgeous cover!

 

We have a while to wait yet (the book isn't released until February!) but here's the synopsis:

 

Maya Malik wants a big glamorous Bollywood wedding.

And now Maya has found Jhanghir Khan, her perfect man, it's time to start the mammoth task of planning it. But fifteen designer wedding boutiques, seven venues, two jet-set dashes to Dubai and Dhaka, and one trip to Tiffany's later, with interfering aunties on her tail, her enthusiasm is flagging. And with the Maliks and Khans fighting over dowries and every decision related to the 600 strong guest list, Maya questions if it's all worth it. Most importantly, she starts to doubt if Jhanghir really is Mr Right...

 

Click here to visit Little Black Dress Books.

Posted by Elle Symonds on August 26, 2010 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 25, 2010 8:05 PM

COVER NEWS: New York Valentine

We're big fans of Carmen Reid's Annie Valentine series (The Personal Shopper, Celebrity Shopper, How Not to Shop). So we were delighted to discover that the latest installment about heroine Annie, titled New York Valentine, will be on the shelves next year. And here's the cover!

What do you think? New York Valentine will be released in January. Read on for the synopsis:

Love is in the air! Personal shopper Annie Valentine has a dream job in the heart of fabulous Manhattan. Daughter Lana is lost in the heat of first love, but has she fallen for a heart-breaker? In London husband Ed faces a scandal at work and knows, in his heart, he needs Annie back. What's a girl to do when her true love is in London but her new love is New York? Does it have to be fashion or family, or can Annie Valentine have it all?

To learn more about Carmen Reid, head on over to her website.
 

Posted by Elle Symonds on August 25, 2010 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (1)

August 10, 2010 11:18 AM

TUESDAY THREE: Snowglobe covers!

Here at Trashionista we always notice certain trends when it comes to chick-lit book covers. And recently we've discovered another similar series of images - this time, it's snowglobes! Check out three of the snowglobe covers we've spotted recently. Know of any more? Leave a comment and let us know!

Promises, Promises by Erica James

'I Must Stand Up for Myself More' so promises Maggie Storm who spends her days cleaning houses for people who often have more money than manners. Married to a man with as much sex appeal as Mr Blobby, she dreams of a life straight from the pages of a romantic novel. 'My Head Must Rule Over My Heart' so promises Ella Moore who, determined never to let her heart get the better of her again, is recovering from seven wasted years of failing to win over the daughter of the man with whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life. 'No More Women' so promises Ethan Edwards who, to distract himself from the depressing sham of his marriage, is a repeat offender when it comes to turning to other women for sexual consolation. But when Ella appears unexpectedly in his life, he finds himself turning to her for very different reasons.

All The Things We Didn't Say by Sara Shepard

Tragedy came as if so often does: a teenage party, emotions running high, followed by a horrific car crash. A girl is left dead and a boy is forced to leave his home town, with a secret that he will carry with him forever-Years later, when Summer's mother disappears one summer, she is left with her father who is going slowly crazy. Obsessed with an accident from years ago, he slowly descends into mental illness. And as he becomes more disorientated, he reveals small fragments of a secret that has been hidden since his youth, a secret that changes everything. Summer supports her father as much as she can but eventually realises that she has to escape. She finds refuge with her great-aunt, Stella. Feisty, fun-loving, and dying of cancer, Stella holds parts of the family secret. Slowly, things fall into place for Summer - or at least so she thinks-This is a story of the importance of family, of the damage a lie can do, and of how nothing is ever what it seems.

Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

Emma is sitting on a turbulent plane. She's always been a v. nervous flyer. She really thinks that this could be her last moment. So, naturally enough, she starts telling the man sitting next to her - quite a dishy American, but she's too frightened to notice -all her innermost secrets. How she scans the backs of intellectual books and pretends she's read them. How she does her hair up like Princess Leia in her bedroom. How she's not sure if she has a G-spot, and whether her boyfriend could find it anyway. How she feels like a fraud at work - everyone uses the word 'operational' all the time but she hasn't a due what it means. How the coffee at work is horrible. How she once threw a troublesome client file in the bin. If ever there was a bare soul, it's hers. She survives the flight, of course, and the next morning the famous founding boss of the whole mega corporation she works for is coming for a look at the UK branch. As he walks around, Emma looks up and realises... It's the man from the plane. What will he do with her secrets? He knows them all - but she doesn't know a single one of his. Or... does she? 

Posted by Elle Symonds on August 10, 2010 in Book covers, Sophie Kinsella | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 19, 2010 9:47 PM

COVER NEWS: Mini Shopaholic (US version!)

We're well aware that the world's Becky Bloomwood fans are eagerly awaiting the next Shopaholic instalment - and there's not long to go! Mini Shopaholic will hit the shelves in September, and we've already seen the fabulous UK cover.

 

Recently, Chicklit Club posted the cover image for the US version. And here it is! (The UK cover is on the left). What do you think? Leave a comment and let us know!

 

For those who don't yet know about the book, here's the synopsis:

 

Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) thought motherhood would be a breeze and that having a daughter was a dream come true a shopping friend for life! But it s trickier than she thought two-year-old Minnie has a quite different approach to shopping.

She can create havoc everywhere from Harrods to Harvey Nicks to her own christening. She hires taxis at random, her favourite word is Mine , and she s even started bidding for designer bags on ebay.

On top of everything else, there s a big financial crisis. People are having to Cut Back including all of Becky s personal shopping clients and she and Luke are still living with Becky s Mum and Dad. To cheer everyone up, Becky decides to throw a surprise birthday party on a budget but then things become really complicated.

Who will end up on the naughty step, who will get a gold star and will Becky's secret wishes come true?

Posted by Elle Symonds on July 19, 2010 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (2)

July 9, 2010 12:15 AM

BOOK NEWS: A Vintage Affair

Isabel Wolff's novel A Vintage Affair became an instant hit when it was released in the UK last year. However, it's now set to be even more popular due to its recent release in the States.

 

A Vintage Affair was published on June 29^th by Bantam Dell and has not only gained a gorgeous new cover, but also a place on the current Barnes & Noble Recommends list.

 

For those unfamiliar with the book, here's the synopsis:

 

A Vintage Affair, Isabel Wolff's 8th novel, is about Phoebe Swift, a textiles expert, who gives up her plum job at Sothebys' in order to fulfil a long held pipe dream - to set up her own vintage dress store, Village Vintage.  But as Phoebe arranges the glorious old gowns, suits and 'cupcake' prom dresses in her sun-filled shop she is struggling with a recent trauma - her best friend Emma has died and Phoebe feels responsible.  Then she meets an elderly Frenchwoman, Therese Bell, who has a collection to sell - apart from one garment which she'll never part with - a child's sky-blue winter coat from wartime Provence.  Behind the  coat is a heartbreaking story.  In 1943, the then 12 year old Therese had promised the coat to her best friend Monique, who was in hiding from the Nazis; instead, she betrayed Monique and has lived with the guilt ever since.  Phoebe's friendship with Therese, and her own growing obsession with the fate of Monique is to change Phoebe's life forever.  A Vintage Affair is semi-historical, and can be characterised as a story of fashion, friendship, regret and redemption. It also has mystery, romance and comedy in addition to the pleasure of the beautiful clothes that Phoebe sells..

 

To find out more about Isabel and her books, check out Isabel Wolff's website. Alternatively, you can head on over to Barnes & Noble to watch a video of Isabel talking about A Vintage Affair.

Stay tuned for a giveaway!

Posted by Elle Symonds on July 9, 2010 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (1)

July 7, 2010 10:40 PM

YAY OR NAY: Katie Price's new 'Sapphire' cover

Those who are familiar with Katie Price's novels will recognise the colourful book covers. The glamour model, also known as Jordan, has released a series of ghostwritten adult books such as Angel, Crystal and Sapphire. Paradise, the latest in this line of fiction, is due for release in July.

 

However, it seems that Sapphire has been given a new look. Amazon is now displaying a revamped Sapphire jacket, minus the signature silhouette. The new edition is listed as being released this month.

 

The new cover is on the left.

 

Personally I'm no Katie Price fan, but admittedly, I much prefer the classier new cover and think it looks great. What do you think? Leave a comment and let us know!

Here's the synopsis of Sapphire:

Sapphire Jones doesn't believe in relationships anymore - not since she caught her husband in bed with another woman. Now Sapphire only sees men on her terms which is why her current lover is younger than her, good looking, doesn't place any emotional demands on her [so far, fingers crossed] and is great in bed. What more does a girl need? Sapphire puts all her passion into running her own business - a high end lingerie and hen weekend company. She is doing well and life seems pretty good until she meets a very handsome, charming businessman who seems more than a match for Sapphire. Then things go badly wrong at the hen party she has planned for a soap star and tabloid darling. The evening is one that everyone will be talking about for all the wrong reasons and Sapphire faces front page headlines all of her own...Suddenly her business is in jeopardy, her well-controlled private life is falling apart, and in the middle of all this Sapphire realises that she is not immune to love after all, but has she left it too late?

Posted by Elle Symonds on July 7, 2010 in Book covers, Celebrity Authors | Permalink | Comments (1)

July 6, 2010 12:28 AM

COVER NEWS: Priceless

Here's more celebrity book news  - Nicole Richie, whose debut novel The Truth About Diamonds was published in 2005, is back with a second book, titled Priceless. Nicole recently posted the cover of Priceless on her blog. Here it is!

 

What do you think? Leave a comment and let us know!

Posted by Elle Symonds on July 6, 2010 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 16, 2010 8:28 PM

COVER NEWS: Love is On the Air

Jane Moore, columnist and author of novels such as Dot Homme, The Ex Files and The Second Wives Club, is back with her newest novel, Love Is On The Air. No synopsis has been revealed as yet, but here's a peek at the cover!

What do you think? Leave a comment and let us know!

Posted by Elle Symonds on June 16, 2010 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 14, 2010 9:46 PM

RECENT RELEASE: Steamed

The steampunk genre is becoming ever popular, and now one author has delved into the enchanting setting for her just-released novel. Katie MacAlister, author of many novels including You Slay Me and A Girl's Guide to Vampires, has also penned Steamed, a steampunk romance, which was released last month.

Here's the info...

When one of Jack Fletcher's nanoelectromechanical system experiments is jostled in his lab, the resulting explosion send him into the world of his favourite nivel - a seemingly Victorian-era world of steampower, aether guns, corsets and goggles. A world where the lovely and intrepid Octavia Pye captains her airship straight into his heart...

To find out more about Katie and her books, check out Katie's website.

Posted by Elle Symonds on June 14, 2010 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 23, 2010 10:40 PM

COVER NEWS: Poor Little Bitch Girl

We posted in March about Poor Little Bitch Girl, the latest novel from Jackie Collins. I love the cover on this book! However, now it seems that there's a UK cover - still sexy, but definitely different.

The USA cover is showN on the left, and the UK version is on the right. Which do you prefer?

Leave a comment and let us know!

Want to know more about the book? Here's the synopsis:

Denver Jones is a hotshot twenty-something attorney working in L.A. Carolyn Henderson is the personal assistant to a powerful and very married Senator in Washington with who she is having an affair. Annabelle Maestro - the daughter of two movies stars - has carved out a career for herself in New York as the Madame of choice for discerning famous men. The tree beautiful women went to high school together in Beverly Hills, and although Denver and Carolyn have kept in touch, Annabelle is out on her own with her cocaine addicted boyfriend, Frankie. Frankie's best friend is Bobby Santangelo Stanisloplous, the Kennedy-esque son of Lucky Santangelo and deceased Greek shipping billionaire, Dimitri Stanisloplous. Before he was calling the shots at New York's hottest club, Mood, Bobby was a classmate of Denver, Carolyn and Annabelle.

When Annabelle's' beautiful movie star mother is found shot to death in the bedroom of her Beverly Hills mansion, the five of them find themselves thrown together...And secrets from the past have a way of coming back to haunt everyone.

Posted by Elle Symonds on April 23, 2010 in Bonkbusters, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (2)

April 21, 2010 10:32 PM

BOOK NEWS: Gallery Girl

Wendy Holden fans will be delighted to hear that there's not much longer to wait until the release of her latest novel. Wendy, author of many novels including Fame Fatale and Filthy Rich, has brought us Gallery Girl, a funny, romantic tale set in the world of art. Here's the synopsis:

Zeb's the darling of Brit Art; the rock n' roll bad boy artist whose works go for bazillions. But can he keep his end up - in every sense - now that his powerful female patron is losing interest? Beth loves art and the traditional gallery she works in and loves her boyfriend, doctor David. But the hospital hours he keeps are putting a strain on the relationship. Marie's pop-star husband was big in the Nineties; he's relaunching his boy band with a vengeance. But where does this leave Marie and her dreams of being a painter? Ben's a brilliant portrait artist but no-one wants his stuff. Why have a picture that actually looks like you when you could have a gold-sprayed prosthetic limb? Disillusioned Ben's reduced to living in the country and holding adult education life classes. But what happened to his life?

Then Beth finds herself catapulted into the crazed world of contemporary art. Marie walks into Ben's life class. And the picture changes completely.

To find out more about Wendy Holden and her books, check out Wendy's official website.

Posted by Elle Symonds on April 21, 2010 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

COVER NEWS: The Carrie Diaries

With Candace Bushnell's The Carrie Diaries being released on April 29th, we thought we'd post a pic of the new UK book cover. The US cover is shown on the left, and the glitzy UK edition is on the right.

Personally I like the UK design, even though the scrawled-on diary look of the American version seems to suit the synopsis of the book better. But what about you? What are your opinions on the different covers?

Leave a comment and let us know!

For those unfamiliar with The Carrie Diaries, here's the blurb:

Meet Carrie Bradshaw before 'Sex and the City!' The Carrie Diaries is the coming-of-age story of one of the most iconic characters of our generation. Before Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw was a small town girl who knew she wanted more. She's ready for real life to start, but first she must navigate her senior year of high school. Up until now, Carrie and her friends have been inseparable. Then Sebastian Kydd comes into the picture, and a friend's betrayal makes her question everything. With an unforgettable cast of characters, The Carrie Diaries is the story of how a regular girl learns to think for herself, and evolves into a sharp, insightful writer. Readers will learn about her family background, how she found her writing voice, and the indelible impression her early friendships and relationships left on her. Through adventures both audacious and poignant, we'll see what brings Carrie to her beloved New York City, where her new life begins.

Posted by Elle Symonds on April 21, 2010 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 13, 2010 10:09 PM

COVER NEWS: Getting Over Mr Right

I absolutely LOVED Chrissie Manby's latest book, Getting Over Mr Right - so much so that I read it in a matter of hours! The paperback version is due for release in June 2010, with Amazon displaying a brand new cover.

Here's the new cover (right) compared to the original (left). Which do you prefer? Leave a comment and let us know! For those who haven't read the book, here's the synopsis...

Have you ever had your heart broken? How did you get over it? Did a tub of ice-cream cheer you up? Did you delete his number and start again? Are you now friends with your ex? Perhaps you re godmother to his children? In which case, you re a weirdo and this book is not for you. But if you reacted with denial, begging or a spot of casual witchcraft, then you ve come to the right place. This is one woman s journey from love to lunacy and back again. If you ever recall past heartbreaks with acute embarrassment and an urge to go into hiding, this will make you feel better. Sure, you may have sent his new girlfriend a bunch of dead roses, but did you spend a grand on psychic hot-lines and a voodoo curse?

Posted by Elle Symonds on April 13, 2010 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 31, 2010 12:00 AM

COVER NEWS: Last Night at Chateau Marmont

Back in January we posted the news of Lauren Weisberger's latest novel, Last Night at Chateau Marmont - and here's the cover!

 

The high-heeled shoe seems to be a signature cover for Lauren, who brought us The Devil Wears Prada, Everyone Worth Knowing, and Chasing Harry Winston.

 

The book will be released on May 25^th, 2010. Click here to visit Lauren Weisberger's website.

Posted by Elle Symonds on March 31, 2010 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (3)

March 30, 2010 8:02 PM

BOOK NEWS: The (Im)Perfect Girlfriend

For those who recall 50 Ways to Find a Lover, the debut novel by Lucy-Ann Holmes, then here's an umpcoming release you'll love!

The (Im)Perfect Girlfriend is the sequel to 50 Ways (which was based on Lucy's blog) and heroine Sarah Sargeant is back. This time, she's managed to get a seemingly perfect guy - however, will she be able to keep him?

This sounds like a hilarious read and I can't wait to get my hands on it. Sadly it's not released until early August but we can wait patiently...right? Here's the synopsis:

We kissed until it became necessary to stop so that we could breathe, by which time my lips were so swollen it looked like I'd been pleasuring a brillo pad. We grinned at each other again and I felt the urge to utter something brilliantly intellectual.

'Have I mentioned that I'm hopelessly in love with you?'

Actress Sarah Sargeant has finally landed the perfect boyfriend. But as she leaves London for LA, Sarah finds herself morphing from the perfect girlfriend, baby voicing 'i love you's, into a nutty one who throws phones and screams a lot.

Where did it all go wrong? Was it the photo of a semi-naked ex-girlfriend doing a downward dog she found in her boyfriend's filofax? Or maybe it's the steamy sex scene she films with the handsomest man in the world, ever.

Laugh-out-loud funny and brutally honest, The (Im)Perfect Girlfriend is the story of one woman's search for her happy ever after. It is a novel that firmly establishes Lucy Anne Holmes as one of the best writers of romantic comedy today.

Posted by Elle Symonds on March 30, 2010 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 25, 2010 12:40 AM

BOOK NEWS: Rock Chicks

Here's a new release to look forward to (I'm really liking the look of this one!). Ronni Cooper's Rock Chicks will be hitting the shelves in June 2010. Read on for the synopsis...

The groupie

Coco LaBiba has the beauty, she has the money, but she just needs the sex, music and fame to get high. She won't give up her wild ways for anyone... except the one guy she can never have.

The wife

Marny Rammer - pretty, shy, devoted wife of the band's lead singer. But there's a price to pay when superstardom comes knocking on your husband's door and for Marny it comes in a dangerous pile of fine white powder.

The manager

Lori Wyatt is the girl from the sticks turned kick-ass band manager who can play any man their own game - business or pleasure. She will do anything to sky-rocket her boys to the top. Anything.

Three strong women. Three best friends. The rock chicks have joined the party.

Click here to visit Ronnie Cooper's website.

Posted by Elle Symonds on March 25, 2010 in Book covers, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 18, 2010 10:35 PM

BOOK NEWS: Poor Little Bitch Girl

Fans of Jackie Collins will be delighted to hear that her 27th book - Poor Little Bitch Girl - is now available, and has been on the New York Times bestseller list for four weeks. Here's some more information...

Denver Jones is a hotshot twenty-something attorney working in L.A. Carolyn Henderson is the personal assistant to a powerful and very married Senator in Washington with who she is having an affair. Annabelle Maestro - the daughter of two movies stars - has carved out a career for herself in New York as the Madame of choice for discerning famous men. The tree beautiful women went to high school together in Beverly Hills, and although Denver and Carolyn have kept in touch, Annabelle is out on her own with her cocaine addicted boyfriend, Frankie. Frankie's best friend is Bobby Santangelo Stanisloplous, the Kennedy-esque son of Lucky Santangelo and deceased Greek shipping billionaire, Dimitri Stanisloplous. Before he was calling the shots at New York's hottest club, Mood, Bobby was a classmate of Denver, Carolyn and Annabelle.

When Annabelle's' beautiful movie star mother is found shot to death in the bedroom of her Beverly Hills mansion, the five of them find themselves thrown together...And secrets from the past have a way of coming back to haunt everyone.

For more information about Jackie Collins and her books, visit Jackie's website.

Posted by Elle Symonds on March 18, 2010 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 11, 2010 10:28 PM

COVER NEWS: The One That Got Away

Lucy Dawson, who brought us the darkly addictive novels His Other Lover and What My Best Friend Did, is back with another offering -and we can't wait. The One That Got Away is due for release in October this year, so we'll be waiting quite a while yet! However, the cover image was recently released - here it is!

What do you think?

Here's the synopsis of The One That Got Away...

Molly Greene is having trouble packing up her old life to embrace the new challenges and grown up adventures that are waiting in the wings for her and husband Dan. She loves him, but with life as she knows it about to change forever, she just can't quite seem to make the final jump. Then, just as she's teetering on the brink of the biggest decision of her life, she stupidly sends an impulsive message to the very last person she ought to have contacted, someone who should have stayed forgotten, and is now coming looking for her. And when he finds her, when old and new collide, there is no more turning back. One night is all it takes to threaten everything she holds dear - for good. Would you risk your future for a night with your past?

Posted by Elle Symonds on March 11, 2010 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 9, 2010 2:26 AM

COVER NEWS: Best Friends Forever

Last year, Jennifer Weiner's novel Best Friends Forever hit the shelves, and now publishers Simon & Schuster have given it brand new look. The new cover is on the left - personally, I much prefer the new one. But what do YOU think? Leave s a comment and let us know!

If you're not familiar with Best Friends Forever, then here's the synopsis...

A story about betrayal and loyalty, family history and neighbourhood secrets, living through sorrow, finding love where you least expect it, and the ties that keep best friends...forever. Addie Downs and Valerie Adler were eight when they first met and decided to be best friends forever. But, in the wake of tragedy and betrayal during their teenage years, everything changed. Val went on to fame and fortune. Addie stayed behind in their small Midwestern town. Destiny, however, had more in store for these two. And when, twenty-five years later, Val shows up at Addie's front door with blood on her coat and terror on her face, it is the start of a wild adventure for two women joined by love and history who find strength together that they could not find alone.

Click here to visit Jennifer Weiner's website.

Posted by Elle Symonds on March 9, 2010 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (1)

February 17, 2010 11:40 PM

COVER NEWS: The Body at the Tower

We recently posted about YS Lee's upcoming novel, The Body at the Tower - the second novel in her Agency series. We've just been alerted that the book cover has been redesigned, and looks great! Check out the new cover - what do you think?

To read more The Agency, visit YS Lee's website.

Posted by Elle Symonds on February 17, 2010 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 15, 2010 7:10 PM

BOOK NEWS: Married With Zombies

It's true - zombies are becoming more popular. They've already caused havoc in Jane Austen's world, and it was only a matter of time before zombies started to make their brain-munching way into the mainstream. September will see the release of a brand new zombie series from author Jesse Petersen, published by Orbit (US). The first in the series is titled Married With Zombies.

The books will see a married couple in crisis who are forced to work together in a zombie apocalypse. There's no synopsis available as yet, but here are a few tips, from the author's current website:

Marriage survival tips during a zombie apocalypse:

• Balance the workload in your relationship. No one person should be responsible for killing all the zombies.

• Put the small stuff into perspective. It's better to be wrong and alive than right but eating brains.

• Talk out your big decisions. Hear both opinions before you decide if you're going to flee the city or hole up with Campbell's Soup and CNN.

• Share in your activities and interests. If you're going to kill zombies anyway, why not do it together?

• Plan romantic getaways. Or just getaways.

• Show physical affection. Nothing says 'I love you' like bearing the entirety of your spouse's body weight.

Chapter one of Married With Zombies is available on Jesse's website.

(Thanks to Book Chick City for this news).

Posted by Elle Symonds on February 15, 2010 in Book Extract, Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 10, 2010 8:50 PM

BOOK NEWS: WAGS at the World Cup

If you liked Alison Kervin's WAGS series so far (The WAG's Diary, A WAG Abroad), then you'll be pleased to know that Alison is back with a third offering in the series - WAGS at the Wold Cup. The cover is a bit different to the previous two novels in the series, but it still looks fab! Here's the synopsis:

Forget Victoria Beckham. Forget Coleen. You can even forget Cheryl Cole...Tracie Martin is the true queen of the Wags. From her lemon-frosted highlights to the tips of her bejewelled bronzed toes, Tracie is the ultimate footballer's wife and this is going to be her year. The England squad are heading to South Africa for the World Cup and Tracie's husband Dean has a place on the coaching squad. So the Martin family are on their way to South Africa ...And while the fight may be on for England to regain their rightful place in the history books, Tracie knows that the true battle of the tournament will be fought in Gucci and in the pages of her favourite tabloids. But that's before she discovers that an international crime syndicate is trying to fix the world cup. Can Tracie save the day?

Click here to check out Alison's website.

Posted by Elle Symonds on February 10, 2010 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (5)

January 29, 2010 9:37 PM

COVER NEWS: Emily Barr

Emily Barr, whose previous novels include Backpack, Plan B and The Sisterhood, is back with a new book that's out later this year. The Perfect Lie will be available on 13th May, and here's the gorgeous cover (left). The new cover matches that of The Life You Want, Emily's 2009 novel. What do you think? Or do you prefer the style of covers used for Emily's previous books (such as , right?) Let us know!

In the meantime, here's more about The Perfect Lie.

A girl flees to Venice to escape her dangerous past in this electrifying novel of intrigue, psychological tension and suspense...

For Lucy Riddick, Venice has always been the dream destination. A dream inspired by the pretty picture pinned to her mother's kitchen wall. To Lucy, Venice seems the ideal place to lose herself. And now she needs to do just that. The secret she's been keeping from her boyfriend and her friends has finally caught up with her and Lucy needs to disappear - and fast. There's no better time to pack her bags and head for Italy. But what if, when she sets foot in Venice, Lucy finds that the one thing she has been running from, the one thing she has been trying to escape, is already there, lying in wait for her? Time to run away again? Or time to end the chase, once and for all?

To find out more about Emily Barr and her books, check out her website.

Posted by Elle Symonds on January 29, 2010 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (1)

January 19, 2010 1:50 PM

BOOK NEWS: Living La Vida Loca

Belinda Jones is back with a new offering that's due for release later this year. Living La Vida Loca (love the cover!) will be available in June and seems like a fantastic summer read! Here's the synopsis:

Carmen has been feeling the need to break free for Too Darn Long. So when her equally frustrated friend Beth suggests the ultimate escape - dancing their way through a series of scorchingly-hot countries - she can't resist!

There's just one catch... they can only go on this adventure if they participate in a reality TV show, one intent on teaching them the mournful tango in Argentina, the feisty flamenco in Spain and the sassy, celebratory salsa in Cuba!

As they travel from Buenos Aires to Seville and ultimately steamy Havana, each dance has a profound effect on the girls - and indeed the sexy gauchos, matadors and dirty dancers who partner them...

But, when the sun goes down, do they have what it takes to go beyond the steps and free their hearts for love?

To read more about Belinda Jones and her books, head on over to her website. 

Posted by Elle Symonds on January 19, 2010 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 18, 2010 10:40 PM

BOOK NEWS: Tease out in paperback

We loved Tease - the debut by UK burlesque star Immodesty Blaize - which has recently been released in paperback. The paperback edition has a lovely new (though just as sexy!) cover. Check it out!

Below is the synopsis for Tease, if you haven't read it already. (Click here for the review - I've tried not to spoil TOO much!)

Tiger Starr has risen from nothing to become burlesque's most sensational showgirl...She's bewitched an adoring public and media with her old school Hollywood glamour, hourglass curves and wickedly, sexy stage shows.

Tiger's life is a whirlwind of glamour, diamonds, celebrity parties and more than her fair share of suitors. She seems to finally have it all. But though she may have the talents to bring any man - or woman - to their knees, Tiger never lets her friends or lovers get too close. Only now, she's finally ready to take a chance on love...

But beneath all the glitz and the feathers, she's hiding more than her modesty. As she prepares for the most important show of her life, it seems somebody is intent on exposing the dark secrets of her carefully guarded past.

Unfortunately, there's more than one likely candidate. Is it one of Tiger's discarded lovers? A rival showgirl? Or even her jealous sister? As her world starts to unravel, Tiger will have to fight for survival, by delivering the performance of her life...

Click here to visit the website of Immodesty Blaize.

Posted by Elle Symonds on January 18, 2010 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 14, 2010 12:03 AM

COVER NEWS: Foursome

Being a huge fan of Jane Fallon (Getting Rid of Matthew, Got You Back), I was delighted to hear a while back about her upcoming novel, Foursome. However, Chloe at Chick Lit Reviews recently alerted us to the cover change. Foursome now has an official cover (left), unlike the original (right). Personally? I much prefer the new one. It fits in perfectly with those of Jane's previous dark yet wonderfully written novels.

What do you think?

Here's the synopsis of Foursome, which is released in March:

Rebecca, Daniel, Alex and Isabel have been best friends since university. Rebecca married Daniel, Alex married Isabel and, for twenty years, they have been inseparable. But all that is about to change... When Alex walks out on Isabel, Rebecca thinks things can't get any worse. But then she finds out the reason why and she's left harbouring a secret she'd rather forget... And there's more upheaval to come in Rebecca's life as her emaciated, neurotic, self-obsessed colleague, Lorna - her arch nemesis at work - suddenly becomes a regular feature in her social life. Rebecca's once-happy foursome is now a distant memory and with hearts broken and friendships fractured, it seems that change is never a good thing. Or is it?

Posted by Elle Symonds on January 14, 2010 in Book News, Book covers, Books | Permalink | Comments (1)

January 7, 2010 12:43 AM

COVER NEWS: The Seven Secrets of Happiness

The Seven Secrets of Happiness by Sharon Owens was released today in paperback. The book, originally released in August last year, has had a drastic cover change (the updated, paperback cover is on the right.)

What do you think?

Here's the book synopsis for The Seven Secrets of Happiness:

Once upon a time Ruby O'Neill lived in her very own ivory tower (a beautiful little cottage) with her very own fairytale prince (her handsome husband Jonathan). She had roses round her door and her friends were never far away - life in her fairytale land was perfect. But grown-up fairy stories don't last forever and one dark night Ruby's life is smashed into a million pieces. With her castle in the air destroyed and her heart broken, she swears she will never love again. Yet guardian angels hide in the strangest places and from Ruby's darkest night, six magical secrets slowly emerge to show her life is for living and that tomorrow is not too late for love. But who is the mysterious stranger who holds the seventh secret, the hardest one to find? And is he the person who holds the ultimate secret, the key to Ruby's frozen heart?

You can read more about Sharon Owens here, or visit her blog.

Posted by Elle Symonds on January 7, 2010 in Book News, Book covers, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (1)

January 4, 2010 11:18 PM

COVER NEWS: Welcome to my World

Miranda Dickinson, author of Fairytale of New York, will return in 2010 with her second novel, Welcome to My World. Miranda recently posted the cover of her latest book on her blog, and here it is - we can't wait!

More info about the book will be posted as soon as we get it!

Fairytale of New York was released in November and made the longlist for the RNA's Romantic Novel of the Year Award. To read more about Miranda and her books, check out her website.

Posted by Elle Symonds on January 4, 2010 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 30, 2009 10:27 PM

BOOK COVERS: If the shoe fits...

Book cover similarities never seem to get past us here at Trashionista. There have been some obvious book cover trends in the past, and some continue to crop up, especially shoes. Shoes on a chicklit cover are particularly common, but some similarities are striking - especially with the following too!

Is it just me, or does the cover of Jemma Forte's novel Me and Miss M bear a resemblance to those of Lauren Weisberger - namely Chasing Harry Winston and Everyone Worth Knowing?

All of the covers look great and I'm looking foward to reading Me and Miss M, but they sure are similar.

 

Posted by Elle Symonds on December 30, 2009 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (2)

December 23, 2009 12:48 AM

Christmas book covers

There's nothing better than a good read for those cold, wintry nights, and recently, there have been quite a few newly-released Christmassy covers. Miranda Dickinson's Fairytale of New York is one of the latest in gorgeous, snowy book jackets, along with Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts by Lucy Dillon.

Have you spotted any Christmassy covers lately? Let us know!

Posted by Elle Symonds on December 23, 2009 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 9, 2009 12:57 PM

COVER NEWS: Marrying Out of Money

We loved Nicky Schmidt's debut Naked in Knightsbridge and are already waiting (impatiently!) for Nicky's second novel, Marrying out of Money. The book will be released in early 2010, but here's a sneak peek of the book's cover. More info will be posted as soon as we know more!
 
Click here to read Nicky's blog. 

Posted by Elle Symonds on December 9, 2009 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 26, 2009 6:40 PM

Book Cover: Celebrity Mother

It seems as though Alexandria Potter's book Do You Come Here Often? isn't the only one to get a new look. The Celebrity Mother, the latest novel by Deborah Wright, has undergone a jacket change. The original cover (left) has now been replaced with the new, lighter version (right). The book will be released in January 2010.

Thanks to Chloe over at Chick Lit Reviews for this news! Interested in the book? Here's the blurb:

Karina West was once the darling of the gossip pages and the top of the British pop charts. But now all that's fading away, and she needs something more - something both to make her life more fulfilled and more importantly, to get her back in the tabloids. And how better to achieve this double whammy than by adopting a poor, needy child from a far-off country?

All that sweet, ten-year-old Devika wants is a new mummy who will take her away from her Delhi orphanage and let her have a home and a family again. She prayed to Krishna for this to be so, but was she ready for a blonde, British popstar to sweep her up and back to London?

Karina and Devika are soon front-page news, but neither of them realise just how far their emotional journey will take them.

What do you think about the cover change? And which do you prefer? Leave a comment and let us know!

Posted by Elle Symonds on November 26, 2009 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (1)

October 21, 2009 8:04 PM

New cover for Do You Come Here Often?

Personally I rather like the newer, unique book jackets, but what about you? Do you prefer the new version of Do You Come Here Often, or the former? Leave a comment and let us know!

Posted by Elle Symonds on October 21, 2009 in Book covers, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 20, 2009 7:48 PM

BOOK COVER: The Cupid Effect

I really like the Dorothy Koomson book covers. They are so crisp, clean and contemporary. The new one, The Cupid Effect, certainly doesn't disappoint. But I have to say I think my favourite one has to be The Chocolate Run.

You can read an extract from The Cupid Effect  (which I think has a great opening line) here. It is out in the summer. Click over the cut for the blurb.

Ceri D'Altroy's hero-worship of Oprah Winfrey is beginning to have serious repercussions. Bored with London life and writing yet another 'black is the new black' fashion feature, she's decided to take Oprah's advice and follow her heart's desire. Going back to college might not be everyone's dream but all Ceri's has ever wanted to do is teach...But though her professional life seems to be sorted, Ceri's personal life is still a no-go area. After six long, long, months without so much as a snog, she's given up hope of ever finding anyone who'll put up with her various idiosyncrasies. In fact just lately, her pent-up energies and frustrations seem to have been diverted into solving other people's romantic problems. Since arriving in Leeds she's reunited a happily uncoupled couple, encouraged her new flatmate to do something about his unrequited love and outed the closet relationship of two of her new colleagues. All this, in spite of her new life resolution to mind her own business. But is Ceri destined to always play Cupid? Or can she use some of her powers where they're needed most - to help herself? A delicious romantic comedy about love, life and good intentions…

Posted by Helen Redfern on March 20, 2009 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 3, 2009 10:38 AM

BOOK NEWS & COVER: Adele Parks

I am just loving the new covers from Adele Parks. The black and white with a hint of colour looks really striking and makes me forget all about my aversion to just showing the woman's legs. In fact, the more I look, the more I like.

Tell Me Something is out now in paperback and Love Lies will be out in July. The synopsis for Love Lies is over the cut.

Fern is staring thirty in the face and stuck in a stale relationship. Living with Adam used to be great – before the novelty of falling over smelly trainers wore off – and these days, swinging from the chandeliers means DIY not SEX.

Fern's looking for commitment of the marrying kind or it's all off. But a chance encounter with Scottie Taylor – the hottest male singer since Robbie – lights fireworks in Fern that won't stop exploding. It's mind expanding love at first sight for both Fern and Scottie and when he proposes to her in front of a sellout crowd at Wembley Stadium, Adam is relegated to the bottom division.

Before you know it, Fern is leading the glamorous life in LA and the wedding planner is arranging organic cake showers. But isn't this all happening a little too fast? Didn't she once have an OK life in a rented two bedroom flat in rainy Clapham?

Fern must choose which reality she prefers – but it's a tough call when you're living the reallife fairytale...

Posted by Helen Redfern on March 3, 2009 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (6)

February 5, 2009 3:38 PM

BOOK NEWS: Tell Me Something

The paperback version of Adele Parks' latest, Tell Me Something, has just been released. I'm not normally a big fan of her book covers as they feature women's legs but I am loving this cover (and I love the advert for it even more).

Elizabeth has wanted two things her entire life to keep her happy and fulfilled - an Italian husband and lots of rosy-cheeked bambini. The first is ticked off now she's bagged dark and sexy Roberto, the second is proving harder to achieve. But when Roberto loses his job and decides to leave London for Italy and the family business, Elizabeth hopes the change in lifestyle might help her relax and boost her chances of conceiving. Except, no matter how much ice cream she eats in the sun-drenched piazza, it's impossible to relax when her wily mother-in-law (the original black widow) seems hellbent on destroying her marriage. The language barrier is tricky, as is Roberto's beautiful, significant ex who practically lives next door. Is Elizabeth's desire for a baby enough to hold her marriage together or is it ripping it apart? And why is she suddenly craving the company of a gorgeous, blond American stranger? Her filthy, flirty thoughts about him are totally inappropriate. Yet undeniably temperatures are rising ... and it's nothing to do with the Mediterranean sun.

Posted by Helen Redfern on February 5, 2009 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (2)

February 4, 2009 8:01 PM

BOOK NEWS: How To Be Single

Liz Tuccillo, who co-wrote He's Just Not That Into You, has produced a solo effort, How To Be Single.

Following a disastrous night out that began with steaks and martinis and ended in a trip to A&E, Julie Jenson decides that she and her four single friends are doing something wrong. Between them, there's more dysfunction and disappointment than she can handle. So Julie quits her job and sets off to discover how women around the world deal with the dreaded phenomenon of the Single Life. From proud Parisiennes to intense Italians, from ice-cool Icelanders to brazen Brazilians, Julie attempts to learn the secrets of these women's success. Will she come back with the answers? Or will her journey of self-discovery take her in another direction entirely?

The book cover on the left in the US version with the one on the right being the UK. I know which one I prefer (clue it's not the cartoon one with a woman cut in half).

Posted by Helen Redfern on February 4, 2009 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (2)

November 14, 2008 2:03 PM

BOOK COVER: Just Breathe

I love this cover. It makes me feel all free and summery, which is quite an achievement since I'm far from both (it's drizzly and I'm the size of a car).

You can read all about it on Susan Wiggs' website (I've never heard of her before - spotted this cover on GoodReads); it sounds great. Plus you can actually browse the book here.

Related: More Book Covers

Posted by Keris on November 14, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (1)

November 12, 2008 11:32 AM

BOOK COVERS: Catriona McCloud

I've mentioned Catriona McCloud's disappointing covers before, but they were the covers of the hardback (or, more like, large format paperback). Look:

Completely blah, right? Well, check out the small paperback covers over the cut.

Much better, yes? I mean, I don't adore them, but they're a great improvement on the originals, don't you think?

Related posts: Growing Up Again review | Straight Up

Posted by Keris on November 12, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (6)

November 10, 2008 6:01 PM

Pretty Penguin classics

I spotted these gorgeous new Penguin Classics covers on US design blog, Design*Sponge.

Currently exclusive to Waterstone's, there are ten in the series, costing #12.99 each (why is my pound sign not working, does anyone know?).

Beautiful, aren't they?

Related posts: New covers for Virago Classics | New Puffin Classics | Penguin Celebrations' gorgeous covers

Posted by Keris on November 10, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 4, 2008 1:23 PM

Who buys books?

Well, I know the answer to that question - overwhelmingly, it's women. But I'm asking because I noticed, in a recent issue of The Bookseller, that Matt Beaumont's novel, Small World (which we loved), has been given a new cover.

The reviewer, Sarah Broadhurst, says, "... it is a must-read across the genders and ages, despite its cover appealing only to a female readership."

It's the cover on the left she's referring to; the book was originally published with the cover on the right. Presumably it didn't do as well as expected and so the publishers have redesigned the cover purposely to appeal to a female audience. Because, you know, it's the women who buy the books.

I actually much prefer the new cover. The old one looks very old-fashioned to me. What do you think?

Posted by Keris on November 4, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK COVERS: Cupcakes

Even though I'm not American, I am stressing about the election and, as a result, doing some stress eating. And so my mind turns to cupcakes (they're never actually that far from my thoughts) and then cupcakes on book covers...

Cupcake blog, Cupcakes Take the Cake, have a cupcake book cover master list. (Even though they're on it, I didn't pinch the above from there, honest; I thought of them myself!)

Related posts: Umbrella covers | What the frock?! | Pack up your troubles

Posted by Keris on November 4, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (3)

October 29, 2008 9:53 AM

BOOK COVERS: The Sisterhood

When I wrote about book covers featuring umbrellas a couple of days ago, Nell left a comment that she'd seen The Sisterhood by Emily Barr featuring about two thirds of a red umbrella.

I immediately clicked on our review and instead saw the truly dreary cover on the left. The cover Nell was referring to is the one on the right. Much better, I'm sure you'll agree. Although I wouldn't include it with the lovely umbrella covers; I think it fits more with these.

Posted by Keris on October 29, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (1)

October 28, 2008 10:10 AM

Comparing more than covers!

Helen really enjoyed Elise Chidley's debut, The Wrong Sort of Wife?, except for one thing: the plot hinged on an email sent by Lizzie and read by her husband and which effectively ended her marriage. Helen didn't think the email was bad enough to warrant such a response.

The book is now out in the US with a different title, a much more modern cover and a completely different email (as requested by the US editor).

Carry on over the cut to read both emails and vote on which one you think might throw a spanner in your marriage! (You can vote on the covers and the titles too.)

UK VERSION

From:   Lizzie Buckley lizbuckley@hotmail.com

Sent:   12 April       

Janie, do you ever feel you need a mini-break from being married—or is it just me? 

Lately, I’ve been fantasizing an awful lot about switching lives with a single woman. (But don’t tell Mum, whatever you do!)  I mean, things are just so much simpler when James is away on business. I can have a boiled egg for dinner with the kids, watch room makeovers and plastic surgery on TV, turn in early—oh, and not feel guilty that the main thing (the only thing) I want to do in bed these days is sleep.   

Another great thing about those business trips: if I have to get up in the night to deal with a twin while James is away, at least I’m spared the seething resentment I normally feel when I finally stagger back to bed to find that he hasn’t even surfaced out of his REM cycle. 

To be honest, I’m a bit worried, Janie. All the romance is gone. I’ve picked up too many pairs of soggy underpants off the bathroom floor, I think. (There’s obviously a gene in men that stops them from seeing clothes on the bathroom floor. Or any other floor, for that matter.)  Those evenings when James starts lighting candles and putting on mood music and giving me that come-hither look, I just have this awful, dull feeling that I really couldn’t be bothered with all that. Give me a cup of tea and a good mini-series any day.  Oh, and a box of chocolate digestives.

Maybe his mum is right. Maybe he shouldn’t have married me in the first place. Maybe I am too common-or-garden for the lofty Buckleys. I’m sure the right sort of girl would’ve breezed through pregnancy, childbirth and the never-ending fall-out without turning a hair. The right sort of girl wouldn’t have let herself go, either. She wouldn’t now be overweight and overwrought. The right sort of girl, no doubt, would be a lady at the table, a cordon bleu chef in the kitchen, and a whore in the bedroom. Frankly, I’m more the TV dinner, flannel pyjamas, bore-in-the-bedroom sort. 

Sorry to be such an old misery, but I just had to get it off my chest. Next time I’ll confine myself to pearls of sisterly wisdom about pregnancy, I promise. Good grief, look at the time, got to crack on with things before school pick-up. By the way, is the ginger working for your morning sickness?

Lots of love

Lizzie

US VERSION

From: Lizzie Buckley lizbuckley@hotmail.com

Sent: 12 April

To: Janehawthorn@yahoo.com

Subject: Blue Monday 

AAAAAARGH!

You know what, Janie? Some mornings I wake up and I’m sick, sick of it all before the day even kicks off. Then, just in case I start feeling better after my cup of tea, one of the children goes and carves out train tracks on an antique table, or throws up her Reddybrek on a priceless Persian rug. I don’t want to scare the daylights out of you when you’re pregnant, but I feel it’s my sisterly duty to warn you that this whole mumsy thing is way more difficult than people let on.

But worst of all is what the little beggars do to your marriage.

By the time James comes home from work, I’ve already HAD my fair share of physical contact (Ellie squishing my cheeks between her hands so I won’t look at Alex; Alex sitting on me to stop me from jumping up to do the laundry), not to mention body fluids (snotty noses, bloody knees, and my personal favorite, the  wee-soaked sheet) —  and frankly I’m just not up for any more.

Sorting out the sock drawer sounds like a better option to me than sex right now.

I just wish James would go away on business more, and for longer. Things are so much simpler when he’s away. I can have a boiled egg for dinner with the kids, watch room makeovers and plastic surgery on TV, and turn in early without any pressure to light the scented candles, etc.

Another great thing about those business trips: if I have to get up in the night to deal with a twin while he’s away, at least I’m spared the seething resentment I normally feel when I finally stagger back to bed to find that he hasn’t even surfaced out of his REM cycle.

You know, sometimes I think I wouldn’t miss him at all if he just disappeared. In fact, the quality of my life would probably improve. No more of those great big shoes cluttering up the closet; no more chucked-aside underpants to pick up off the bathroom floor.

I don’t know how it’s come to this, really.

I still love him, don’t get me wrong, but it’s more the way you love a comrade-in- arms, or a brother. It’s just not romantic anymore. Poor bloke, at least he doesn’t know how I feel. I’ve done a brilliant job covering up, though I say so myself. But the subterfuge is wearing me out.

All this is his fault, you know. He made me think I wanted it — marriage, children, Spode dinnerware, my own tumble dryer, those blunt little knives with fancy handles for spreading pâté. But I don’t, I don’t. I just want to be left in peace with a Sudoku and a box of chocolates — and nobody nibbling my ear at bloody midnight.

Sorry, I shouldn’t be dumping all this on you now. I’ll try to be more upbeat next time. Has the nausea stopped, by the way? Now that you’re past the first trimester, the worst should be over.

Lots of love,

Lizzie

Posted by Keris on October 28, 2008 in Book covers, Opinion | Permalink | Comments (4)

October 27, 2008 11:23 AM

BOOK COVERS: Umbrella (ella ella)

I've been thinking about umbrellas since I've needed one all flippin' weekend, and then I spotted this first cover - Rain Song by Alice J Wisler - on GoodReads and it reminded me of Lani Diane Rich's A Little Ray of Sunshine (which, inexcusably, I still haven't read!). I had a look for some more, but didn't find any except for Harriet Evans's A Hopeless Romantic, which, while not *exactly* the same, has a lovely umbrella on it and is also one of my favourite ever chick lit covers.

Posted by Keris on October 27, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (3)

BOOK NEWS: Something, Maybe

I've loved all of Elizabeth Scott's covers and this latest - for Something, Maybe - is no exception. I much prefer the hiding of the face with a hat as an alternative to just cutting off part of the head...

I don't know exactly what it is about them - I think it's just that they're so simple, but, at the same time, charming. I haven't had a book published (yet), but I'm so envious of Scott's covers. (And, of course, of her writing!)

An excerpt of  Something, Maybe can be found in the back of Perfect You, where it's called Live! Nude! Mom.

Related posts: Stealing Heaven | Bloom

Posted by Keris on October 27, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 23, 2008 12:08 PM

BOOK COVERS: Eloisa James

Having just written about Eloisa James's latest book, I tried to find the cover and, instead, found the US covers of the two books that have been published in the UK (so far). First, Desperate Duchesses:

Now I wasn't wild about the UK cover (on the right), but that US cover? I NEVER would have picked that up. But if you think they're bad, check out the US cover of An Affair Before Christmas over the cut. 

Again, I'm not wild about the UK cover having more boobs than face, but that US cover? Looks like something my nan would have read.

What do you think? Would you pick up *any* of these books?

Posted by Keris on October 23, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (5)

October 14, 2008 3:05 PM

BOOK COVERS & NEWS: Husbands and Lies

I read about Susy McPhee's debut novel in The Bookseller a couple of weeks ago. I looked it up on Amazon and it featured the cover on the right. I've just looked it up again this morning and found, instead, the cover on the left.

They're not massively different, but the bright (rather than pastel) colours look much more modern to me and I'd be much more likely to pick up the book. Would you?

Covers aside, what's the book about?

There are some people you'd do anything for...For Fran that list would include her husband, Max, her daughter, and her best friend, Alison. Only Alison is now desperately ill and she needs Fran's help. She wants to find her husband a new wife, and leave her young daughter with a new mother. Fran finds the whole idea deeply uncomfortable, but it's hard to refuse your closest friend at the best of times, let alone ignore her dying wishes.

So Fran reluctantly logs on to an internet dating site, where she stumbles across a startlingly familiar profile. 'Footloose' describes himself as divorced, but his photo looks exactly like Fran's husband, Max. What's a wife to do when she suspects her husband's cheating and can't bear to confront him outright? Posing as 'Sassy', Fran sends a reply to 'Footloose' and sets out to date her own husband...But this increasingly crazy plan leads Max to start to have doubts of his own. Torn between suspicion and love, life for Fran just got very complicated - can her marriage survive?

Ooh, sounds interesting!

Related posts: The Accidental Family | Judging books by their covers | Diane Shipley on book covers (or Why I could be wrong)

Posted by Keris on October 14, 2008 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (2)

October 8, 2008 5:21 PM

BOOK COVER: Time of My Life

We wrote about Allison Winn Scotch's Time of My Life last December, but I just saw the cover (on GoodReads) and had to come and share it immediately.

Isn't it gorgeous? It makes me almost look forward to winter. I would *so* cross the book shop to pick this up. Would you?

Related posts: Allison Winn Scotch guest blog | The Department of Lost and Found review

Posted by Keris on October 8, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (4)

October 7, 2008 10:02 AM

BOOK COVERS & NEWS: The Accidental Family

Every time I have written a review about one of Rowan Coleman's books, I've mentioned the covers. I thought they were a terrible injustice to her excellent writing and her subject matters. So I am delighted to see that her new release, The Accidental Family, the sequel to The Accidental Mother, is coming out in February next year with a hugely improved design.

The Accidental Mother has also had a revamp. Click over the cut to see the before and after shots and to see what The Accidental Family is all about.

The Accidental Family (sequel to The Accidental Mother)

Six months ago, city girl Sophie Mills gave up everything to move to Cornwall. All to be with the man she thinks she loves, and his two daughters who she knows she loves. But adjusting to life as a semi-permanent mother in the countryside isn't quite as easy as Sophie imagined it would be. Designer shoes aren't nearly so readily available - not that she ever has any occasion to wear them - and her best pair of vintage Manolo's have already found their way into the girls' dressing-up box.Sometimes Sophie doesn't recognise herself; which most of the time makes her happy but every now and then scares her to death. The hardest thing of all is making that final commitment to actually move in with Louis and the girls - she's been the longest paying guest of the Avalon B&B, St Ives in the history of the establishment. And as she tries to adapt to country life, her newly adopted family and discovering more about Louis' past, she begins to wonder if she's got what it takes to make it all work...

Posted by Helen Redfern on October 7, 2008 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (3)

October 6, 2008 12:26 PM

BOOK COVERS & NEWS: Patricia Scanlan

I haven't read any of Patricia Scanlan's novels, but I was interested to see that she's been given a new cover for her latest book, Forgive and Forget. Her first covers were bright and eyecatching, but ... meh. Her second covers were wishy-washy and a bit old-fashioned, no? Her third? Going for Jodi Picoult's audience? Again?

But, covers aside, what's the book about?

What happens when ex husbands start to fancy their first wives again? Can first wives forgive and forget when their husband has done the dirty on them? Connie Adams has to make choices. The lead up to her daughter's wedding has been utterly fraught. Debbie is absolutely adamant that she does not want her father, Barry, his glamorous second wife, Aimee or her stepsister, Melissa to attend. Barry is equally adamant that they will. But as Connie and Barry join forces to get things sorted sparks begin to fly...Few weddings go as planned especially when there is tension between families and the events that occur at this particular wedding will have far reaching repercussions that will leave their mark for years to come.

Are you a Scanlan fan? Will you be snapping this one up?

Related posts: Diane Shipley on book covers (or why I could be wrong...) | Chris Manby's covers | Jenny Colgan's covers

Posted by Keris on October 6, 2008 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (1)

October 2, 2008 1:48 PM

BOOK COVERS: Back off

Trashi reader Tami alerted me to this latest unimaginative cover trend. 

Yes, they're samey, but I quite like them. What do you think?

Related posts: BOOK NEWS - When Will There Be Good News? | Book cover snap! | Another cover 'snap'

Posted by Keris on October 2, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (2)

September 18, 2008 2:43 PM

BOOK COVERS: What the frock?!

I just saw Helen's post about Isabel Wolff's latest and went, "Ooh! Ooh!" Because, lovely as it is, it's also rather familiar. Look:

Related posts: A Dangerous Dress review | The Wrong Sort of Wife? review

Posted by Keris on September 18, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (2)

BOOK NEWS & COVER: A Vintage Affair

In one of my earliest reviews for Trashionista I remember being quite annoyed with the cover of Isabel Wolff's Forget Me Not. I believed the design did not do the book justice nor match the plot.  A few moments ago, flicking through Amazon's list of soon to be released books, I see Isabel has a new book coming out in January next year. With a simple but stunning cover. And this time it appears to match the plot.

See over the cut for the synopsis.

Do fairytale dresses bring fairytale endings? Every dress has a history, so does Phoebe! Phoebe always dreamt of opening her own vintage dress shop. She imagined every detail, from the Vivienne Westwood bustiers hanging next to satin gowns, to sequinned cupcake dresses adorning the walls. At the launch of Village Vintage, Phoebe feels the tingle of excitement as customers snap up the fairytale dresses. Her dream has come true, but a secret from her past is casting a shadow over her new venture. Then one day she meets Therese, an elderly Frenchwoman with a collection to sell, apart from one piece that she won't part with. As Therese tells the story of the little blue coat, Phoebe feels a profound connection with her own life, one that will help her heal the pain of her past and allow her to love again.

Posted by Helen Redfern on September 18, 2008 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 4, 2008 9:41 AM

Framed book covers

I saw this on Apartment Therapy and, although I don't like the chosen covers, I do like the idea.

The pictures above are from Urban Outfitters, but Apartment Therapy suggests you might like to try DIY: "Depending on your craft skills and equipment, you could scan in your favorite book cover yourself and print it out as tiles, or you could get to printed out professionally at a standard poster-size."

What do you think? Would you be interested? And what book cover would you choose?

Related posts: Buy book cover art | Storybook coasters | Beautiful book art

Posted by Keris on September 4, 2008 in Book covers, Bookish products | Permalink | Comments (3)

August 28, 2008 10:02 AM

BOOK NEWS & COVER: City Dog

We've loved all of Alison Pace's first three books here at Trashionista so of course we're looking forward to her next... even more now that I've seen the cover. How cool is it? Dogs and New York. You can't go wrong. But what's the book about?

After her divorce, Amy Dodge thought she’d finally write the next Great American Novel. Instead she’s written a bestselling children’s book series, Run, Carlie, Run! starring her adorable and spirited West Highland White terrier and a dashing (but fictional) Scottish explorer. When Carlie is offered a starring role in her own television show, and the explorer begins to take on a life of his own, Amy’s world takes a surreal turn.

It's out soon and I can't wait to read it.

Related posts: Pug Hill review | Through Thick and Thin review

Posted by Keris on August 28, 2008 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (4)

August 26, 2008 2:00 PM

BOOK COVER: Dedication

At the risk of boring everyone half to death... here's another couple of covers for the same book: Nanny Diaries authors Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus's return to form, Dedication.

On the left, the US cover. On the right, the UK cover.

Bet you can guess which I prefer. What about you?

Posted by Aigua Media on August 26, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (6)

August 22, 2008 10:25 AM

BOOK NEWS & COVER: Testimony

I was looking through the new releases on Amazon, as I often do, when this book cover caught my eye. I think it is beautiful. It will be autumn soon (sorry but it will) and the soggy but still red and orange leaves on the floor of the wet steps make for a great cover. Plus what is she thinking about? Maybe I should read the book...

Testimony is by Anita Shreve and will be out in October.

Carry on over the cut for the description.

At a New England boarding school, a sex scandal is about to break. Even more shocking than the sexual acts themselves is the fact that they were caught on videotape. A Pandora's box of revelations, the tape triggers a chorus of voice -- those of the men, women, teenagers, and parents involved in the scandal -- that details the ways in which lives can be derailed or destroyed in one foolish moment. A gripping emotional drama with the pace of a thriller, Anita Shreve's Testimony explores the dark impulses that sway the lives of seeming innocents, and the ways in which our best intentions can lead to our worst transgressions.

Related posts: Light on Snow review | All He Ever Wanted review

Posted by Helen Redfern on August 22, 2008 in American Authors, Book News, Book covers, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (2)

August 21, 2008 2:36 PM

BOOK NEWS & COVER: Someday My Prince Will Come

When I was ten, Lady Diana Spencer married Prince Charles and I became an obsessed royalist. (After seeing how that all turned out, I'm not one anymore.)

When Jerramy Fine was practically a toddler, she became obsessed with royalty. Princess Anne's son Peter Phillips, in particular. She was determined to marry him and Someday My Prince Will Come is the story of how she attempted to go about it (sorry to spoil it for you, but she didn't succeed - he's recently married a Canadian woman named Autumn).

Anyway, I've been reading and enjoying the hardback version on the left, but I just spotted the forthcoming paperback on the right. What do you think? I like it more than the original, but I think it looks like a young adult book.

Related posts: Princess books - yay or nay? | The Little Lady Finds Her Prince

Posted by Keris on August 21, 2008 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (1)

August 12, 2008 2:06 PM

BOOK NEWS & COVER: The Smart One

Love this cover. Just love it. I love apples on covers (I don't know why) and I really love cakes...

I also loved Ellen Meister's first book, Secret Adventures of the Applewood PTA so I've been looking forward to The Smart One for a while. Read more about it here.

Posted by Keris on August 12, 2008 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (2)

August 4, 2008 9:00 AM

Diane Shipley on book covers (or Why I could be wrong...)

Former Trashi co-ed, Diane Shipley, has written a fascinating piece for the Guardian about book covers (perhaps you helped?).

It's well worth reading, but there was one thing that leaped out at me... The cover on the left there is the original cover of Sue Hepworth's novel, Zuzu's Petals. I like it. I think it's contemporary, mature, smart. On the right is the published cover of the same book. I think it's infantilising, condescending and old-fashioned.

Following Diane's comments on the two covers, Emma, MD of Snowbooks, publisher of Zuzu's Petals, left a staggering comment... which you can read over the cut!

... our best efforts to sub this book into retailers for 6 months with [the original] cover resulted in pre-orders for... wait for it... 19 orders. That is, orders for 19 copies. If we sold 19 copies of our books, we'd stay in business about, ooh, another two weeks. So at the very last minute, I redesigned the cover, and it was promptly selected for 3 for 2/front of store promotion in two major retailers. We've sold several thousand copies so far.

Shows what I know, eh? It's also kind of depressing, no?

What do you think?

Posted by Keris on August 4, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (3)

July 30, 2008 9:57 AM

BOOK NEWS & COVER: Black Boxes

This must be one of the most stunning book covers I have seen in some time. Black Boxes by Caroline Smailes is out in hardback on 15 September. This is the extract from her blog,

Ana Lewis is a woman trapped and ruined by her own expectations. Her intense relationship with fellow student Alex cracks beyond repair when she falls pregnant, and his subsequent withdrawals, both emotional and sexual are hard for her to bear. Eventually, following the births of their children Pip and Davie, Alex leaves Ana to a life of question and blame.

Cocooned in her room on the brink of a fatal collapse, Ana Lewis is recollecting and questioning every aspect of her life. Oblivious to the needs of her young children she remains trapped in her spiral of depression, railing against the man she blames for everything.

As she tumbles towards oblivion her story is revealed, piece by piece, moment by moment, but does the real Ana ever appear?

Related posts: Guest Blog | In Search of Adam | Disraeli Avenue

Posted by Helen Redfern on July 30, 2008 in Book News, Book covers, British Authors, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (2)

July 15, 2008 10:28 AM

BOOK COVER: All We Ever Wanted Was Everything

I read great things about this book on Jen Lancaster's site and then I received a copy in the post. The UK copy on the left. As soon as I saw it, I thought, "Ooh, that doesn't look like my kind of thing at all" (I know, I know, I should know better by now, but judging books by their covers seems to be something I just can't help!).

Then, reading the New York Times's summer reading recommendations, I spotted the cover on the right and thought, "Ooh, that looks good."

Yeah, same book. Which cover do you prefer?

Posted by Keris on July 15, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (6)

July 14, 2008 4:06 PM

BOOK COVER: Wifey

I'm sorry to keep harping on about Judy Blume, but I've become a bit fascinated by her. I knew she was popular and had been for years, but until reading Everything I Needed to Know... I hadn't realised quite how influential or how groundbreaking she was and, presumably, still is!

Plus I was intrigued when commenter Avablue14 picked Blume's adult book, Wifey, as one of the books to give her a "special" feeling. I hadn't heard of Wifey before, but I'm surely going to read it now.

Also Trashi reader Paula commented that the new cover of Judy Blume's Forever "looks like it's copying all the chick-lit 'leg' covers", but the Wifey cover above is from 1998. Is this the first "legs" cover, do you think? Could this be the one that started it all?

The cover on the right is the new, more chick litty, version of Wifey from 2005 and, as you can see, they're still going with "legs"!

Posted by Keris on July 14, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 10, 2008 2:09 PM

BOOK COVER: Forever

I'm currently reading (and loving) the essay collection, Everything I Needed to Know About Being A Girl I Learned From Judy Blume. I've realised that I don't think I ever actually read Forever in its entirety; I think I may have just read the dirty bits...

So I looked it up on Amazon to get myself a copy and spotted the lovely new cover on the left. I've tried to remember the cover I had, but I can't. I thought it was pale blue. My sister thought it had a rainbow on it. I can't find anything like that. But I did find another two gems, which you can see over the cut.

Do you remember the cover of your copy? 

Posted by Keris on July 10, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (14)

BOOK NEWS AND COVERS: An Evil Seed

After writing about Joanne Harris yesterday for the Spotlight series, I came across what I thought was a new book of hers released in paperback this September. However, after checking through her bibliography again I see The Evil Seed is, in fact, the first book she had published in 1989 (I knew I recognised the title). Obviously they are now re-releasing it with a new cover.

The one on the left is (one of) the old covers and the one on the right is the new one.

Posted by Helen Redfern on July 10, 2008 in Book News, Book covers, British Authors | Permalink | Comments (3)

July 3, 2008 9:24 AM

Nanny Diaries authors Stand Up To Cancer

Nanny Diaries authors Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Krause have written an article for the charity Stand Up To Cancer.

When I would tell people that my mother was undergoing treatment for cancer, I frequently got the impression that the listener was flashing to a paler-than-normal Meryl Streep baking cookies and lovingly throwing a costume party to cheer up her grieving family.

Read the full article here.

Dedication, McLaughlin and Krause's latest book, is out in paperback any time now. Diane and I both loved the book and I really like the new cover.

What do you think?

Related: Laura Zigman blogging on breast cancer

Posted by Aigua Media on July 3, 2008 in American Authors, Book covers, Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 26, 2008 11:15 AM

BOOK COVER: Secret Diary of a Call Girl

Now let me say up front that I have neither read Belle de Jour's Secret Diary of a Call Girl, nor have I watched even a single episode of the TV adaptation, but...

This is the new American TV tie-in cover. It's a little glamorising of prostitution, don't you think? Yes, Billie Piper looks amazing, but the cover itself makes me feel uncomfortable. What do you think?

Related posts: Two takes on call girl lit: is it sexy or squalid? | Growing Pains by Billie Piper

Posted by Aigua Media on June 26, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (4)

June 23, 2008 12:20 PM

BOOK COVERS: Kate Le Vann

I love these covers so much I might even read the books (actually I have it on good authority that they're really great).

You must know I'm a sucker for books with New York on the cover so I was bound to love the Things I Know About Love cover, but I actually prefer the cover of Rain. It doesn't look like much here, but in person it's beautiful (which I know isn't helpful, but still).

Posted by Aigua Media on June 23, 2008 in Book covers, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 20, 2008 11:38 AM

BOOK COVER: Garden Spells

Lovely Trashi reader Tami sent me these foreign covers of Sarah Addison Allen's Garden Spells (which, yes, I know we keep going on about, but it's just SO GOOD!).

The cover on the left is the Dutch cover and I love it. The cover on the right is the Greek cover and I like it, but not so much. It's the dappled sunlight that makes the Dutch cover a winner for me.

What do you think?

Related: Garden Spells covers

Posted by Aigua Media on June 20, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (3)

June 19, 2008 1:54 PM

BOOK NEWS: When Will There Be Good News?

For those of you who like Kate Atkinson's hero, Jackson Brodie, you'll be delighted to know he's back in a new book out in August.

On a hot summer day, Joanna Mason's family slowly wanders home along a country lane. A moment later, Joanna's life is changed forever...On a dark night thirty years later, ex-detective Jackson Brodie finds himself on a train that is both crowded and late. Lost in his thoughts, he suddenly hears a shocking sound...At the end of a long day, 16-year-old Reggie is looking forward to watching a little TV. Then a terrifying noise shatters her peaceful evening...These three lives come together in unexpected and deeply thrilling ways

Is it me or does the cover look really depressing? See over the cut for the more attractive US version.

Related posts: Book cover: Case Histories | Book cover: Snow globes

Much nicer, don't you think?

Posted by Helen Redfern on June 19, 2008 in Book News, Book covers, British Authors | Permalink | Comments (5)

June 17, 2008 3:05 PM

BOOK COVER: Lisa Jewell

This, left, is the US cover (and title) of Lisa Jewell's 31 Dream Street.

Clearly, the title is dull as ditchwater, but I quite like the cover (mainly because it's neither pink, nor a cartoon). It's considerably better than the dreadful UK hardback (below left) and I don't exactly love the UK paperback (below right) either.

Great book, though!

Posted by Aigua Media on June 17, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (8)

June 16, 2008 11:42 AM

BOOK COVER: Addition

Trashi reviewer Sarah Hague loved Toni Jordan's Addition, but that's not why I'm writing about it.

I'm writing about it because it's been picked as one of Richard and Judy's Summer Reads 2008, which not only means a probable massive payday for Toni Jordan, but also a new cover for the book.

The cover on the left is the original (and, in my opinion, deadly boring) cover. Carry on over the cut for the new one.

Looks like a children's book, don't you think?

Related posts: Jenny Colgan's covers | Richard and Judy archives

Posted by Aigua Media on June 16, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 13, 2008 10:51 AM

Headless chicklitters*

Bookslut and Gawker have only just noticed that a lot of chick lit books feature headless women.

I was in a train station yesterday (I'd been on the train, I wasn't just loitering) and noticed a couple of similar, headless, covers for women's fiction.

Are these children on these covers? That disturbs me slightly, I must admit.

* I made myself laugh when I thought of this.

Posted by Keris on June 13, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (2)

June 12, 2008 10:32 AM

BOOK COVERS: Spa Wars

As I was scrolling through amazon I came across these two covers for Chris Manby's new book, Spa Wars. Both covers are a bit of a change for Chris, but I can't make my mind up. The slippers one is the hardback (which is out now) and I can see where they are going with the paperback one (out in October). Spa Wars - Star Wars, a bit retro, a bit eighties, holding the hairdryer like a gun. But I'm not sure. What do you think?

 

Carry on over the cut for some previous Chris Manby covers.

Posted by Helen Redfern on June 12, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 10, 2008 4:43 PM

BOOK COVER: Jenny Colgan's covers

I think Jenny Colgan's publishers must be a bit confused as to where to place her. Her book covers seem to be redesigned with each new release (and she's writing so quickly recently that I can't keep up).

Anyway, when I saw her latest - Operation Sunshine - in Borders last week I thought it was a young adult book. It's a bit feeble, don't you think?

Carry on over the cut to see some of her previous covers.

 

 

The first five are British (the Operation Sunshine cover was for the large-format paperback) and the final cover for Talking to Addison is, I think, the US cover (though I can't find it on Amazon.com) and the only cover I actually like.

Really, cartoon covers have got to go, don't you think?

Posted by Aigua Media on June 10, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 6, 2008 11:13 AM

Joanna Kavenna on chick lit

Don't know who she is? Neither did I until this morning. Her novel, Inglorious, has just won the Orange Prize for New Writers and Shami Chakrabarti, chair of judges for the award, called it "Dostoevsky meets Bridget Jones".

There's an interview with Kavenna in the Guardian today and, of course, they have to address that Bridget Jones "slur", don't they?

"I don't understand what chick-lit means, and to a degree it's just used to dismiss quite a lot of writing by women," Kavenna says. "It's a blanket term that renders a wide variety of literature frivolous. It's used either to dismiss the writing or to avoid thinking about it."

Blimey. I wasn't expecting that.

Another issue is the cover. The cover above is the UK cover. The American publisher used this cover on the right - a chick lit standard headless woman.

"I begged them not to use that cover but they did, and the reviews in the US were slightly different because of it," says Kavenna in the Guardian. "One said, 'This is the most boring chick-lit novel I've ever read.' They may have felt it backfired, because they did a much more sober cover for the paperback."

That "This is the most boring chick-lit novel I've ever read" comment made me laugh. I love the idea of someone picking up a chick lit book, looking for an entertaining read and being disappointed to find a "literary" novel instead. Or is that just me being perverse?

(It also reminds me that there was some debate about the opposite, wasn't there? I can't find it, but didn't someone complain that chick lit books were being cunningly and maliciously disguised as "real" literature? If anyone can remember, please let me know.)

Posted by Aigua Media on June 6, 2008 in Book covers, Prize Winners | Permalink | Comments (5)

June 4, 2008 10:51 AM

BOOK COVERS: Shopfronts

When I wrote about Lolly Winston's Good Grief covers, lovely Jill Mansell commented that she'd bought the book with the entirely different - and utterly lovely - cover on the left.

It reminded me of Jeanne Ray's Julie & Romeo, which I also bought simply because of the cover. Gorgeous, no?

Posted by Aigua Media on June 4, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (1)

June 2, 2008 5:19 PM

BOOK COVER: Good Grief

I enjoyed Lolly Winston's first two books so much that I've been looking for a third, but there's nothing forthcoming so far...

While looking, I found this horrendous cover for Good Grief (the one on the right, clearly).

Good Grief was called Sophie's Bakery for the Broken-Hearted in the UK. Any thoughts on the covers? The name change?

Posted by Aigua Media on June 2, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (5)

May 27, 2008 2:24 PM

BOOK COVER: My Sister, My Love

I was sent this cover by Trashi reader, Tami, who thinks it might just be the ugliest cover ev-ah.

See, at first glance I don't mind it. It reminds me of an Enid Blyton book, but then what's with the creepy torn off bit with the funny-looking kid? It scares me.

Related posts: Not Another Bad Date cover | Janet Evanovich's romances | Beginner's Greek cover

Posted by Aigua Media on May 27, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (2)

May 23, 2008 12:16 PM

BOOK NEWS & COVERS: Things I Want My Daughters to Know

I know I'm in distinct danger of being a book cover bore, but really - I can't not mention it!

Elizabeth "The Reading Group" Noble's latest is Things I Want My Daughters to Know. The UK cover on the left is so insipid I can barely retain it in my memory even when I'm looking directly at it.

The US cover (right) is much more grown-up, if a little Elizabeth Berg-ish. Incidentally, the book came out in February, but I've only just become aware of it thanks to spotting the US cover on a US site.

Covers aside, the book actually sounds rather good, if sad:

How do you cope in a world without your mother? When Barbara realizes time is running out, she writes letters to her four daughters, aware they'll be facing the trials and triumphs of life without her at their side. But how can she leave them when they still have so much growing up to do?

Posted by Aigua Media on May 23, 2008 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (2)

BOOK COVER (and title!): Meg Cabot

You all seem to have enjoyed voting on covers and titles before, so I thought I'd do it again.

Meg Cabot's latest (in the UK, at least) publication is called Tommy Sullivan is a Freak and features the cover on the right (granted it's nicer in real life because it's got a band and a bit of fuzziness).

The same book was called Pants on Fire in the US and had the cover on the left.

But which do you like best?
 

Posted by Keris on May 23, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (3)

May 22, 2008 10:49 AM

BOOK NEWS: Tell me something

Adele Parks continues with her usual legs theme on the cover of her latest novel, tell me something, which is out at the end of this month. Yup, yet again we have the back of women's legs for the cover of a book.

Elizabeth is a woman who dreamt of an Italian husband and lots of Italian children. She has the former ticked off the list but the latter is taking longer than she'd hoped. Her husband then loses his job and they move back to Italy. Relaxing in order to conceive is proving difficult with a mother in law hell bent on destroying their marriage, her husband's beautiful ex next door and her constant craving for the company of a blonde American stranger...

An extract can be found on Adele's website here.

Related posts: Recycled book covers | Husbands review | Larger than life review

Posted by Helen Redfern on May 22, 2008 in Book News, Book covers, British Authors | Permalink | Comments (2)

BOOK NEWS & COVER: The Sugar Queen

I can't believe it's taken me so long to read Sarah Addison Allen's debut novel, Garden Spells, but I'm reading and loving it now (and, funnily enough, Helen's reading it too).

I'm glad I finally got around to it because Allen's second book, The Sugar Queen, is out now in the US (7 August in the UK) and I get stressed when authors write books quicker than I can read them (I'm looking at you, Meg Cabot!).

So on the left is the UK cover and the right is the US. Which do you prefer?

Related posts: Garden Spells cover | Book covers archives

Posted by Aigua Media on May 22, 2008 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (4)

May 21, 2008 11:19 AM

Recycled book covers

I got an email from Australian Trashi reader, Christina Vandoros. She'd noticed that three different books on her bookshelves all share the same cover photograph. Look!

 

Diablo Cody's Candy Girl, Leanne Banks' Feet First and Trading Up by Candace Bushnell. Huh.

Related posts: Jennifer Weiner's In Her Shoes and Best Fetish Erotica covers! | Does a book cover matter? |

Posted by Aigua Media on May 21, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (1)

Cath Kidston book cover

Oh my goodness, have a look at this lovely book cover. Gorgeous. It is of course a Cath Kidston designed cover of The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M Delafield. I have never read the book (shame on me!) but, and call me shallow, I've just got to get myself a copy right now.

The Diary of a Provincial Lady is an underrated cult classic. Written in the 1930s it is one woman's amusing diaries of simple domestic incidents, based on Delafield's own experiences as a wife and mother. It is part of a range of modern classics released by Virago Press exclusive from Waterstones. See over the cut for some more designs.

Celia Birtwell has created a cover for A Game of Hide and Seek by Elizabeth Taylor, Orla Kiely has redone Excellent Women by Barbara Pym and Barbara Hulanicki (founder of Biba) redesigned Valley of the Dolls by Jaqueline Susann.

 

Related posts: New covers for Virago classics | Trailblazer: E.M Delafield | The Great Indoors review (another Cath Kidston cover)

Posted by Helen Redfern on May 21, 2008 in Book News, Book covers, Classic Novels | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 15, 2008 1:47 PM

Is pink really evil?

A while ago, Shiny Big Cheese, Katie, sent me this link to an article in Radar Magazine about classic books getting "chick lit makeovers" (the illustration, left, comes from the article). Basically, Alice Munro's The View From Castle Rock has been reissued with some pink on the cover. The horror!

The reason it's taken me so long to write about this is that, following Katie's email I got a few more emails from friends alerting me to the sudden pink backlash all over the interweb. So many links to so many demented, irrational arguments that I just couldn't even begin to write about it without punching the screen.

Apparently pink "damages girls' brains" and "not only does a disservice to literature, but to women". But I just don't see it.

Am I missing something? For a start, there are nowhere near as many chick lit books in pink covers as is claimed. ("Where are all the books, pyjamas or sports kit in other colours?" asked Katy Guest in The Independent. Um. In the shops?) But even if every single book aimed at women (which is pretty much every single book published since, as we know, men don't do much reading), how exactly would that damage our brains?

I get that pink might put some people off reading the book, but if you're put off a book solely by the colour of the cover, then perhaps your brain has already been damaged...

Incidentally, the Katy Guest article also included the following: "Last week, the best-selling novel was This Charming Man by Marian Keyes. It is aimed at women, so obviously its cover is pink."

Ah, now I see why Guest only sees "books, pyjamas [and] sports kit" in pink. She's colour blind. I did try to leave a comment to the effect that the cover of the book is purple - PURPLE! - but I couldn't make it sound like I'm not a nutter so I had to give up.

So what do you think? Are you overwhelmed by pink? Horrified by pink? Or do you think it's, you know, pretty?

Posted by Aigua Media on May 15, 2008 in Book covers, Opinion | Permalink | Comments (8)

May 14, 2008 4:40 PM

BOOK NEWS & COVER: Sweet Love

I let out an "Ooohhh" when I saw the cover for Sarah Strohmeyer's new book, Sweet Love, but then I realised it reminded me of something: Nigella's How To Be A Domestic Goddess. Even the typeface is similar!

That aside, Sweet Love sounds delicious:

Like other well-meaning mothers, Julie Mueller's believed she did the right thing when she secretly ended her teenage daughter's crush on Michael Slayton, a wild older neighborhood heartthrob with a penchant for Shakespeare and the pedigree of trailer trash.

Twenty years later, Betty Mueller has come to realize that was a big mistake. Her daughter Julie - divorced and raising a teenage daughter alone - is a workaholic obsessed with her career. And Michael, the one man who could make her happy, is the one man to whom she won't speak.

Now dying and determined to make amends, Betty stages her last great feat of motherhood by reuniting the couple in a dessert class where she hopes the sweetness of a chocolate almond Torta Caprese will erase the bitterness of a wretched misunderstanding.

Related posts: The Sleeping Beauty Proposal review | Book cover snap! | More book cover snap!

Posted by Aigua Media on May 14, 2008 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (2)

May 13, 2008 2:55 PM

BOOK NEWS: The Safety of Secrets

Despite my obsession with book covers, I've never before even thought about book cover photo shoots (yes, am I *that* dense!)

But if you click here, you can watch a short video about the photo shoot for Delaune Michel's book, The Safety of Secrets.

We'll have more from Ms Michel later this month (including our first ever live chat!), but in the meantime, we have five copies of The Safety of Secrets to give away. Find out more over the cut.

This time, the competition is open to US entrants only, I'm afraid. To enter, please email editor @ trashionista . com (remove spaces) with "Safety of Secrets" in the subject line. Don't forget to include your name and address.

The competition closes at 12 midnight GMT on 31 May.

Posted by Aigua Media on May 13, 2008 in American Authors, Book News, Book covers, Competition | Permalink | Comments (1)

May 8, 2008 1:23 PM

BOOK NEWS & COVERS: Chelsea Handler

How brilliant is this title? Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea.

I didn't read Chelsea Handler's first memoir, My Horizontal Life, but Diane quite liked it and I'll certainly be reading this one for the title alone.

I'm not wild about either of the covers, though.

Related posts: Pun lit? | Baby Proof's three covers

Posted by Aigua Media on May 8, 2008 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (2)

May 7, 2008 10:56 AM

BOOK NEWS & COVERS: Chasing Harry Winston

I still haven't read any Lauren Weisberger books (does that mean I should be chucked out of the chick lit club?), but I like the look of her new book, Chasing Harry Winston.

It's about a trio of best friends in Manhattan who agree to change their lives in the most personal and dramatic way possible -- and within one calendar year.

Read an extract on Amazon US.

And for once I prefer the UK cover (the green shoe). I like the green and the US cover seems a bit much (one ring - fair enough; three rings - ooh, over the top!).

Related posts: Everyone Worth Knowing review | The Devil Wears Prada archives

Posted by Aigua Media on May 7, 2008 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (7)

May 1, 2008 10:02 AM

BOOK COVER: The Bright Side of Disaster

I love the sound of Katherine Center's debut, The Bright Side of Disaster, but I'm more interested in what you think about these covers.

The cover on the left is the UK cover. In the middle, we have the US hardback. And on the right, the US paperback. Carry on over the cut to vote for your favourite.

Posted by Aigua Media on May 1, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (6)

April 25, 2008 10:00 AM

BOOK NEWS: The Accidental Wife

I can't keep up with Rowan Coleman's books (I can't keep up with anyone's books!), but I loved her first, Growing Up Twice, so I'll definitely be reading this one ... someday. It sounds good -

Alison James thinks she might be living the wrong life and Catherine Ashley knows she is living the wrong life. She wonders whether Alison stole her life along with her boyfriend all the years ago. Alison is now moving back to the town where she and Catherine both grew up and they’re about to find out just how different both their lives could still be.

- but the cover's disappointingly wishy-washy, don't you think?

Related: Rowan Coleman interview

Posted by Keris on April 25, 2008 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 24, 2008 11:00 AM

BOOK COVER: Pack up your troubles

Remember that Sesame Street song - one of these things is not like the others? Well, now it's time to play my game (it's time to play my game). (Of course, if you don't remember the song, you'll just think I've lost my marbles...

I spotted the Marian Keyes covers while Googling around trying to find the US cover for This Charming Man (more about that another day...).

I like both of them and they reminded me of the Allison Winn Scotch cover, which I also loved. And then I saw the paperback cover of The Department of Lost & Found and, while I haven't read the book so I don't know which is more appropriate, I'm not loving it. Looks like a blatant attempt to grab some Jodi Picoult readers to me.

What do you think?

Related posts: The Other Side of the Story review | The Department of Lost & Found review

Posted by Keris on April 24, 2008 in Book covers, Marian Keyes | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 23, 2008 8:08 AM

BOOK Cover: Comfort Food

Kate Jacobs - author of The Friday Night Knitting Club - has a new book coming out in May (June in the UK). Okay, so we already told you this, but the UK book cover has been released and I thought it was worth commenting on.

The US version is arresting, individual, and, dare-I-say-it, literary-looking (if a little dark). Carry on over the cut for the UK version.

Well. Yet another beheaded woman. Are UK publishers so frightened of women that they only dare show bits of them?

And she's carrying a bag. Because women love bags, of course. Sometimes the world makes me sigh very deeply.

Related posts: Rate my book cover | US versus UK covers | Does a book cover matter?

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 23, 2008 in American Authors, Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (3)

April 17, 2008 11:47 AM

BOOK COVERS: Suzanne Macpherson

When I was looking for Suzanne Macpherson's books yesterday I noticed that a couple of her covers ... look like other people's covers.

First there's Switched, Bothered and Bewildered and Luisa Plaja's fabulous Split by a Kiss...

 

And then there's Jennifer Weiner's Certain Girls UK cover and Macpherson's Risky Business.

Funny, huh?

Posted by Aigua Media on April 17, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 14, 2008 7:49 PM

BOOK COVER: Fearless Fourteen

While I may be moderately excited at the prospect of a new Stephanie Plum adventure (tempered by the hope that it is a return to form after the only-okay Lean Mean Thirteen), I am distinctly underwhelmed by this cover.

I sincerely hope this is a placeholder cover, not the one that will actually go to print and be released this summer. If not, I hope Janet Evanovich's publisher didn't pay very much for it...

Related posts: Did Janet Evanovich invent chick lit? | Perfectly Plum

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 14, 2008 in American Authors, Book News, Book covers, Crime / Mystery | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK NEWS: Nice to Come Home To

A Trashionista reader emailed to recommend Rebecca Flowers' book (thanks, Paulette!) and, as I saw the cover, I literally went, "Ohhhhhhhhh." Isn't it gorgeous?

The plot seems a bit convoluted to summarise here - so read it on Amazon - but it's basically an updated Sense & Sensibility. But I did want to mention one of the Amazon reviews:

"The story encompasses more than girl-stuff.  It's life-stuff."

Um. Am I wrong to be offended by this?

I get what the reviewer is *trying* to say - not just dresses and shoes, I suppose - but what I hear is "girl-stuff isn't important - this book is so good, even men (who are clearly more discerning) would like it too!"

Related posts: Beginner's Greek | Friday Flick - Sense and Sensibility | Cents & Sensibilities by Maggie Alderson

Posted by Aigua Media on April 14, 2008 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 11, 2008 6:09 PM

BOOK NEWS: I Was Told There'd Be Cake

This debut collection of snarky essays by Sloane Crosley sounds very funny indeed. Titled I Was Told There'd Be Cake,  the essays have headers like The Pony Problem and Bring-Your-Machete-To-Work Day.

Crosley has been compared to David Sedaris, recommended by Meg Cabot and the cover is great. It was published at the beginning of the month and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy.

Related posts: Non fiction archives

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 11, 2008 in American Authors, Book News, Book covers, Non Fiction | Permalink | Comments (5)

April 10, 2008 6:17 PM

BOOK REVIEW: No Good Girls by Jean Marie Pierson

I requested this book after seeing the fabby book trailer and I must say, I wasn't disappointed.

It is, however, a classic case of the wrong cover being slapped on a book. It's garish, uses cartoon - a pet hate of mine - and simply doesn't match the content. No Good Girls is about a group of female best friends in New York and it is funnier, snarkier and quirkier than the cover suggests...

Geri O'Brien works for a publishing house while collecting rejections for her screenplay. She hangs out with her best friends, Maria, Emmy and Sally and they collectively wonder when they will get their New York Minute.

Maria is a cop looking for action but stuck on the quiet day-shift, Emmy is nursing an unrequited crush and Sally wants a promotion and a man.

While the plot has plenty of action, thrills and slapstick humour, the real strength of this book is Geri's voice. I just loved it. She is an individual, funny heroine with an imaginary friend called J.T. and something of a death wish.

The supporting characters - like J.T. and Geri's car enthusiast dad - were great, too.

Chock-full of brilliant one-liners, film references, and fantastic dialogue, Jean Marie Pierson has won my heart. Hurry up and write another book, please!

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try: Stupid and Contagious by Caprice Crane

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 10, 2008 in American Authors, Book covers, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Rate My Book Cover

You know we're obsessed with book covers, right? Well, we're not alone... Galleycat is calling for a Go Fug Yourself for book covers (well, Trashi is getting close!) and Greenleaf Book Group has launched a website called Rate My Book Cover.

Small presses and self-publishers can submit their cover art for rating before they go to print. The site aims to improve book packaging quality, and declares: "Your Mom won't tell, but we will!"

Related posts: Does a book cover matter? | US versus UK covers

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 10, 2008 in Book Websites, Book covers, Book related | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 7, 2008 7:19 PM

BOOK NEWS: Not Another Bad Date

Yes, I know we told you that Rachel Gibson's next book was called 100 Bad Dates, but it seems to have had a title change since then... Out in May (US) and June (UK), it has been stuck with an unimaginative cover; yet another bottom-half-only female. Yuk.

The premise reminds me (a little bit) of Daisy's Back In Town. Listen: If only Adele could find a guy that made her heart flutter like her first love, Zach, the college quarterback who swept her off her feet senior year... before dumping her to marry someone else.

Okay, so he wasn't perfect. But when Adele heads back to Cedar Creek, Texas, for a family emergency, she discovers that her hometown heartthrob is still as sexy as ever - and now he's single.
It could be the end of Adele's streak. After all, forgiving Zach for breaking her heart years ago and learning to trust him again will take everything she's got, but Adele can handle anything... anything but another bad date.

Related posts: More book cover snap | Are butterflies the new feet?

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 7, 2008 in American Authors, Book News, Book covers, Romance | Permalink | Comments (4)

April 4, 2008 11:34 AM

BOOK COVER (and title!): Joanne Harris

The Lollipop Shoes, Joanne Harris's long-awaited and much-anticipated sequel to the gorgeous Chocolat came out in the UK last year.

It's just been released in the US with a different cover (which is not unusual) and a different title: The Girl With No Shadow.

Since it's Friday, I thought we could have a vote on which we prefer.

Posted by Aigua Media on April 4, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (3)

March 28, 2008 3:48 PM

BOOK COVER: Janet Evanovich's romances

I've just read Janet Evanovich's How I Write (review coming ... whenever) and it inspired me to have a google around for her romance novels.

Look at these covers! I know this is fairly typical in the romance genre (certainly in a book series called "Loveswept"), but I just can't get my head around the creator of Stephanie Plum having written books that look like this.

Aren't they fabulous? (Oh and Naughty Neighbour? Genius.)

Related posts: Romance novel cover comedy | Janet Evanovich | Did Janet Evanovich invent chick lit?

Posted by Keris on March 28, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (1)

March 25, 2008 7:31 PM

BOOK NEWS: No Good Girls by Jean Marie Pierson

No Good Girls is the debut novel of Jean Marie Pierson. It started life as a screenplay (Pierson has a degree in film and video production) and focuses on four best friends in New York.

I'm not in love with the cover, but the book trailer is fantastic. Take a look here, I promise you won't regret it.

Related posts: Book Trailerpark | Book Video Awards 2008

Posted by Sarah Painter on March 25, 2008 in American Authors, Book News, Book covers, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 20, 2008 11:21 AM

BOOK COVER: Beginner's Greek

This, left, is the US cover of James Collins' debut. And if I'd seen this I certainly wouldn't have picked it up. In fact, I might have specifically avoided it. And it certainly doesn't say chick lit, does it?

I'm not sure what it does say, in fact (flight manual?), but I much prefer the UK cover.

Related posts: Beginner's Greek | US versus UK covers | Petite Anglais covers

Posted by Keris on March 20, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (7)

March 17, 2008 4:51 PM

BOOK COVER: Thanks for the Memories

I'm not one of the biggest fans of Cecelia Ahern's books - okay, I've only actually been able to finish one of them (PS I Love You) - but I love this cover so much that it could almost convince me to read the book.

We've already told you what this latest book is about, so all that's left to say is that it's out on April the 1st. Although that may be a joke...

Related posts: PS I Love You review | Cecelia Ahern archives

Posted by Keris on March 17, 2008 in Book covers, Cecelia Ahern | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 14, 2008 12:03 PM

BOOK NEWS: My Best Friend's Life (and Shari Low's column)

No, I'm not on about book covers again. Okay, I'm not *just* on about covers again, but Shari Low's latest is a perfect example of why covers are so important (and why I'm always going on about them!).

On the left we have Shari Low's new book (out now!), My Best Friend's Life. On the right is her last book, The Motherhood Walk of Fame.

Don't you think the new one looks about twenty years more modern? Also, it's cute. (And, yes, a bit of a Dorothy Koomson rip-off, but let's gloss over that.)

Also, you can read Shari's hilarious Daily Record column online.

Related posts: Motherhood Walk of Fame review | Why Not? review

Posted by Keris on March 14, 2008 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK COVER: Maria Beaumont

This, mes petits choufleurs (sorry, bit giddy this morning), is the same book.

On the left, we have the US cover and title ("37"), on the right, the UK cover and title ("Motherland").

For once, I'm kind of okay with both. I prefer the US, but I don't hate the UK one. And I like them both better than the UK hardback.

What do you think?

Related posts: Maria Beaumont interview | Rubbish Boyfriends

Posted by Keris on March 14, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (1)

March 11, 2008 1:29 PM

BOOK NEWS: Curse of the Spellmans

Lisa Lutz's debut, The Spellman Files was one of my favourite books of last year and I finished it already anticipating the sequel (and a movie - surely there must be a movie!).

So I actually went "Ooh! Ooh!" out loud when I saw that the sequel - Curse of the Spellmans - is already out.

And then, because I'm me, I got caught up in the different covers. The cover on the left is the US cover. There's no UK cover on Amazon yet. But there is a new UK cover for The Spellman Files and I don't know how I feel about it... which is where you come in!

So on the left we have the US cover. Again, it seems to me that the US cover isn't primarily aimed at women, which is a good thing. I think.

The centre cover is the one on the book I read - the UK large format paperback. It doesn't thrill me and it seems like it's perhaps aimed at Janet Evanovich fans.

On the right is the new, small format, UK cover. Clearly aimed at chick lit fans. You may remember that Daphne Unfeasible, Maureen Johnson's agent, said that The Spellman Files "fits no one's idea of chick lit" and, while I disagreed, I'm not sure the cover entirely suits the book. I'm not even sure if I like it. I do like the combination of illustration and photography illustration (squinting at it, I'm not sure that is a photo of a dog!). It may just be the pink (or lilac). It's really not a pastel type of book.

What do you think? 

Posted by Keris on March 11, 2008 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (2)

March 9, 2008 12:43 PM

Megan Crane's new UK covers

Megan Crane's books Frenemies and English as a Second Language have just been released in the UK.

We've already told you what we think of the books (click links above), but what about the covers? I'm undecided. I like the colours and the typeface, but I'm not convinced by the illustrations.

Related: Megan Crane interview

Posted by Keris on March 9, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (1)

March 6, 2008 11:08 AM

BOOK COVER: Love the One You're With

Emily Giffin's latest, Love the One You're With is out in May in the US and July in the UK.

On the left is the UK cover. It makes me sad (but not as sad as the Baby Proof cover). While the US cover (right) is plain, it's also eye-catching and I think the daisy captures the 'love the one you're with' theme much more subtly than the UK cover does.

Plus have you noticed that more and more the UK covers scream "chick lit" while the US covers just look like, well, fiction? I don't mean that a man would pick up the green cover, but a non chick lit reading woman might. The UK cover? Not a chance.

Related posts: Emily Giffin interview | Something Borrowed review | Something Blue review

Posted by Keris on March 6, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (1)

March 5, 2008 4:16 PM

BOOK COVER: Jennifer Colt

I'd never heard of Jennifer Colt until recently and I still haven't read any of her books, but I do love the covers. The books above are part of the "McAfee Twins" series, which will apparently appeal to fans of Janet Evanovich. So that's me, then.

I just read that the twins, Kerry and Terry, ride a pink Harley. I like 'em already.

Anyone read any?

Related posts: Janet Evanovich interview | Crime/mystery archives

Posted by Keris on March 5, 2008 in American Authors, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 4, 2008 7:25 PM

BOOK NEWS: Fear and Yoga in New Jersey

Okay, I admit I hadn't heard of Debra Galant, but the cover of her new novel really jumped out at me, so I did a little digging... Fear and Yoga in New Jersey is Debra's second novel (the first is called Rattled), and she was a freelance writer before publishing fiction. 

The star of Fear and Yoga is Nina Gelleman-Summer,  a stressed-out yoga teacher, which is something of an oxymoron.

Instead of calmly helping her students relax and connect their mind and bodies, she is worrying about litigious students, a hurricane that is heading for her parents' home, and her husband's job.

To complicate matters, her son Adam is showing a sudden interest in having a Bar Mitzvah, and Nina long ago put her faith into crystals rather than her Jewish heritage.

If that intrigues, you here's a link to the first chapter. Don't say I'm not good to you...

Related posts: Book News archives

Posted by Sarah Painter on March 4, 2008 in American Authors, Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK NEWS: Straight Up

I loved Catriona McCloud's debut novel, Growing Up Again, so I can't wait to read her new one, Straight Up.

It's the story of Verity Drummond - "a florist by trade and a fantasist by nature". After her husband leaves her, she deals with the pain by writing Straight Up, a novel in which a man on a mountaineering expedition (bearing a striking resemblance to her former husband) dies all alone in a hole in the ice, starving, wretched and with his broken bones poking through his skin.

But when Verity goes to LA to discuss a film adaptation of Straight Up, she finds that people are under the misapprehension that her book is fact and so to protect her dream, Verity has to make sure no-one finds out the real truth (or, should I say, the "true reality").

While the story sounds good, the cover's disappointing (as was the original cover of Growing Up Again).

Posted by Keris on March 4, 2008 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 3, 2008 3:27 PM

BOOK COVER: Change Of Heart

When we interviewed Jodi Picoult, she told us about her latest book (at the time she had just finished writing it). Well, it's called Change Of Heart and is out in the US this month, April in the UK.

I just saw the UK cover and I find it utterly haunting. I love the blue eggs, but the way they are all broken at the child's feet... I'm guessing that's the way it's supposed to make me feel. Good job.

And, for once I prefer it to the US cover. Carry on over the cut to see if you agree.

Here's the US version. It's certainly in keeping with Picoult's previous covers, but it lacks the atmosphere and impact of the UK one.

Related posts: Book Covers archives

Posted by Sarah Painter on March 3, 2008 in American Authors, Book News, Book covers, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (1)

March 2, 2008 11:45 AM

BOOK NEWS: 31 Dream Street

I love Lisa Jewell (her second novel, Thirtynothing, is one of my favourite ever chick lit books) and I loved her latest book, 31 Dream Street, when I read it in hardback.

The paperback is out at the beginning of next month with a lovely new cover. What do you think?

Related posts: Ralph's Party review | Vince and Joy review

Posted by Keris on March 2, 2008 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 29, 2008 11:26 AM

BOOK COVER: New Puffin Classics

Puffin Books have redesigned the Puffin Classics collection. Aren't they gorgeous?

But the pretty new covers aren't the only change, each of the twelve titles is introduced by a top author such as Sophie Dahl, Meg Rosoff or Louise Rennison.

Related posts: Louise Rennison | New covers for Virago Classics | Penguin Celebrations' gorgeous covers

Posted by Keris on February 29, 2008 in Book covers, Classic Novels | Permalink | Comments (2)

February 25, 2008 10:14 PM

Book News: Where Demons Dare

This news is especially for one of our regular reviewers, Angela Richardson: the sixth instalment in Kim Harrison's urban fantasy series about a bounty-hunting witch is due out in April.

Angela chose Rachel Morgan as her favourite heroine, and Where Demons Dare (published as The Outlaw Demon Wails in the US) certainly sounds like an exciting read. The bounty-hunter becomes the hunted, with no less than three hellions on her tail...

I must admit, I haven't read a great deal of supernatural chick lit, but considering how much I adore Buffy perhaps it's time I started...

However, the cover of Where Demons Dare isn't doing much for me. It looks a wee bit scary for my tastes. Stop shouting 'wimp' at the screen; I can't hear you.

Related posts: Supernatural archives

Posted by Sarah Painter on February 25, 2008 in American Authors, Book News, Book covers, Series, Supernatural | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 21, 2008 9:46 AM

BOOK COVER: Kits off!

Remember how Meg Cabot raved about this cover of Liza Palmer's Seeing Me Naked? Well, might this be why?

The cover of Meg's (fabulous) Size 14 Is Not Fat Either has the same "kit off" theme!

Thanks to reader Lisa for the tip-off :)

Related posts: Seeing Me Naked review | Size 14 Is Not Fat Either review

Posted by Keris on February 21, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (5)

February 19, 2008 8:10 PM

Classic romance comic-book-covers

Yes, again this would've been better posted on Valentine's Day, but what can you do? Entertainment Weekly has a selection of 25 classic comic-book romance covers for your delight and delectation.

Chosen from the golden age of pulp romance, this retro treat harks back to a simpler time; when the only lipstick was red and lines like 'my scandal-smeared love' were just the beginning...

Related posts: Women in comics | Avril Lavigne Manga

Posted by Sarah Painter on February 19, 2008 in Book covers, Book related, Romance, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 18, 2008 5:35 PM

BOOK COVER: If Andy Warhol Had A Girlfriend

While we wait for more news on Alison Pace's fourth book (provisionally titled City Dog, due out September), her publisher has kindly distracted us with a new cover for the reissue of her debut If Andy Warhol Had A Girlfriend.

I think it's brilliant - do you agree? I've put the old cover over the cut if you want to compare them...

Here you go!

Related posts: Book covers archive | Alison Pace's books of the year

Posted by Sarah Painter on February 18, 2008 in American Authors, Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (2)

February 14, 2008 2:16 PM

BOOK COVER: Lookalikes

We've featured the Petite Anglaise covers before, but yesterday, while I was stalking the aisles of our local Borders, I spotted this new book - Can Any Mother Help Me? by Jenna Bailey. Similar, no?

The book sounds interesting though. It's the true story of a group of women in the 1930s who started a private magazine - "The Cooperative Correspondence Club" - to write about the subjects close to their heart: "the pain and elation of childbirth, the difficulties during wartime, or the struggles and comedies of daily routine".

Related posts: Book cover snap! | More book cover snap!

Posted by Keris on February 14, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 12, 2008 4:00 PM

BOOK NEWS: My Favourite Wife

Love him or loathe him, Tony Parsons is joint-reigning king of Lad Lit (with Nick Hornby). His latest offering, My Favourite Wife, is out in hardback on 18 February.

Apparently, it's a sizzling tale of sex, romance and second-wives, set in Shanghai. I have found Tony Parsons to be quite hit-and-miss, but the fab cover of this one is certainly swaying me...

Related posts: Top 10 Lad Lit | Lad-lit blogs

Posted by Sarah Painter on February 12, 2008 in Book News, Book covers, British Authors | Permalink | Comments (3)

February 6, 2008 11:35 AM

COVER COMPETITION: Confessions of a Beauty Addict

You know how obsessed I am with book covers? Well, the publishers of Nadine Haobsh's second book (and first novel), Confessions of a Beauty Addict, have asked Trashionista readers to help them choose the cover!

As if that wasn't exciting enough, if you leave a comment explaining your choice (making sure you include your email address so we can get your details if you win), you could win an advance copy of the book (one commenter will be chosen at random).

Read more about the book and cast your vote over the cut.

When Bella Hunter, Beauty Expert and all around magazine editor wunderkind, loses her job for spilling top industry secrets to Page 6 she thinks her life is over. And, to top it all off, she's managed to dye her hair bright orange. At her wits end and desperate not to return home with her tail between her legs, Bella accepts a job a Womanly Wear: a magazine her mom reads. But how can she face her glamorous ex-co-workers now that she works in an office where khaki (not Cavalli) is the way of life?

Bella is out to wage war on the beauty world one bad makeover at a time, armed with only her Marc Jacobs shoes, three meddling best friends, and a flighty supermodel boyfriend. At odds with her stuffy (and undeniably gorgeous) publisher, Bella begins to realize that she may be fighting the wrong battle.

Posted by Keris on February 6, 2008 in Book covers, Competition | Permalink | Comments (43)

January 31, 2008 9:00 AM

BOOK COVER: Violet By Design

When I interviewed Melissa Walker I mentioned the beautiful cover of the follow-up to Violet On the Runway, Violet By Design and then I forgot to write about it.

So here it is. Ever since that Elton John video (Sad Songs? Nikita?) back in the eighties, I've been a sucker for a black and white picture with a bit of colour (there's probably a technical term, but I don't know what it is) and this one's a great example. Love the skirt, love the pink, love the background. Can't wait to read it!

Related posts: More book covers

Posted by Keris on January 31, 2008 in Book covers, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (2)

January 30, 2008 6:00 PM

BOOK NEWS: It's A Kind of Magic

Best-selling chick lit queen Carole Matthews has released a new book this month. It sounds like an intriguing break from her usual form as it comes with a sprinkling of magic. I love the wand peeking out of the handbag on the cover.

When Emma's boyfriend Leo lets her down yet again, she wishes someone could just wave a magic wand over him and bring him back refurbished as a proper boyfriend. But when Leo meets Isobel and changes in new and drastic ways, Emma isn't so happy about it. Surely, there must be more to Isobel than meets the eye...

Related posts: Book covers archive

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 30, 2008 in Book News, Book covers, Book related, British Authors | Permalink | Comments (1)

January 24, 2008 11:28 AM

BOOK COVER: Petite Anglaise

Thanks to the success of Catherine Sanderson's blog, Petite Anglais, she signed a six figure, two-book deal and the first of those books is out in March in the UK and in June in the US.

But that's not what I wanted to talk about. Helen sent me links to the UK and US covers. The cover on the right is pretty much my perfect cover. I think it's beautiful. It's the US one, of course.

Carry on over the cut to see the far inferior UK cover.

Boring, wishy-washy, and a bit old hat, don't you think?

Related posts: Petite Anglaise movie news | From blog to book | More book covers

Posted by Keris on January 24, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (5)

January 17, 2008 5:05 PM

Liza Palmer's original cover

Yesterday Sarah wrote about the US cover of Liza Palmer's Seeing Me Naked.

Liza emailed us to tell us about the book's original cover, which was deemed too rude by US stores. I love it.

What do you think?

Related posts: Conversations With the Fat Girl review | The5Spot

Posted by Keris on January 17, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (9)

BOOK COVER: Romance v Chick lit

I know that Jennifer Crusie doesn't consider her books chick lit (I've asked why not, but haven't yet received a reply), but I thought her books were the best to use to compare romance covers with chick lit covers.

So on the left we have the original edition of Anyone But You. On the right, the re-released version.

But Jennifer Crusie's not the only author whose books have made the switch from romance to chick lit (without, you know, actually changing at all) - check out a couple of Meg Cabot covers over the cut.

On the left is She Went All the Way from back when Meg was Meggin. On the right is the newer, "Brand Meg", chick litty cover.

Which do you prefer?

Posted by Keris on January 17, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (3)

January 16, 2008 2:17 PM

Seeing Me Naked cover

Liza Palmer's Seeing Me Naked has just been published in the US and is out on 17 April in the UK.

This is the US cover and I love it (despite having an aversion to the colour yellow). It's strong, distinctive and witty.

Head on over the cut for the UK cover to see the difference.

I mean, it's not terrible, but it's much weaker, isn't it?

Plus, I'm getting a mightily  sick of coy, bland illustrations: how about you?

Related posts: Conversations With The Fat Girl by Liza Palmer | Musical book covers

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 16, 2008 in American Authors, Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (1)

January 10, 2008 12:08 PM

BOOK COVER: Jill Mansell's Kiss

   

I spotted the cover on the left on book swap site Read It Swap It and, once I'd finished laughing, I decided I had to share it with you all.

It's from 1993, but it looks exceedingly eighties to me. The middle cover, which I have to say is a great improvement, is from 2000 and the third is from 2006. I love the latest one. It's got a whistling robin on it, for heaven's sake!

Jill Mansell's newest book, An Offer You Can't Refuse, is out on the 7th February (and has a lovely cover).

Related posts: Spotlight - Jill Mansell | Solo review

Posted by Keris on January 10, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 8, 2008 12:02 PM

Buy book cover art

Look at that hunk of manhood! He could be yours. Yes, yours!

Artist Max Ginsburg has illustrated countless romance covers and he's set up a website selling limited edition prints of the cover art. [via Romantic Times]

The painting on the left graced the cover of Emma Merritt's Lady of Winter and can be yours for $300 (print on canvas - you can also get an oil painting, but the price for that is "on request", i.e. it's a lot).

Honestly, I could look at those moobs all day...

Related posts: Romance novel cover comedy | Romance archives

Posted by Keris on January 8, 2008 in Book covers, Romance | Permalink | Comments (4)

January 7, 2008 10:37 AM

BOOK COVER: Agnes & the Hitman

Now you may have already seen this cover, since Jenny Crusie has blogged about it under the heading "My Worst Cover Ever", but seriously, isn't that just a butt-ugly cover?! (It's for the large print edition, not the paperback.)

If it was April, I would have thought it was an April Fool. It doesn't even look like a real cover! It's so bad. And what makes it worse is how beautiful the hardback cover was (and, no, not just cos it looks like me!).

Related posts: Agnes & the Hitman review | Meg Cabot foreign editions

Posted by Keris on January 7, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (2)

January 2, 2008 10:36 AM

BOOK COVER: The Friday Night Knitting Club

I've featured two of these three The Friday Night Knitting Club covers before, but I spotted the latest - the one with the legs - in a bookshop at the weekend and wondered which you'd like best. Having read the book, I'd go for the first, the hardback cover, but what do you think?

      

Related posts: Secrets & Sweaters by Kate Jacobs | Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs

Posted by Keris on January 2, 2008 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (1)

December 28, 2007 1:33 PM

BOOK NEWS: Names My Sisters Call Me

Megan Crane's Frenemies made it onto Keris's top ten of 2007 so I thought I'd highlight her forthcoming book Names My Sisters Call Me.

It's out in April 2008, and although I don't love the title (for some reason I keep getting it mixed up) or the cover (yawn), I do fancy the blurb... Apparently it's about three sisters, old loves and skeletons in the family cupboard. Good stuff.

Related posts: Book Covers: More snowglobes | Megan Crane interview

Posted by Sarah Painter on December 28, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (2)

BOOK COVER: Jennifer Weiner's Certain Girls

Hands up who's excited to read Jennifer Weiner's new book, Certain Girls? In case you don't know, it's the sequel to her enormously popular debut, Good In Bed, taking place twelve years later.

I love the US cover, left, but I just don't know what's going on with the UK cover on the right ... old-fashioned or what? Plus her previous covers have had a distinctive style and I don't see why a redesign was needed.

Still, I'm looking forward to reading it and it's out in March.

Related posts: US versus UK covers | Sophie Kinsella's Remember Me? cover

Posted by Keris on December 28, 2007 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (4)

December 20, 2007 9:35 AM

BOOK COVER: More snowglobes

I featured the cover of Kate Atkinson's Not the End of the World a couple of weeks ago and said you couldn't go wrong with a snowglobe. Inevitably, I've found a bunch of other covers featuring snowglobes.

Hester Browne's agent alerted us to the lovely US cover of Little Lady, Big Apple. Idly googling Marian Keyes one day (what? I'm not stalking her ... well, not yet, anyway), I discovered this cover of Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married. Finally, I spotted Jay McInerney's Story of My Life (which Diane LOVED).

So what do you think? Which is your favourite?

   

Posted by Keris on December 20, 2007 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (1)

December 13, 2007 12:15 PM

BOOK COVER: Cathy Kelly (and more Kinsella)

So last week I featured the UK cover of Sophie Kinsella's next book and said it looked just like someone else's. You kindly made a bunch of suggestions, all of which were similar, but none of them was the droid I was looking for. (I'm not really a dork, I just love that quote.)

Fortunately, I'd been googling Marian Keyes, saw a pic of her with Cathy Kelly and went "A-ha!" (I needn't have bothered, since not long after Helen Costello left a comment saying it was Cathy Kelly - Thanks, Helen!)

But I said it was a bit old-hat, didn't I? And Cathy Kelly's publishers obviously agree since her covers have been updated. Check them out over the cut. 

On the left is Lessons In Heartbreak due out in January next year. Much more modern cover, I'm sure you'll agree (if a little Adele Parks...).

Oh and Helen also referred to Cathy Kelly's old covers "with the really sad eighties looking woman on the front!" That's one on the right. She's not wrong, is she!

Related: Musical book covers

Posted by Keris on December 13, 2007 in Book covers, Sophie Kinsella | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 11, 2007 4:01 PM

BOOK COVER: Pastures New

Pastures New is the debut novel of Julia Williams, and it follows Amy Nicolson and her young son as they swap London life for country living.

Now, it could be because I'm getting in the festive mood and the illustration looks very much like a Christmas card, but I rather like this cover.

Related posts: Does a book cover matter? | Musical book covers

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Posted by Sarah Painter on December 11, 2007 in Book covers, Book related, British Authors, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 6, 2007 10:51 AM

BOOK COVER: Remember Me?

I mentioned Sophie Kinsella's new book, Remember Me?, a little while ago and featured the American cover (right).

At the time, the UK cover wasn't on Amazon and now it is. That's it on the left. It's nice enough, but it seems a bit old hat to me. What do you think? (It also really reminds me of someone else's covers, but I can't put my finger on whose. Any ideas?)

Related posts: Chick Lit Heroine Grudge Match: Becky Bloomwood v Stephanie Plum | More Sophie Kinsella film news

Posted by Keris on December 6, 2007 in Book covers, Sophie Kinsella | Permalink | Comments (8)

November 29, 2007 11:11 AM

BOOK COVER: Snowglobes

Last week, when I was looking at Kate Atkinson's covers, I spotted this one for Not the End of the World. 

Isn't it beautiful? You can't go wrong with a snowglobe, in my opinion.

Related posts: The titles that got away | Book cover: The Godmother

Posted by Keris on November 29, 2007 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (2)

November 23, 2007 7:26 AM

Book Cover: This Charming Man

Yippee! I've just seen the cover for the new Marian Keyes - This Charming Man (out in hardback, May 2008).

Look! Purple! Pretty! With a toaster!

I'm off for a little lie down...

Related posts: Book cover archive

Posted by Sarah Painter on November 23, 2007 in Book News, Book covers, Marian Keyes | Permalink | Comments (4)

November 22, 2007 3:44 PM

BOOK COVER: Case Histories

I loved Kate Atkinson's novel, Case Histories, but I didn't love the cover (the one on the left). The paperback cover (the brown one) was even worse, but I love the American cover on the right. I also think it's the most atmospheric and captures the plot the best. What do you think? 

      

Related posts: The titles that got away | (Long) longlist for lucrative literary prize

Posted by Keris on November 22, 2007 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (1)

November 16, 2007 11:23 AM

BOOK COVER: Elizabeth Scott's covers

I'm still being positive this week (well, I was in New York last weekend, how could I not be positive?) and YA novelist Elizabeth Scott has the nicest covers I've seen for a long time. I haven't even had a book published (yet!), but I have total cover envy.
   

Posted by Keris on November 16, 2007 in Book covers, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 14, 2007 5:38 PM

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

I thought I'd go for something a bit simpler this week after last week's (well, week before last's, since I forgot last week) moral and political conundrum (well, you know, sort of).

The movie version of The Jane Austen Book Club is out this very Friday in the UK (it's already been released in the US - anyone seen it?) and the novel has been reissued with a movie tie-in cover. You know how I feel about book covers, so you probably won't be surprised to hear that I'm not a fan of the movie tie-in cover. (I'll give my reasons in the comments.)

But what do you think? Harmless bit of marketing or shameless imagination sappers?

Movie tie-in book covers: Yay or Nay and Why?

[Don't forget it's Yay or Nay day at Hippyshopper, Bridalwave, Dollymix, Corrie Blog, Catwalk Queen, Kiss and Makeup, The Bag Lady, Shoewawa and Shiny Shiny, too!]

Posted by Keris on November 14, 2007 in Book covers, Yay or Nay? | Permalink | Comments (4)

November 12, 2007 9:36 AM

Book News: The Virago Book of the Joy of Shopping

The Virago Book of the Joy of Shopping by Jill Foulston sounds rather fun.

It promises a romp through the literary history of shopping, with facts about authors and characters and their attitude to shopping, lists and finding just the right thing.

Better still, with its pretty duck egg blue cover, this hardback is positively covetable.

Related posts: The Shops | Shop til you drop | Penguin gorgeous covers

Posted by Sarah Painter on November 12, 2007 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 8, 2007 10:17 AM

BOOK COVER: Snap!

A couple of weeks ago I was sent the book on the left: The Infinite Wisdom of Harriet Rose by Diana Janney (it sounds great and I'll be reading and reviewing it soon).

Yesterday I was in a book shop (okay, WH Smiths) and I thought, "Oh, there's that book!" But it wasn't. It was the book on the right: Finding Violet Park by Jenny Valentine (which won the Guardian children's fiction prize).

Uncanny, eh?

Related posts: Snap! | Another cover 'snap'! | More book cover snap

Posted by Keris on November 8, 2007 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 7, 2007 12:33 PM

Book News: The Daring Book for Girls

HarperCollins is hoping to follow the success of The Dangerous Book for Boys with this, The Daring Book for Girls.

With the same retro-styling as the Boy book, the hardback is careful to avoid stereotypical activities. Instead it offers "adventure, excitement, and just as much danger as the boys." Hurrah, then.

It's out now in the US - this is the minty-looking US cover. Take a peek at the UK one over the cut.

So, what do you think of the UK cover? It uses pink (so cleverly avoided in the US version), but I like the silhouette dangling (daringly?) from the D.

Anyhoo, it's released in the UK on 18 February 2008. 

Related posts: UK versus US covers | Does a book cover matter?

Posted by Sarah Painter on November 7, 2007 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (1)

November 1, 2007 6:39 AM

BOOK COVER: Hungry

No comparisons this week, just a cover that I absolutely love. I've learned lately that if you take a pretty colour and stick on a simple item (an egg box, a wishbone, a Custard Cream ... see over the cut) then I am lost.

As for the book, it's Hungry by Allen Zadoff, subtitled "lessons learned on the journey from fat to thin", and it sounds wonderful. Anyone read it?

Related posts: Are eggs the new butterflies (which are the new feet)? | Judging books by their covers | Musical book covers

   

Posted by Keris on November 1, 2007 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 25, 2007 10:30 AM

BOOK COVER: The Godmother

Yes, I'm still obsessing over UK vs US covers, I'm afraid.

The cover on the left is the British cover of Carrie Adams's novel, The Godmother. I haven't read the book, but I imagine the British cover captures the story better than the American cover on the right.

But the American cover is so pretty, don't you think?

Book covers archives

Posted by Keris on October 25, 2007 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (3)

October 18, 2007 11:23 AM

BOOK COVER: Rex and the City

I wrote about Lee Harrington's Rex and the City last week and it's a great example of the power of a cover. I didn't mention it in book news (though I certainly thought about it) but I can't stand the hardback cover on the left. It's so awful, I wasn't really sure where to begin.

But look! Look at the paperback cover (on the right). Much nicer. I'd pick that one up in a heartbeat. Wouldn't you?

Posted by Keris on October 18, 2007 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 12, 2007 10:59 AM

BOOK COVER: The Adultery Diet

Another UK vs US cover this week, but I think it's going to be an easy pick. The book is Eva Cassady's The Adultery Diet, which has the tagline, "Don't cheat on your diet, cheat on your husband."

US on the left, UK on the right. Which do you like best?

Posted by Keris on October 12, 2007 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (3)

October 4, 2007 11:37 AM

BOOK COVER: Love Walked In

I really, really loved Marisa De Los Santos's debut novel, Love Walked In and I also really, really love these covers. Yes, all of them! UK hardback and paperback (over the cut) and the US paperback on the left (the hardback was very similar).

Which is your favourite?

Hardback left and paperback right.

Posted by Keris on October 4, 2007 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (5)

September 27, 2007 9:16 AM

BOOK COVER: Life As We Knew It

This week I thought I'd share a book cover that makes me happy. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer.

Apart from having a beautiful cover, it also sounds like a fantastic book:

Told through the diary of Miranda, almost at the end of her sophomore year, it's the story of what happens after a meteor hits the moon, pushing it off its axis and causing worldwide earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes. All the things Miranda used to take for granted begin to disappear. Food and gas shortages, along with extreme weather changes, come to her small Pennsylvania town and her family is forced to make tough choices while they consider their increasingly limited options.

Related posts: Afloat by Jennifer McCartney | The Almost Moon cover | New Jennifer Crusie collaborations

Posted by Keris on September 27, 2007 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (2)

September 20, 2007 1:06 PM

BOOK COVER: Meg Cabot foreign editions

Yesterday, Meg Cabot blogged about the numerous foreign versions of her books she receives on a weekly basis (she's written a *lot* of books) and how she often doesn't know which of her books they actually are and how she certainly can't tell from the covers!

About the book on the right, she writes, "Who the heck is SHE? She kind of looks like Heidi. Only by the ocean. Did I write a book about Heidi by the ocean? Cool!"

About the book on the left, she writes, "Honestly, this one left me speechless. That better not be Heather Wells, is all I have to say. Because no one could actually be solving crimes in THAT outfit…could they???"

Aren't they dreadful? See more here.

Related posts: Size 12 is not fat review | Meg Cabot interview | Romance novel cover comedy

Posted by Keris on September 20, 2007 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (2)

September 18, 2007 9:13 AM

Penguin Celebrations' bestsellers

According to the Penguin blog the bestsellers from the Celebrations collection are all non-fiction (The English, The Classical World, Freakonomics, The Consolations of Philosophy and Letters from America). Why all non-fiction? It’s possible, according to Colin Brush, senior copywriter at Penguin, that the stripey design is deemed too serious for fiction books.

What do you think? Have you bought one of these yet? I know I’m sorely tempted to buy the whole lot just to make my bookshelves look nice… and they are three for two, or £191.76 for the whole set, on the Penguin website!

Related Posts: Blog a Penguin classic | Lovely Penguin pencils and more

Posted by Nicola pedley on September 18, 2007 in Book covers, Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 14, 2007 11:04 AM

Penguin Celebrations' gorgeous covers

Iconic publisher, Penguin, has reissued a selection of books in, well, classic Penguin Classic covers.

Described as "Unique voices, enthralling stories and quite simply the best books of their kind to be published in recent years." There are 36 to collect including Marian Keyes' The Other Side of the Story, Nick Hornby's polarising How To Be Good (actually not that polarising - I'm the only person I know who liked it) and Zoe Heller's Notes on a Scandal.

They are very beautiful and I want them! I want them all! (Except The World According to Clarkson by Jeremy Clarkson.) [via Retro To Go]

Related posts: Blog a Penguin Classic (and get a free book and internet fame in the process...) | Lovely Penguin pencils and more

Posted by Keris on September 14, 2007 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (2)

September 13, 2007 1:15 PM

BOOK COVER: Garden Spells

This week's book cover is US vs UK *again*.

The book is Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. It sounds gorgeous and is apparently doing brilliantly in the US.

The cover on the left is the UK cover. It's nice enough, but butterflies? Really? More butterflies? The cover on the right is the US cover and I can't actually decide whether I like it or not. I think maybe yes, but then I think it looks a bit '80s.

What do you think?

Posted by Keris on September 13, 2007 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (4)

September 6, 2007 12:15 PM

BOOK COVER: The Almost Moon

Since I'm kind of obsessed with book covers and book cover art, I thought I'd make it a regular item.

So each Thursday I'll post about either a particularly beautiful cover, an especially bad cover, book cover snap or (my primary fixation) US vs UK covers (nominations gratefully received!).

This week, Alice Sebold's The Almost Moon. The cover on the left is the US cover and I love it. Carry on over the cut for the UK cover.

I think this looks like a scientific non-fiction book rather than a novel (or a Sci-fi novel at a push).

It's striking, but I wouldn't cross the bookshop to pick it up, like I would with the American version.

What do you think?

Related posts: Musical book covers | Are butterflies the new feet? | Are eggs the new butterflies (which are the new feet)?

Posted by Keris on September 6, 2007 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (4)