On Covers

 Can we start by getting the 'Don't judge a book by its cover' thing out of the way? Book covers are so important. They tell you what you're getting yourself into - crime, romance, a gritty thriller, you'll be able to tell from the cover. If you spot a book that looks like one by a favourite author, it's because someone wants you to connect it with their writing, and it's probably worth a read.

I seem to always have three books on the go at the moment, so let's have a look at what I'm reading right now and what the covers have to say about them:

1. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers - this is a beautiful looking book, as are all the books in the series. I bought this because I heard an interview with Becky on the Imaginary Worlds Podcast which was fascinating, but I recognised the book because of the beautiful cover. You can buy it here. I'm really enjoying reading this but I am struggling with my attention span during the covid situation, so I'm also reading....

2. Feminism, Interrupted by Lola Olufemi - I bought this after watching an event with Lola which I think was at last year's Edinburgh Book Festival. The cover is actually a lot brighter than pictured, and is a textured card which is an absolute joy.

I loved it when the book festivals went online and free. I could get to lots more things, and risked going to things I wouldn't normally. I made up for not paying to get in by buying books from the festival bookshops. Now they're starting to charge again, I'm going to a lot less!

This is a really useful introduction to feminism, and although I've got a degree in Women's Studies this questions the things that need questioning, and make clear current debates and how we got to them. It is well worth reading and you can buy it here.  In addition to this I am currently reading... 

3. Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi - I have been working my way through the shortlist for the Women's Prize for Fiction. I have been doing this for a few years, but as the number of women represented in other prizes gets to be more and more, I wonder if the Women's Prize is as necessary as it once was?

Anyway, this year I managed to get this out of the library, and it's a beautiful book with Nathan Burton's design influenced by the story, but still with his trademark bright, beautifully artistic and simple style. Nathan Burton does some of my favourite book covers at the moment. You can see a selection on his webpage here. I'll maybe do a display in the library when we get back in there again!

My Dad collects books by certain publishers, from certain ranges. Both his home and his Instagram feed are full of Pelicans and Penguins (I wrote a poem about them, published in Reach Poetry in January 2018, and now in First Kiss).

I caught this completist bug when I was in my teens and read Frost in May by Antonia White, which I believe was the first of the series of Virago Modern Classics. It's still available from Virago, in the rather fetching patterned cover pictured. You can buy your copy here. 

I loved the book and decided to read all the Virago Modern Classics series. I'm not sure that I ever managed it to be honest, but I did experience a thrill of excitement every time I saw one of the original green covers, like the one pictured here for The Constant Nymph by Margaret Kennedy, which you'll find reviewed here. This is using Annie Ovenden's marvellous painting of Ophelia, which we were so happy to be able to use for my book, First Kiss.

It was my editor, David Coldwell at Maytree Press, who suggested Annie Ovenden's Ophelia for my book, and he who managed to track down the artist who kindly allowed us to use it. It was also his idea to use green on the cover, and I'm absolutely delighted with the results, which seem so fitting for a book which has drawn inspiration from my teen years.

Did I mention I still have a few copies of my book available? You can get one here, and here's a picture of the gorgeous cover too!