Book cover discussion

Use this forum to discuss the February 2019 Book of the month, "The Warramunga's War" by Greg Kater.
User avatar
BuzzingQuill
Posts: 260
Joined: 10 Mar 2019, 13:51
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 25
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-buzzingquill.html
Latest Review: Getting Used to Success by H.J. Shalev

Re: Book cover discussion

Post by BuzzingQuill »

Nisha Ward wrote: 11 Apr 2019, 08:30
BuzzingQuill wrote: 11 Apr 2019, 03:19 I'm a little late to the party, but after just finishing the book I understand why the cover has an Egyptian background, I actually didn't notice the kangaroo on the cover, but I guess its a metaphor albeit an on-the-nose one about our Australian protagonist. As for the aesthetics of the cover, I really hate to admit, but I'm very much a person who would grab a book with a nice cover and if I saw this book at a bookstore I would've given it a firm pass
Have you seen the covers for the sequels? What do you think of them compared to this one? I would probably pick up those before I'd pick up this one if we were just going by covers alone, since they're prettier to look at and less confusing.
I actually haven't seen the cover of the sequel until you mentioned it, but now that I've checked it out I have to say I'm just not a fan of a solid image that's in stark contrast to the background, but the cover of third book 'skills of warramunga' isn't that bad
User avatar
Nisha Ward
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 2311
Joined: 04 Feb 2019, 15:00
Favorite Author: Garth Nix
Favorite Book: Binti Home
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 321
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nisha-ward.html
Latest Review: Fear Not, Dream Big, & Execute by Jeff Meyer
Reading Device: B0794RHPZD
fav_author_id: 4351

Post by Nisha Ward »

BuzzingQuill wrote: 11 Apr 2019, 08:53
Nisha Ward wrote: 11 Apr 2019, 08:30
BuzzingQuill wrote: 11 Apr 2019, 03:19 I'm a little late to the party, but after just finishing the book I understand why the cover has an Egyptian background, I actually didn't notice the kangaroo on the cover, but I guess its a metaphor albeit an on-the-nose one about our Australian protagonist. As for the aesthetics of the cover, I really hate to admit, but I'm very much a person who would grab a book with a nice cover and if I saw this book at a bookstore I would've given it a firm pass
Have you seen the covers for the sequels? What do you think of them compared to this one? I would probably pick up those before I'd pick up this one if we were just going by covers alone, since they're prettier to look at and less confusing.
I actually haven't seen the cover of the sequel until you mentioned it, but now that I've checked it out I have to say I'm just not a fan of a solid image that's in stark contrast to the background, but the cover of third book 'skills of warramunga' isn't that bad
I mean, I do have to admit that in general, I prefer a different kind of cover format altogether, but in the case of this series in particular, yeah. It's a pity, because the actual content of the book is pretty good, but I can see how the cover is a definite turn off for a lot of people.
"...while a book has got to be worthwhile from the point of view of the reader it's got to be worthwhile from the point of view of the writer as well." - Terry Pratchett on The Last Continent and his writing.
User avatar
srividyag1
Posts: 348
Joined: 30 Jan 2019, 21:26
Currently Reading: The laws of human nature
Bookshelf Size: 108
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-srividyag1.html
Latest Review: The Hungry Heart by Brenda Gayle
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by srividyag1 »

OskaWrites wrote: 29 Mar 2019, 13:07 I suppose the pyramids were relevant in the first half, but they had no major significance. I personally can't stand the cover design with an image between block colour frames. I think it really undersells the book. It looks like a highschool academic history textbook.
I completely agree with this. I believe the cover could have been a little more subtle without block colour frames. I am also someone who chooses a book by its cover, hence cover holds great significance for me.
- Srividya Giri
*****************************
Smile more, it's infectious.
*****************************
Wilkister94
Posts: 99
Joined: 16 Apr 2019, 10:15
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 12
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-wilkister94.html
Latest Review: The Lost Identity Casualties by Kim Ekemar

Post by Wilkister94 »

The cover of the book is so intriguing. It's the reason I picked the book in the first place and I am glad it's meeting my expectations.
User avatar
wordslinger42
Posts: 130
Joined: 11 Jan 2019, 12:18
Currently Reading: The Lost Road and Other Writings
Bookshelf Size: 669
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-wordslinger42.html
Latest Review: The Fox by M. N. J. Butler

Post by wordslinger42 »

I think the presence of pyramids on the cover is very misleading, considering this is about WWII Australia. I suppose you could say that the pyramids might make the reader curious enough to give the book a try, but I think it would make me shy away from reading it.
cadelfavreau
Posts: 44
Joined: 08 Apr 2019, 22:52
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 17
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-cadelfavreau.html
Latest Review: The Sojourners by T. L. Hughes

Post by cadelfavreau »

The cover design seems to be trying to capture multiple aspects of the book, because the Egyptian stuff is really minute compared to the rest of the plot. I think they probably had a hard time deciding upon one overarching theme.
User avatar
lucia_kizas
Posts: 199
Joined: 20 Mar 2018, 07:44
Favorite Author: Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 55
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-lucia-kizas.html
Latest Review: Business Basics BootCamp by Mitche Graf
fav_author_id: 2366

Post by lucia_kizas »

Maybe I shouldn't, but I do judge and choose books by their covers - they tell a lot about the authors' engagement in the success of their books, and when the cover has nothing to do with the contents, it really annoys me. Although based on the previous comments, this cover actually does correspond, but nonetheless, it does not inspire me to read the book - it looks more like a non-fiction book cover to me, and as a historian, I have read too many of those :)
Lhisa
Posts: 44
Joined: 18 Sep 2018, 11:00
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 14
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-lhisa.html
Latest Review: We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz

Post by Lhisa »

I agree, the cover of the book is what we judge about a book and even though we do use the saying, 'don't judge a book by its cover', let's all be really honest. The cover is the first impression that we form of the book. The title helps us to form the second. If either or both do not appeal to us then we are going to put the book back down. Unless its a textbook for school.
User avatar
Mailis
Posts: 282
Joined: 29 Jan 2018, 08:36
Currently Reading: The Employee Millionaire
Bookshelf Size: 58
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mailis.html
Latest Review: There and Back There Again by Andrew Alsup
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by Mailis »

It looks like a Penguin book cover design style they had going on a while back (a decade ago) with the chosen font and placement of elements.
User avatar
Julie Petitbon
Posts: 404
Joined: 01 Apr 2019, 01:10
Favorite Author: J.K. Rowling
Favorite Book: The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)
Currently Reading: Becoming Michele Obama
Bookshelf Size: 699
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-julie-petitbon.html
Latest Review: Sophia Violet and the Fiery Orb by Evangeline Greene
fav_author_id: 1778

Post by Julie Petitbon »

I don't like the cover. The font type and colors weren't appealing, and they kind of distracted from the picture. If I only used book covers to decide if I wanted to read a book, I would pass on this one. Nothing really caught my eye. The reviews of the book, however, are so positive that I might give the book a try!
User avatar
Shirayuki Hime
Posts: 41
Joined: 12 Mar 2019, 17:07
Favorite Book: Tiger's Curse
Currently Reading: Endless Water, Starless Sky
Bookshelf Size: 36

Post by Shirayuki Hime »

I think the reason there was kangaroo from Australia and pyramid from Egypt meant that even thought the war happen in Australia, it affect other nations.
User avatar
joshfee77
Posts: 1019
Joined: 03 Apr 2018, 02:11
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 251
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-joshfee77.html
Latest Review: In Time Forever by Stefan Raicu

Post by joshfee77 »

I must admit I was a bit underwhelmed by the cover of this book. Between the pyramids, the font, and the overall layout, colour, and contrast, it didn't really grab me.
User avatar
Fatima_Palacios
Posts: 171
Joined: 08 Jul 2018, 20:59
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 197
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-fatima-palacios.html
Latest Review: We are Voulhire: The Knights of Chalethire by Matthew Tysz

Post by Fatima_Palacios »

Raja28 wrote: 24 Mar 2019, 09:12 The cover of this book, at the first look, is intriguing. However, after reading the brief about the story, the cover makes a lot of sense as the story, or a major part of it, takes place in Cairo and the protagonists are Australians.
The sample pages help to give sense to the cover however im expecting to enjoy it more as I move along with the book
"and if I die trying, then at least I tried."
-Eiichiro Oda (Luffy)
User avatar
Brendan Donaghy
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 1096
Joined: 18 Jan 2019, 13:14
Currently Reading: Small Great Things
Bookshelf Size: 141
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-brendan-donaghy.html
Latest Review: Teetering On A Tightrope by Steven W Wilson

Post by Brendan Donaghy »

I generally judge a book more by its summary than by its cover, so I have to confess that I didn't really take much heed of the cover initially. I had a good look at it after reading some of the comments on this thread. I can see the thinking behind it, given the Australian and Egyptian settings in the book, but I agree that it doesn't exactly grab the attention.
ObsessedBookNerd
Posts: 557
Joined: 22 Aug 2018, 14:44
Favorite Book: Moon Called
Currently Reading: Morning Is Always Nigh
Bookshelf Size: 882
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-obsessedbooknerd.html
Latest Review: 30th Century: Escape (First Edition) by Mark Kingston Levin, PhD

Post by ObsessedBookNerd »

I don't really think that the cover fits. I think the cover needs to look more professionally designed for more readers to want to check out the book.
Post Reply

Return to “Discuss "The Warramunga's War" by Greg Kater”