Book cover discussion

Use this forum to discuss the February 2019 Book of the month, "The Warramunga's War" by Greg Kater.
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Re: Book cover discussion

Post by Galesphere »

I kind of like the intermingling of kangaroos and pyramids. Before reading the book, I would be curious as to how the cover makes sense, and then as I read the book, the "ah-ha!" moment of realizing why the cover is the way it is would be enjoyable as well.
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Post by Helen_Combe »

I wasn’t impressed with the cover. At first glance it looks like a dry war book. It requires a closer look to see that it is an interesting picture. I think colour would have been a big help
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Post by lisalynn »

I don't find it attractive or compelling. Presumably, a book cover relates to the story, but that's not always the case. This one is confusing and cluttered.
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Post by Brandy C »

I think the cover looks a bit dated. The covers usually draw readers in but not so much with this one. I do think the pyramids make sense but not at first glance. At first glance, you wonder why? After reading the summary you understand. An eye-catching cover makes all the difference in the world. Covers can either turn you toward or away from a book.
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Post by Azrevread »

The cover is certainly eclectic. I'v read some of the book. To me, the cover looks like a collage that's meant to draw the reader into the meaning of the theme of the story by reading the rest of the book.
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Post by Nisha Ward »

I think it makes the book look a little dusty, to be honest. The sequels have more eye-catching covers, and the pyramids did make it confusing at first. Ultimately, they make sense, but one would have to actually read the book or about it to know why.

Still, it does convey the feeling of war pretty much from the start, so I'm willing to give it a pass in this instance.
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Post by Mai Tran »

I guess the color makes the book seem a bit dated, but it makes sense to me since the story takes place during WWII. I can see why the kangaroo and the pyramids would confuse people. Cairo would be the last thing to cross my mind when WWII comes up. :lol:
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Post by Sanju Lali »

Covers create immediate impression about the book, but I found in more than half of the books I read, that cover image some time deceive the reader. I think cover is just one out of hundred factor to decide to choose a book.
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Post by Nisha Ward »

sanjus wrote: 06 Apr 2019, 03:13 Covers create immediate impression about the book, but I found in more than half of the books I read, that cover image some time deceive the reader. I think cover is just one out of hundred factor to decide to choose a book.
They are just one factor, but I'd argue that it's a deciding factor for quite a few. I myself nearly dismissed the book on cover alone until I read the blurb. That being said, it's not even deceitful as it does kind of make sense, what with a couple of Australians in Cairo and all of that.
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Post by Amina-Ibrahim »

According to the blurb, I think it does add up. But still doesn't attract the attention. I focus more on covers than on the blurbs so the cover has to draw me in for me to read a book.
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Post by ElizaBeth Adams »

The cover reminds me of those picture scavenger hunts where you are looking for the things in the picture that don't make sense. I am curious about whether the author was trying to catch the readers' attention with the mash-up of two things you don't usually see next to each other. I like that the cover weaves together icons from places that have a strong relevancy to the story. I also think that something about the cover seems dated, but then again, considering the topic, maybe that was intentional as well.
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Post by Nisha Ward »

ElizaBeth Adams wrote: 09 Apr 2019, 08:33 The cover reminds me of those picture scavenger hunts where you are looking for the things in the picture that don't make sense. I am curious about whether the author was trying to catch the readers' attention with the mash-up of two things you don't usually see next to each other. I like that the cover weaves together icons from places that have a strong relevancy to the story. I also think that something about the cover seems dated, but then again, considering the topic, maybe that was intentional as well.
I also thought that about the cover. If you check out the sequels, they become brighter and clearer as they come forward in time, so maybe the datedness is in relation to the fact that it's supposed to be occurring during the second World War?
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Post by amandathebibliophile »

This is a great topic! I’ve read so many fantastic stories with mediocre covers. This tells me that a) never judge a book by its cover (cliche but oh so true!) and b) perhaps it’s easy to have a disconnect between author/author’s vision and illustrator!
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Post by BuzzingQuill »

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
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Post by Nisha Ward »

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.
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