Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Today’s topic was a book cover freebie and as covers get a lot of coverage, I thought I’d talk about spines. Given the way bookstores sell books, most with spines out, they are a crucial part of a book’s appeal. I wanted to focus on spines with (mostly) text only. No headshots or buildings or logos (aside from the publisher’s). Just the use of text, colour, and title to arrest a reader’s interest. If a spine can communicate a little about the story as well, all the better. Here’s ten I picked from my shelves that appeal to me, either because of the font, the tiny additions, striking colours, or the title itself.
A great spine often means a great cover and I think, if you click on the title links, you will see that proves true with every one of these books!
The One True Love of Alice-Ann by Eva Marie Everson
Five Days in Skye by Carla Laureano
Shoofly Pie by Tim Downs
The Devil Walks in Mattingly by Billy Coffey
Treason by Don Brown
Veiled in Smoke by Jocelyn Green
Knox by Susan May Warren
Chasing Secrets by Lynette Eason
The Lacemaker by Laura Frantz
The Cool Woman by John Aubrey Anderson
Do you pay attention to spines on books?
January 29, 2020 at 1:30 pm
I don’t normally pay that much attention to book spines. That needs to change!
My TTT .
January 29, 2020 at 2:16 pm
You’re so right, Lydia! Now I want to pay attention to book spines more! Thanks for sharing your TTT!
January 29, 2020 at 2:20 pm
Some I’ve read and some I haven’t, but I agree with you Rel. All the spines are intriguing and make me want to look at the covers. Also, the title alone bring up the picture image for me of amazing covers like The Lacemaker and I can’t forget Knox!
January 30, 2020 at 2:20 am
Before I was a Kindle user, – yes – the spine was the first draw. But now, being an avid Kindle reader, it’s actually a 50/50 split between the cover and the reviews.
January 30, 2020 at 8:29 am
I do if I can see them. Usually when I check out a book from the library it will have two to three stickers on the spine including the Dewey Decimal sticker, a cross sticker for Christian fiction, spy glass or footprints for mystery, cactus for western, etc. Several times I’ve purchased a book after reading it from the library, and realize that there is a different image of the cover model on the spine that didn’t know was there. The labels covered it up.
January 31, 2020 at 10:02 am
Hallo, Hallo Rel,
I truly look at every angle and corner of a book before I read it. I read all the Author’s notes, forewards, appendixes and acknowledgements, too. I love examining the ARCs as much as the finished copies – I like to feel the book before I read it, if that makes sense? To choices in cover art to how the blurb might be a portal of a window into the plot, how the spine & typography are drawing your eye or diffusing your interest; some fonts they use are harder to read, sometimes the colours are not a good match against the asethetic of the design they were aiming for and other times – there is this beautiful symmetry between the layout, the typography & the full wrapping of the cover and spine!
In essence, yes, I do pay particular attention to spines!
Some even announce which number in sequence you are reading for a series; others are creatively giving a nod to the title or the author; some spines have a different motif than the front or back covers; it is a bit of a journey each time a book enters my hands.
Then, of course, I read it!
PS: I don’t judge books by their covers though – I want to feel hooked into a story, so that puts a strong role to play on the synopsis; after that, if the story doesn’t resonate with me and is simply not my cuppa – all that artwork and clever spine frontage is just ‘art’.
January 31, 2020 at 10:07 am
I couldn’t help myself – I have gotten into creating spine poetry ever since I released mine for #SciFiMonth back in November!
Five Days in Skye,
(all) veiled in smoke;
(whilst) chasing secrets,
(by) the lacemaker –
(who was) the cool woman.
(Some) Shoofly pie,
(and) the devil walks in mattingly –
treason (may) knox;
& the one true love of alice-ann!
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Also, I announced my Top Most Anticipated Books for 2020 this #TopTenTuesday.