|
Letters from the Country
|
||
February 5, 2010Under the Covers, Part EightWow. It’s been almost six months since I did one of these. The long hiatus may have something to do with the fact that during the fall my coffee consumption dropped dramatically. I stopped punctuating all of my errands with stops at either Starbucks or the B&N. Or maybe I’m just a slacker. In any case, without further ado… Let me begin with a favorite author, Anne Tyler. Sad, then, that in recent years her book covers have come to look like this:
August 31, 2009Under the Covers, Part SevenThat B&N gift card I got for my birthday is almost spent. I got a little impulsive last night and bought five–count ‘em, five!–books, four of which were in hardcover. I love books in hardcover, and it’s a rare treat to be able to buy a pile of them all at once without a shred of guilt. Two of the newest five are debut novels by authors I’ve never heard of. Their book jackets did a bang-up job at being book jackets; that is to say, at attracting my attention and getting the book into my hand. I thought I might take a look at the various covers, then, in this special Birthday Edition of Under the Covers. I’ll start with a cover that I’ve already written about: the cover of Colm Tóibín’s latest novel, Brooklyn.
August 26, 2009Birthday TreatsFor some years now, I’ve thought that I should just skip the whole birthday thing. It stops being fun when you’re about 10, except that on your 21st birthday you get to drink too much–legally!–and make an ass of yourself.* After that, it’s just a cruel reminder that you’re getting older and not necessarily wiser, that you’ll likely never have abs like this guy, and that there’s more hair on your earlobes than on the top of your head.** Whenever I mention my birthday-skipping scheme, however, Todd reminds me that it would preclude the possibility of gifts, and I invariably withdraw the suggestion. And with good reason, ’cause I usually get some kick-ass stuff. July 28, 2009Under the Covers, Part SixThere will be much to come on the subject of ♥ing NY, and in particular its many gorgeous eating establishments, but first! a special Gay Fiction Edition of Under the Covers. I should note, however, that there is a New York connection here. While Todd was browsing in his happy place, I walked down the street and browsed in mine. Actually, Borders is more like my mildly diverted place. I never feel quite at home there. This time I got the fisheye from the cafe baristas when I offered to reuse my cup for a second iced coffee. So, yeah. Borders is not my happy place, Barnes & Noble is. Strand, as it turns out, is my ecstatic place. But I digress. July 8, 2009Under the Covers, Part Five, ContinuedContinuing the theme of last night’s post–cover designs that wrap around to the back… Here’s another book I’ve been seeing on the shelves for a while:
July 7, 2009Under the Covers, Part FivePickings have been slim at the B&N lately. They’ve been doing some rearranging in the store–to what end, I won’t presume to say. The new releases section has gotten smaller, or at least more boring, what with rows and rows of stuff like this all lined up neatly on the shelves:
Hell’s Aquarium? What the–? June 11, 2009Under the Covers, Part FourIt’s been over a month since I did one of my book cover posts. I’ve been in the B&N many, many times in the last month, of course, but nothing’s really been catching my eye. Even tonight, I wasn’t exactly falling in love left and right. Here’s the nearest of the near misses:
May 5, 2009Under the Covers, Part ThreeYesterday morning, I stopped at the B&N for a coffee. I was in no hurry, so I lollygagged in the new releases. It’s just a little thing I do. I’ve had my eye on this book for a couple of weeks:
(Ignore, if you can, the ugly 20% off sticker.) April 10, 2009Under the Covers, Part TwoMore about book covers, picking up where I left off last night. The more I look at this…
…the happier it makes me. Under the Covers, Part OneIf you read last night’s post, you no doubt already know that according to my personal philosophy, one can never spend too much time looking at books, thinking about books, fondling books, and generally loving the hell out of books. Sipping a little coffee, wandering the aisles of a clean well-lighted bookstore, I’m a happy man. New releases are among my favorites. All the handsome hardcovers, hot (or at least warm) off the presses, proudly facing front. Since I decided to design my own book cover, I’ve spent a fair amount of time–even more than usual–looking at books and reading about design and trying to figure out what makes a cover good or bad. Tonight, pottering among the new releases, I snapped a few pictures of covers that moved me one way or the other. |
||
|
© 2009 Matt Dean; powered by WordPress
|
Although I don’t really remember how I “discovered” Ian McEwan or Jane Smiley or Barbara Kingsolver or many of the authors I love the bestest, I remember very clearly running across a copy of Tyler’s 
in a Kmart. I bought it because the title and 
