discussion

Let’s Talk Bookish – What Makes a Book Beautiful?

Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

Happy Friday everyone! Once again this week we will be participating again in Let’s Talk Bookish, where we discuss a topic suggested by the lovely community. Let me once again reference their little blurb below, please follow them and feel free to leave your own suggestion and prompts for next month while you’re over there!

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme, hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books & Dani @ Literary Lion, where they discuss certain topics, share their opinions, and spread the love by visiting each others’ posts.

Prompt for Feb 12:

It’s impossible not to sometimes judge books by the cover – what makes a book beautiful to you? Are there certain covers you’re drawn towards, and certain styles you stay away from? What are some of the most beautiful covers you’ve seen?

It’s definitely impossible not to sometimes judge books by the cover, but honestly I lean into it – why not? I don’t see what’s wrong with judging books by its cover, unless you’re choosing not to read one purely off how the cover looks – that would be strange. But isn’t it only natural to pick up a book that looks attractive? I have always wondered this. Let me know below if you don’t see the big deal of judging a book by it’s cover! I think the real message is more like: don’t only judge a book by it’s cover, right?

Ironically, even though I have been reading more books recently, I have been mostly reading off eReaders or on my phone. Ergo, I don’t really see book covers – at least not in real life. But moving onto the actual question, I do like a variety of book covers! Of course the beautifully illustrated artworks are nice, but also simple geometric or minimalistic designs also appeal to me. Here is an example of that:

I feel like this cover really fits that simplistic yet cool design with the whole mirrored effect (even if it’s not a true mirror image). When I first saw this, I was definitely intrigued and wondering, what might this book be about? And if you read our anticipated books of Feb 2021 post, you would know that I am indeed looking forward to this book! But this cover though, yes please.

Another one from our anticipated books for February, but I also enjoy this beautiful Norse mythology inspired design. these kinds of illustrations really speak to me, and make me want to pick it off the shelf! Any book that makes me want to pick it up classifies it as a beautiful book, for me.

As for styles I would stay away from… I really wouldn’t say there are any covers I would specifically not pick up. There are certain covers I just wouldn’t gravitate towards, such as:

Like I’m sorry, I enjoyed this book, and luckily I wasn’t reading a physical copy, but this kind of design cover with a non-descript background (seemingly meaningless) and just big block text is really not the kind of design that entices me. I still completely enjoyed this book (stay tuned for the review!) and would recommend it, but I can definitely say its cover wasn’t a selling point for me. I read its synopsis and decided to give it a try, and I have no regrets, so even if I don’t like its cover, it really didn’t affect my opinion of the book.

As much as I look at and judge covers, I pick many up, read the synopsis and put it back down, so it’s actually hard for me to remember beautiful covers that I’ve seen. Unsurprisingly, I actually like a lot of mystery/thriller novel covers. They’re usually a little bit suspenseful and creepy, and just gives me those you-know-it’s-a-thriller vibes.

Like c’mon, tell me that doesn’t scream thriller. I would say this kind of design definitely appeals to me. I like it when a book kind of gives you a glimpse of what you might find inside, and these kinds of covers just promise a great thriller (and usually do!). I find that it just really helps to set the whole mood of the book if the cover also matches the theme. It gives it more of the holistic feel. Of course it doesn’t have to match. But covers (and also titles!) have a huge impact on how the book is framed, as it’s literally the first thing you see and read. I definitely appreciate it when an cover is well thought out, and reflects what might be inside, or provides something to contemplate while reading the book.

Of course, a literal interpretation is also evocative. When I read a title and see that the cover is a literal representation of its title, that is definitely also extremely captivating, as doubling up on the meaning gives it that little extra bit of emphasis:

I just love it. It really gives it that extra oomph. Reminds me of those puzzles that use pictures to depict an idiom literally. So much fun. And if you haven’t seen our review for The Woman in the Window, go check it out. Spoiler alert: it’s rated 5 Drink Me Potions, and Andge and I both give our opinions on it! For me, this book definitely stood out on the shelf at the local bookstore, and fun fact, Andge helped buy this book for me. Just the cherry on top that it happens to have a great cover and be a great story as well.

And that’s a wrap from me for this week! Hopefully you enjoyed my insight into book covers. What are your opinions? Do book covers matter? A lot, or not at all? Feel free to discuss and comment below, and once again don’t forget to follow the original creators!

YA

Review: You Have a Match by Emma Lord

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

A REESE’S BOOK CLUB WINTER YA PICK

A new love, a secret sister, and a summer she’ll never forget.

From the beloved author of Tweet Cute comes Emma Lord’s You Have a Match, a hilarious and heartfelt novel of romance, sisterhood, and friendship…

When Abby signs up for a DNA service, it’s mainly to give her friend and secret love interest, Leo, a nudge. After all, she knows who she is already: Avid photographer. Injury-prone tree climber. Best friend to Leo and Connie…although ever since the B.E.I. (Big Embarrassing Incident) with Leo, things have been awkward on that front.

But she didn’t know she’s a younger sister.

When the DNA service reveals Abby has a secret sister, shimmery-haired Instagram star Savannah Tully, it’s hard to believe they’re from the same planet, never mind the same parents — especially considering Savannah, queen of green smoothies, is only a year and a half older than Abby herself.

The logical course of action? Meet up at summer camp (obviously) and figure out why Abby’s parents gave Savvy up for adoption. But there are complications: Savvy is a rigid rule-follower and total narc. Leo is the camp’s co-chef, putting Abby’s growing feelings for him on blast. And her parents have a secret that threatens to unravel everything.

But part of life is showing up, leaning in, and learning to fit all your awkward pieces together. Because sometimes, the hardest things can also be the best ones.

“If you learn to capture a feeling, it’ll always be louder than words.”

A good dive into sisterly bonds and family secrets, it definitely leaned into those elements but took its sweet time building up to a point where we might fully care about the secrets it can unearth.

Abby is the kind of protagonist where I don’t fully understand so it can be hard to find sympathy for her in certain occasions. She has no plans for the future, demeans those who find work through sources she thinks isn’t the most fun (like, she asks, do influencers even love what they do?), and plays jokes that take it a step too far because someone told on her for breaking multiple camp rules.

That someone being her sister, the one she didn’t know she had. I fully love and understand Savvy a lot more, and this book may have been different if I got to see it through her lens instead. She was a rule follower but she also balanced compassion too, not just a cold, robotic figure who doesn’t care about anything else.

But let me backtrack a little and explain my thoughts on this book. I came in with super high expectations (yet again, this is a Reese’s book club choice so it must be halfway decent right? AND it’s Emma Lord). I don’t know why I thought this would be more focused on the romance, or at least half of the book would be about Savvy and half about Leo. It didn’t turn out that way.

I loved the bits of Leo’s characterization we got to see. He unfortunately was more off-page than I had hoped while Savvy took centre stage during most of the book. He kept the peace but still spoke his mind when he wanted to steer Abby away from another harebrained scheme that bordered on reckless. He was a brilliant budding chef (I’ve been watching MasterChef lately and I could just picture Leo in such a competition) and teased his friends good-naturedly.

So the romance is limited, and pretty cliched if you think about it. I like you but am too afraid to tell you. He likes me but just didn’t find the right time to tell me. Timing is always off, but will it ever be right? It almost felt pointless to have the romance aspect of it except to be the excuse for Abby’s perpetual anxiety. I don’t feel it had to be this way. There are plenty of other things she could and was worried about.

While the pacing was slow for a lot of it, I did eventually grow curious about Abby and Savvy’s history and how their separation came to be. It had good resolution, even if a little predictable, but it was nice to see how family can work things out together with better communication.

However, if its purpose was to give me the feels, it also fell short on that. The only aspect of this book that gave me any sort of tingle was Abby’s grandfather who had passed away prior to this story.

Usually I’m not sad when people bring up Poppy, because I’m already thinking about him most of the time. He’s in the weight of his old camera strapped to my shoulder, in the periphery of every photo I take, squinting at the same views and humming his approval.

Maybe I’m just sentimental, especially about grandparents due to my own upbringing, but having Poppy there was a good touch to a book that just fell short emotionally for me on every other level. I just couldn’t bring myself to care tremendously unless I put in a lot of effort to.

If you’re looking for a sweet romantic read, there are many out there (including Emma’s debut) that are by far more well-suited to that. This book is about family, and the secrets we keep and the issues we bury until they come exploding out. If you come into knowing that’s what you’ll get, it may be better for you.

But even then, don’t expect the waterworks to come exploding.

Overall Recommendation:

You Have a Match sounds like it has the makings of a good romance and heartfelt sister reunion, but the product just fell short from its description. The focus definitely was on Abby and Savvy’s family secrets (how did she become adopted?!), while the crush on Leo was just relegated to the anxious headspace Abby constantly carries around with her. A lot more thinking about him than actually talking to him here. While the family aspect could be entertaining, you have to invest pretty deep into the book to get the answers you’ve come for. This wasn’t the worst book by far, but it definitely didn’t meet my high expectations for being a Reese’s book club pick.

4.5 star, adult

Review: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole
Little Fires Everywhere | Rakuten Kobo Australia

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned–from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren–an enigmatic artist and single mother–who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town–and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia’s past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.

Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood–and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster.

I don’t know what I was expecting when I picked up this book, but I was honestly blown away by what I read! Immediately after picking it up, my friend told me: it’s slow-paced, but with amazing character development (I totally agree). Well alright, I thought, I can handle slow-paced. But in all honesty, I was fascinated by the story from the get-go, and didn’t look back at all. It was a complete page-turner for me, and this novel truly has a lot to offer.

Little Fires Everywhere follows a couple of protagonists, but it mainly follows the story of teenaged Pearl and her mother Mia moving into Shaker Heights, a peculiar community with tightly controlled rules and regulations to maintain the image of a perfect community. They rent a house from the affluent Richardsons, and slowly but surely, the juxtaposed family lives (think Parasite!) mix together until the point where one cannot tell whose has melted into whose. This idyllic situation gets torn asunder when the community is divided on the custody of an Asian baby – which is better for the baby: a struggling single biological mother who abandoned her or an affluent white family so very desperate for a child?

This novel truly explores all the intricacies of such a situation, and just how complex it can get between the ethics, legalities and human empathy. Meanwhile, trouble stirs between the Richardsons and their tenants when the town conflict arises. Little Fires Everywhere is truly an apt title (and is in fact, mentioned on like, the third page) and fires and flames are a huge theme throughout this whole story. Ng makes great use of imagery and symbolism, and I truly enjoyed how the story was so cleverly woven together. If you keep an eye out, there are so many little tidbits to catch, and what could be more exciting than all these Easter eggs left for you by the author?!

As part of the Asian community myself, I quickly found myself wondering what I myself would have done or thought in that situation, and I was honestly just as stumped as everyone in the book. I can understand both sides, and see the unfortunate situation that has arisen between two equally desperate parties. I thought this issue was well addressed and really explored an issue that is more rare in the literary world, and so in that sense I am glad that Ng brings it to life in such an interesting manner. I think regardless of race and background, you too will find yourself caught in the situation presented, unable to fully decide which side should have the upper hand. Find out for yourself on this exciting adventure!

There’s also a TV series based on this book (I believe only on Hulu) – if any of you have read the book and watched the series, let me know! I am unable to access Hulu here, but I would love to know how the adaptation is. Please comment below if you know!

Overall Recommendations:

Another book I would highly recommend! Little Fires Everywhere follows the story of a poor nomadic family renting from an affluent one in a quirky town full of rules, which ends up divided over the custody of an abandoned baby. Full of deep characters that are explored ingeniously, and complicated intertwining relationships, this novel also includes some discussion of racial issues and politics! I would especially recommend this to Asian readers, as I think the conflict at hand would be truly relatable, and is not a topic often explored. But regardless, I found that this was a beautiful and evocative story, truly highlighting the highs and low of humanity.