Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Similar Covers: Dandelion Puffs (or the Making of a “Similar Covers” Post)

I own The Wishing Year: A House, a Man, My Soul by Noelle Oxenhandler, so when I came across the cover to Childhood: An Anthology edited by Kate Figes (which looks vaguely similar), I put both cover images into a folder. Then I saw the covers for Marni by Marni Bates and The Next Thing on My List by Jill Smolinski and into the folder they both went too. So far these covers all have dandelion puffs on them (obviously) and, other than the last one, all have a turquoise touches. Then last week I came across an ARC of Falling Apart in One Piece by Stacy Morrison in a thrift shop (this book isn’t even out yet; it will be published by Simon & Schuster on March 23): it also has the same turquoise background with a dandelion puff... and it turns out the image on this cover is an exact match with the only non-turquoise cover I found!



Is this at all interesting, or would you rather I just cut to the chase and show you only the really relevant covers? (I won’t do this all the time, I promise!) I thought it was strange that so many of these covers are pretty much the same shade of turquoise!

Edited to add:
And then Steph Su, who blogs at Steph Su Reads, mentioned a sixth cover that fits right into this collection: Before I Die by Jenny Downham. So I updated this post!

16 comments:

  1. I always love these posts. The UK cover of Before I Die by Jenny Downham also has a dandelion on it: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/jenny-downham/before-i-die.htm

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  2. These all seem relevant to me, Avis! I like these posts and yes it's very interesting. I find it odd too that they almost all have the same background colour.

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  3. I find these interesting! I'm not that observant, so it always surprises me when they recycle ideas and photos like this. I do love the dandelion puffs, though.

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  4. Thanks, Steph Su! I updated my post with the cover you mentioned.

    Glad to hear that, Donna!

    Kathy, I love the dandelion puffs too! Most of these covers really appeal to me.

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  5. I really like these covers - love that shade of blue.

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  6. Don't you dare stop! I love these posts.

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  7. You know I like these similiar covers posts :-) !

    I would not associate blue with dandelion puffs...yellow seems to be more appropriate (I guess because of the flower itself), or maybe even green because of it them being amongst grass. Why are most of these with blue backgrounds? Hmmm....

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  8. These dandelions bring back some wonderful childhood memories!

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  9. maybe these covers are supposed to get us ready for spring?

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  10. I like this grouping a lot actually. Dandelions are my fave thing and all of these covers are so full of whimsy. I wonder if the sense of whimsy carries over to the plot as well.

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  11. It always amazes me when books have the exact same stock photo. Of all of these, I think that I like the first one, in the top left corner best.

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  12. Oh I love this post! I think it's especially interesting that they go so well both in theme and colors. I think The Missing Year is my favorite of the six.

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  13. These look the bottom of my blog design!!

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  14. Love these posts, always. My fave cover above is the Marni one. And then The Wishing Year. It IS interesting how everything but one is in turquoise. It's the airiness they want to depict.

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  15. It must be a rule written somewhere that dandelions go best with turquoise. I would've said a golden yellow!

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  16. Me too, Tara!

    Don't worry, Likeglass, I don't intend to stop posting similar covers (unless I run out of them, which isn't going to happen anytime too soon). I was actually asking whether my "making of" post was of any interest...

    Valerie, it's true, I wouldn't have thought of blue either, except I guess there's something melancholy about dandelion puffs since it's the end of summer...

    Kathleen, why is it that dandelions are a favourite childhood flower and then are just considered weedy nuisances? (I still love them!)

    Staci, I actually don't associate these covers with spring though, since dandelions go to seed at the end of summer.

    Ti, I love these covers (except for the pink and green one), although they feel more melancholy to me than whimsical.

    J.T., The Wishing Year cover is my favourite too and the only one I own (and have read).

    Kay, yay! (I love your similar covers posts too!)

    Jenners, I hadn't made the association, but you're totally right!

    Interesting, Claire, because the Marni one is one of my least favourites, although I'm with you on The Wishing Year.

    Kari, it would seem!

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