julia quinn

Writing Challenge 19 – 3 Things that Make Me Happy

~ Elea Andrea Almazora ~ Leave a comment

Writing about 3 things that make me happy is quite nice after that last post. Even though I tried to keep that one light, it seemed that I got quite upset in the end after all. Putting some focus on the things that make me smile ought to make me feel better. It’s still going to be hard to pick one, because a lot of things make me happy–about as many as the things that make me sad. But I’ll try to stick to the simpler joys that I find in my life.

I’m keeping this one short, if only because I want to spend time with these things as soon as I finish typing.

So. Here are the things that make me happy.

My Kindle

My PRECIOUUUUUS Kindle
My PRECIOUUUUUS

Every time I look at it, I smile. Why? Because it has books in it. Books I like to read. Books that keep me company during long trips. I can switch from one book to another without having to move an inch. I can explore differently worlds while doing nothing more than sitting for hours on a comfy couch. Bliss.

The Bridgertons

Isn't it lovely, this new Bridgerton book? <3
Isn’t it lovely? ❤

Romance author Julia Quinn rocked my world when I discovered her Bridgerton series. Following the romantic (mis)adventures of eight siblings, it that indidn’t just chronicle some great love stories; it followed one of the greatest love stories of all–that of a family’s love for each other. It’s why I threw my money at Quinn the moment I found out the Bridgerton epilogues became available at the local  bookstore.

Crochet stuff

Colorful crochet thread
LOOKIT ALL THE COLORS

I’ve had these since December (I totally love my Secret Santa for getting me this!), but I haven’t gotten around to using them because…well LOOK AT THEM! They look so wonderful! It’s almost a shame to touch them. I sometimes feel the same way about exquisitely presented sushi. But I promise I’ll make something out of them soon.

What are the things that make YOU happy?

Judging Books by Their Covers

~ Elea Andrea Almazora ~ Leave a comment

I admit it.  I’m a book cover snob.  I never really thought about it until just now, when someone on Twitter posted this Pinterest page displaying a bunch of book covers.  I liked some of them, true.  But for the most part, I found a lot of the covers to be way too busy for me.

Maybe they’re too pulp?  I don’t mind actual pulp fiction, but I really find most pulp fiction covers grating.

UK cover of The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
Come to think of it, I initially got hooked on Julia Quinn because of the UK covers of her Bridgerton series (though I love her writing too).

Rocked by this (kind of) sudden realization, I despaired at the possibility of being a “shallow” book consumer.  Has my reading life been a lie all along?

(Yes, I know that’s a tad melodramatic.  But I have a point, I promise).

That’s why I started to look for people who legitimize judging books by their covers.  Hey, a girl needs to validate her unconscious habits!  So what did I find?

  1. Judging a Book by Its Cover (A Blog) – Apparently, there’s an actual blog out there that does book reviews based on nothing but the cover.  It’s freaking brilliant. BRILLIANT, I tell you!
  2. Judging a Book by Its Cover (An Article/Post) – This fairly old post on GeekDad recognizes the effect of having the right kind of cover to attract the right kind of reader.  In other words, the cover is meant to market the book (so you better get it right).  So really, covers are important.
  3. The Caustic Cover Critic – Let me just say that this guy just has some of the best reflections on book covers, especially with regards to the actual contents of the book, the book titles, and the overall appeal (or lack thereof) to him as a consumer.  I recommend this particular post:  Odd Titles, Dull Covers.

Having been validated, I moved on to contemplating my own book cover preferences:

  • Largely minimalist
  • Effective balance of image and text
  • The text must NEVER take up the entire cover (unless they’re business or self-help books)
  • The image must NEVER look like it’s just tacked on
  • Basically if the cover looks like it was made by someone who clearly didn’t know how to at least use PhotoShop effectively, I will pretend that book doesn’t exist.

I’m sure there are more elements that affect my book cover pickiness, but those are the major ones.

But what about you guys?  Do you judge books by their covers?  What do you like or don’t like to see?

EDIT:  Speaking of book covers, one of my favorite authors Susan Elizabeth Phillips is asking for people to vote for the cover of her next novel.  If you like her work too, please vote. 🙂