Hello and happy Sunday!
This week’s Grapevine will be more visual than usual. The ‘year of survival’ is ending, and we’re looking at the top book covers of the year. The Substack recommended below links a New York Times article about it, among other things that I think are worth a read.
One of the book covers mentioned in the Substack above is Salman Rushdie’s Knife which is expected in April 2024. I like the article’s author’s comment about needing a break from the brightly coloured, busy covers of today’s mainstream books. Seeing this one is so refreshing, so expressive, so effective!
The Literary Hub’s take
The Creative Review’s top book covers
Some of the same books are mentioned, but there are a few new ones in this grid.
Do you spot anything that would convince you to buy or read the book?
Progress on our December read-along
I love this read-along feature from TheStoryGraph! The snippet above is to show where we are with Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell in the group. So far, two members have unlocked the forum question for the first 100 pages. The next one is set for whoever gets to 25%. I may prepare a surprise or two for the next forums, just to try out the feature.
Empty Theatre by Jac Jemc, the cover seemed atypical for a historical novel and promised a fun story. The book delivered :)
But really, all the covers are so refreshing 🤍