I participated in Birthstone Books Covers for the first time last August, and now I’m hooked! Leslie at Books Are the New Black hosts this fun monthly meme — and since I love anything related to spotlighting amazing book covers, I just had to jump in.
The rules are simple:
Mention the creator (Leslie @Books Are The New Black ) and link back so she can see your post! Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone. Have fun!
Ruby is the July birthstone – and it’s one of the most coveted of gems. The name is derived from the Latin word ruber, meaning “red” – the color of love and passion. Few things catch the eye like the ruby birthstone. The finest color of the birthstone for July is a deep red with a hint of purple, called “pigeon’s blood” in the trade. A variety of the mineral corundum, ruby gets its color from trace amounts of the element chromium. The more chromium, the stronger the red.
I participated in Birthstone Books Covers for the first time last August, and now I’m hooked! Leslie at Books Are the New Black hosts this fun monthly meme — and since I love anything related to spotlighting amazing book covers, I just had to jump in.
The rules are simple:
Mention the creator (Leslie @Books Are The New Black ) and link back so she can see your post! Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone. Have fun!
June has three birthstones! The three gems are pearl, alexandrite, and moonstone.
For more about these three birthstones, check out the info page at gia.edu. I was not familiar with alexandrite at all until now — not surprising, as it’s considered very rare!
Alexandrite is the rare variety of the mineral chrysoberyl that changes color in different lighting. Most prized are those alexandrite birthstones that show a vivid green to bluish green in daylight or fluorescent light, and an intense red to purplish red in incandescent light. Major alexandrite deposits were first discovered in 1830 in Russia’s Ural Mountains. The gem was named after the young Alexander II (1818–1881), heir apparent to the throne. Alexandrite caught the country’s attention because its red and green colors mirrored the national military colors of imperial Russia.
Pearl has purity, wisdom, and tranquility. Pearls were believed the tears of the gods or moonlight that had been captured in shells. People believe that pearls have the ability to bring good luck and provide a relaxed vibe.
Moonstone shows love, self-awareness, a calm state of mind, and a balance of emotions. Moonstone, a birthstone, is frequently regarded as a precious treasure for fresh starts.
Alexandrite color-changing feature represents change and understanding. Alexandrite is well-known for its remarkable color change, which occurs when it is exposed to luminous light and changes from green to a reddish-purple hue.
June Birthstone Color
Pearl Naturally white, cream, pink, and even black. Freshwater and saltwater pearls can have subtle rainbow-like iridescence known asorient.
Moonstone Typically comes in milky whites or soft grays with a magical blue or rainbowadularescence(a glowing sheen)
Alexandrite Famous for its dramatic color shift—from green in daylight to reddish-purple under incandescent light.
Onward to the books!
Alexandrite is new to me, and I’m finding myself fascinating by its range of colors. Based on the images of the gem, I decided to look for book covers with a mixture of blues, greens, and purples… close enough!
Does alexandrite make you think of any favorite book covers?
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Books with Handwriting on the Cover.
The topic got me thinking: Do kids still learn to write in cursive these days? I’m guessing not. I used to have a fairly nice cursive handwriting… and now when I attempt it, it’s mainly a big, messy scrawl. Sigh. I love how quick and easy it is to use a keyboard, but it’s a bit sad to think about handwriting as a lost art.
Back to the books! Rather than focusing on actual handwriting, I just started looking through my physical and digital shelves for book titles in cursive fonts… and found more than I expected! Here’s a round-up of 13 that I really like… because I couldn’t decide which to drop to get to ten.
Cinnamon & Gunpowder by Eli Brown
Ready or Not by Cara Bastone
The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey
The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald
All’s Fair in Love and War by Virginia Heath
The Bronte Plot by Katherine Reay
Off the Map by Trish Doller
Pat of Silver Bush by L. M. Montgomery
Pride by Ibi Zoboi
Reputation by Lex Croucher
The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub
The One That Got Away by Mike Gayle
Love Lettering by Kate Claybourn
If you wrote a TTT post this week, please share your link!
My phone lockscreen is set to randomly shuffle photos from my camera roll, changing every hour on the hour. I never know what will turn up… and I like it that way.
And when I woke up to start my day yesterday, I found that I had a lovely bit of syncing up going on:
On the left, my phone lockscreen. On the right, my current audiobook.
Both images: Joshua trees / Joshua Tree National Park
I participated in Birthstone Books Covers for the first time in August, and now I’m hooked! Leslie at Books Are the New Black hosts this fun monthly meme — and since I love anything related to spotlighting amazing book covers, I just had to jump in.
The rules are simple:
Mention the creator (Leslie @Books Are The New Black ) and link back so she can see your post! Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone. Have fun!
May’s birthstone is emerald. I love a vibrant green!
Emerald, the birthstone for May, has been beloved for millennia, evoking rebirth and renewal. Widely regarded as the definition of green, emerald is the perfect color for spring. From the poetic description of Ireland as “the Emerald isle” to the vibrant green of the famed gemstone itself—the May birthstone emerald has captured hearts and minds through the ages.
Variations of this rich green color suggest soothing, lush gardens. Legend has it that emerald has the power to make its wearer more intelligent and quick-witted, and it was once believed to cure diseases like cholera and malaria. Today, it’s the gemstone given for the 20th and 35th wedding anniversaries.
I participated in Birthstone Books Covers for the first time in August, and now I’m hooked! Leslie at Books Are the New Black hosts this fun monthly meme — and since I love anything related to spotlighting amazing book covers, I just had to jump in.
The rules are simple:
Mention the creator (Leslie @Books Are The New Black ) and link back so she can see your post! Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone. HAVE FUN!
April’s birthstone is diamond, and who doesn’t love a little bling?
Diamond forms under high temperature and pressure conditions that exist only about 100 miles beneath the earth’s surface. Diamond’s carbon atoms are bonded in essentially the same way in all directions. Another mineral, graphite, also contains only carbon, but its formation process and crystal structure are very different. Graphite is so soft that you can write with it, while diamond is so hard that you can only scratch it with another diamond.
Also worth noting: Diamond is the April birthstone, but also the gem that marks the 60th and 75th wedding anniversaries.
A few more diamonds (via Pinterest):
Onward to the books!
Diamond is a tricky one to find in terms of color covers… so I looked for either diamond-like cover colors or covers with actual diamonds on them!
Do you have any favorite diamond book covers to share?
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Green Book Covers (In honor of St. Patrick’s Day today!)
Here are ten twelve from my shelves — some that I’ve read, and some on my TBR. Yes, I’m including more than 10 — I added a whole bunch, and couldn’t decide which to cut!
Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K Rowling
Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett
The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman
The Heartbreak Hotel by Ellen O’Clover
The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh by Claudia Grey
I participated in Birthstone Books Covers for the first time in August, and now I’m hooked! Leslie at Books Are the New Black hosts this fun monthly meme — and since I love anything related to spotlighting amazing book covers, I just had to jump in.
The rules are simple:
Mention the creator (Leslie @Books Are The New Black ) and link back so she can see your post! Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone. HAVE FUN!
Aquamarine is the blue to green-blue gemstone variety of beryl. It is the birthstone for March. The name aquamarine comes from two Latin words aqua marinus meaning “water of the sea”. The color comes from trace amounts of iron in the stone. Aquamarine is typically greenish blue in nature, so it is heat treated to remove the yellow component, and to produce a true-blue color. Brazil is the largest producer of aquamarine, but fine quality stones can be found around the world.
I participated in Birthstone Books Covers for the first time in August, and now I’m hooked! Leslie at Books Are the New Black hosts this fun monthly meme — and since I love anything related to spotlighting amazing book covers, I just had to jump in.
The rules are simple:
Mention the creator (Leslie @Books Are The New Black ) and link back so she can see your post! Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone. HAVE FUN!
Amethysts are among my favorite gems, although — alas — I don’t believe I actually have any amethyst jewelry. The color is so pretty!
Amethyst was prized by ancient civilizations and was closely associated with spirituality, faith, and wisdom. The color purple has long been associated with royalty and the aristocracy. It is the birthstone for February. The color of amethyst ranges from light to intense purple. The lighter lilac or lavender variety is often called Rose de France amethyst. The most prized amethyst is transparent and exhibits an intense, uniform, purple color with red flashes.
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Book Covers Featuring Cool/Pretty/Unique/etc. Typography, with the prompt Typography is the art of arranging letters so they look visually appealing and more interesting than, for example, the body text of this blog post you’re reading now.
I’m not always great at visuals and graphics (my artistic side is… let’s say… rather under-developed). Still, perusing my shelves, I was able to find books where the cover lettering feels different and really fits the theme or subject:
Paperbacks From Hell by Grady Hendrix
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
White Cat by Holly Black
I’ll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong
NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
You Suck by Christopher Moore
Doll Bones by Holly Black
Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison
I also have in mind a couple of series with iconic typography:
Can you think of any others, similar to Harry Potter and Outlander, where the font/typography is so strongly associated with the book series?
Bookshelf Fantasies 