I am, however, a much bigger fan of the UK cover. I have a tendency to fall for anything in silhouette, and the couple on this cover look very much like I imagined Celia and Marco. Part of what captured me in this book was Morgenstern's description of not only the circus itself, but the costumes the performers wore, the food they ate, the decor in their homes and tents. Somehow the UK cover captures that for me a bit more than the US version. What do you think?Another cover I'm tooootally jonesing for, is my newly-acquired The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt. I'm a huge lover of clean, contemporary cover design a la Jim Tierney or Chip Kidd. Dan Stiles is the illustrator to thank for this particular cover, and I couldn't be more impressed. It's cartoony but so very clever as the brothers' heads form the eyes of the skull/moon that looms in the background. Sleek, simple, and clever. What's not to love???
Which covers have caught your eye lately?
The UK cover of The Night Circus is definitely more representative of the people you mention that are in the book. It's definitely eye-catchy!
ReplyDeleteI prefer the UK cover, too. I keep seeing it all over the place and hadn't paid much attention before, but I can see I need to go and check it out!
ReplyDeleteI love the titles. I really like both covers. There's something pretty original about them. The Sisters Brothers has a great cover too. I wished more publishers would get creative about a book's cover; I'm willing to buy a book based solely on the cover.
ReplyDeleteI like all the covers. A friend of mine had on a cute pair of earring the other day that reminded me of the cover of The Sisters Brothers - when I told her that she looked at me like I was crazy.
ReplyDeleteI find that I usually like the UK covers better than the ones they choose in the US. I fly through Heathrow at least once a year and make it a point to load up on a few books, just so I can enjoy the covers! I'm pretty sure this makes me a complete bibliogeek!
ReplyDeleteThe UK version of Night Circus is the best designed book I've come across this year - by a long way. I was persuaded to read it by the cover alone. :-)
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, I totally caved and bought The Night Circus today. Bad Trisha!
ReplyDeleteI have nothing to contribute to the discussion, really, I just have to say: the title of this post made me go *SNERK* in a most immature fashion. :)
ReplyDeleteNatalie, isn't it? Of course it's also my favorite color combo. I'm a sucker for red/white/black. :)
ReplyDeleteDanielle, you must definitely check it out. It's a very atmospheric read -- especially for this summer to fall transition.
Natasha, the more I look at the US cover of The Night Circus the more I warm up to it. My ARC cover is a different pic, so I didn't realize how much stylized detail was included in the cover I posted here. At first I didn't even see the tents! Just the "doll" shape it makes in the hand. And yes, I'm often swayed by covers, too. In truth, before the Booker shortlist for The Sisters Brothers, I wanted it just for the cover! :)
LOL, Kathy! Is she one of the bookish or was being reminded of a bookcover totally out of her norm? I say things like that ALL the time.
ReplyDeleteKathleen, it certainly does mean bibliogeekdom, but I LOVE IT! If I had a bigger space for my books I would collect multiple covered versions of my favorites.
Right on, Jackie! It is very beautiful and makes me want to dive in. Such a breathtaking book!
ReplyDeleteWOOHOO! I hope you love it as much as I did, Trisha!
Jen, I'm glad someone else *SNERKED* immaturely. I sure as hell did!
I love all those covers. Both covers of The Nigh Circus make me want to pick it up, but it's cool the second one is more representative of the story.
ReplyDeleteI love all three of the covers. I can't decide which cover of The Night Circus I prefer but maybe I will have a better idea once I read it.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to reading both of these books and must agree that the covers are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI prefer the UK cover of The Night Circus too (I hope to read it this weekend finally!) I often find myself preferring the UK covers to the US ones, and it makes me wonder if there's a difference among types of readers and how we're marketed to in the two countries. Seeing the sales numbers for the Booker Prize vs. the National Book Award certainly paints a curious picture about award-winning fiction. I've veered totally off topic now, but I also adore The Sisters Brothers cover (and liked the book!)
ReplyDeleteI was organizing the new release bays at work today and saw something that made me pause. Iris Johansen's Quinn was just to the left of Hilary Jordan's When She Woke. Interesting that both have red faces.
ReplyDeleteI looooooove the UK cover for The Night Circus. I want my own shiny hardcover copy to pet and fawn over and I may just order that one. Plus, I'm hoping it has UK spellings and such. I think it will add to that "olde world vibe." The Sisters Brothers cover is crazy awesome.
ReplyDeleteThe Night Circus is about two magicians, Celia and Marco, who are in magical competition with each other a la The Prestige. But they are not entirely in control of the game, and each move they make impacts many, many people. What starts as a competition soon becomes almost a series of magical love letters before things take a dangerous turn when lives start becoming disrupted.
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