Don't get me wrong. I'm going to mention three books that I liked. But, I have an issue with their book covers. And, it's a "Pet" peeve.
Why don't cover artists use the description of the animal in the book when they illustrate the cover? When animals are important enough in the book to be described in detail, I think the cover art should match the description of the animal. Here are three examples in which the cover art was just wrong. It was so wrong, that I noticed it when I read the book. Am I the only one bothered by the wrong art work to illustrate a pet?
So, here's the one I read most recently. And, I love the book cover. It's a beautiful cover with books and a cat. I've said before, I think Penguin (USA) and Berkley Prime Crime have some of the best mystery covers. But, that cat on Miranda James'
Murder Past Due is NOT Diesel. Diesel is described as "A gray tabby with dark markings." Does that look like a gray tabby with dark markings to you? And, Diesel is one of the two most important characters in this book!
Example two is from a book I loved,
The Lost Recipe for Happiness by Barbara O'Neal. I booktalked this book after reading it. Let me tell you, those of us who like dogs just said that cover is wrong. Alvin is a "Two-year-old rescue mutt, a fluffy chow-Lab mix with a head like a Saint Bernard." And, he has a "silky red head," had arrived as "a fluffy ball of red fur." He now has a "red-gold mane." Red, people, red!
I'm reading Louise Shaffer's
Looking for a Love Story now. I like this cover. The woman's hair is a pretty good match with Francesca's description, "red-brown hair that has a tendency to frizz." See that red dog on the cover? (Almost matches the description of Alvin from the previous book, doesn't it?) Francesca's dog is Annie. "Annie was a rescue, so her ancestry has always been a mystery; it's clear that several large breeds were involved in her family tree, and at least a few of them were mega-shedders. Coal-black mega-shedders. We had to dump the decorator's favorite white rug after only a couple of weeks because of Annie." Uh huh. A big coal-black dog.
I don't even consider myself a visual person. But, for some reason, book covers with the wrong animal on it bug me. All three of these are attractive covers. But, I do have a "pet" peeve. I wish they had the pet right on those covers.
Example two is from a book I loved, The Lost Recipe for Happiness by Barbara O'Neal. I booktalked this book after reading it. Let me tell you, those of us who like dogs just said that cover is wrong. Alvin is a "Two-year-old rescue mutt, a fluffy chow-Lab mix with a head like a Saint Bernard." And, he has a "silky red head," had arrived as "a fluffy ball of red fur." He now has a "red-gold mane." Red, people, red!
