Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish
Presented without comment, because a picture speaks a . . . well, you know what I mean.
If I'm being perfectly honest with myself, I've done a shamefully poor job of addressing my love for Cat Sebastian 's books around these parts. I've certainly noted each time her beautiful stories have appeared on my end-of-the-year best of lists, see: The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes , basically every book in The Cabots series , and of course We Could Be So Good . And the pull is, quite simply, this: nobody is as kind and gentle with their characters and with their hearts than Cat Sebastian. Nobody. I haven't always been one for the gentler stories, but I cannot overstate the absolute gift it is sinking into one of Sebastian's exquisitely crafted historicals knowing that I get to spend the next however many pages watching two idiots pine and deny that feelings exist and just take care of each other as they fall in love. I wouldn't trade that experience for the world. Not this one or any other. Only two things in the world people count by months. H
Wow these are so diverse! I have different covers for Unsticky, The Scorpio Races, The Demon's Lexicon, Silent in the Grave and Sunshine, but the same for How I Live Now. I do like the covers for Megan Whaler Turner's series, they have lovely detail in them. I haven't even read the first book yet though!
ReplyDeleteMy TTT.
Lol. Yeah, I don't really have a theme. They're just the ones that grabbed me immediately and stuck with me, many of them for years and years.
DeleteOoh. Read the Turners! Read the Turners!
Oh, why didn't I include The Blue Sword in my list?! (Because I decided to limit mine to books published in the last five years or so. But still -- I LOVE that cover!)
ReplyDeleteNice choices!
Lol! So do I. I mean, LOVE love. Everything about it.
DeleteI've never heard of the Mary Stewart book but that cover immediately caught my eye. I'm reading/listening to Alanna now but I WILL get to The Blue Sword, damn it. The King of Attolia, Scorpio Races... love!
ReplyDelete-Maggie
Isn't it great? It's her first book and the first of hers I read. I always recommend it as a good place to start. The other wonderful option is NINE COACHES WAITING. *happysigh*
DeleteTHE BLUE SWORD is perfect.
I have half of these books, and with those same covers. The ones I own are the McKinleys, Rosoff, Turner, and Stiefvater. I have the Raybourn, but not with that cover.
ReplyDeleteAll of these are truly lovely books. I've always loved that cover of Sword. The detail of the horse's flesh and the rider's mysterious eyes . . . great stuff. The weariness of Turner's cover . . . head bowed, but with a supportive hand . . .
Since I'm thinking in fragments right now, perhaps it was best to let the pictures sit without comment . . .
I love this comment, Nan. It made me smile during a difficult part of my day.
DeleteI love that you own those same ones. And those details on SWORD. They mesmerized my 13-year-old self to no end. I actually mail ordered my copy back in the day and when I slipped it out of the padded envelope, I was an absolute goner.
The Turner cover is . . . the only cover it should have. :)
I really like the Mary Stewart and Sunshine covers! And Unsticky is so simple but alluring!
ReplyDeleteI'm fond of them. ;)
DeleteUNSTICKY is a favorite. I like the redesigned one as well, but this one is the one.
Ahhhh I love the covers of the Thief series. And omg the Unsticky cover, I love that too and need to hurry up and read it. ALSO. Love love love the Scorpio Races cover -- both the one you posted here and the redesign.
ReplyDeleteAPRIL. I can't . . . justreaditalreadyandcallmeinthemorningmkay?
DeleteI love that cover of Unsticky (and the silver one I have)--it really captures the feel of that book. I also love The Scorpio Races cover so, so much. It's perfect for that story.
ReplyDeleteYour post forced me to order a copy of the one you have as well, Sarah. It *forced* me to.
DeleteI hope you're happy.
I am now in love with the cover of Madam, will you Talk?, which I have never heard of.
ReplyDeleteI like that cover better than the one of Unsticky I bought, which is a ring clenched in teeth. I'm liking Unsticky so far.
Isn't it the best? The book is utterly lovely, too. *dangledangle*
DeleteOoh. So glad you're liking it so far.
Yes to the King of Attolia! All the covers for that series are perfect, but that one is beyond perfect.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts precisely.
DeleteII picked up and read Silent in the Grave because of that cover. It's perfect. And I love that cover for Sunshine...it's one of my favorite parts in the book.
ReplyDeleteIt is perfect. I hate that it's out of print and have ordered a few used copies to gift because it's just the perfect cover, you know?
DeleteThat's what gets me about that edition of SUNSHINE. It's THAT MOMENT. AHHHH.
I want that Mary Stewart! And a UK Demons Lexicon book? *high five* Also, I do have a thing for that gorgeous Unsticky cover...
ReplyDeleteI <3 it.
DeleteYeah, there are inexpensive used copies of the UK DL books available through Abebooks. I actually just ordered my second set as I gave the first ones I had away as gifts.
Unsticky got the cover it deserved. Which thing maketh me very happy.
I love the cover and the book for Scorpio Races! Great choices :-)
ReplyDeleteSo do it, Tanya. I think it's a perfect cover for a perfect book.
DeleteGood choices! I like all of these editions except for The Scorpio Races, I prefer the UK cover. :) You like the US hardcover more than the US paperback?
ReplyDeleteI've noticed that the covers that you posted are for your favorite books! I should read How I Live Now, The Book Thief and Madam, Will You Talk soon.
So this is one area where I differ from the vast majority of readers. I absolutely *love* the US hardcover of Scorpio Races. LOVE IT. I can't handle not having Puck on her horse on the beach on the cover. So I was decidedly less than thrilled with the UK/US paperback editions. And everyone else lost their crap over them! C'est la vie. Happily, it's an everyone wins situation.
DeleteYeah, I went through a ton of books narrowing it down to these ten covers. And I went with the ones (covers) that affect me the most viscerally--make me want to hug them tight, give me the feelings, etc. There's definitely an emotional component that comes after having read their stories. These are the lasting ones for me. :)
A thousand times YES to The Scorpio Races!
ReplyDelete*hugs*
DeleteI love the cover of Sunshine, I think I need to check that one out. Love the UK Demon's Lexicon Cover too and I really like your version of How I Live Now.
ReplyDeleteYES. Alexa, you do!
DeleteThere are a few books here I'd love to read soon. But I really love Scorpio Races and the Book Thief...that one especially. I haven't seen that cover and it makes me want to buy a second copy just because of it :/
ReplyDeleteDoesn't it? I keep meaning to order one because it's just too lovely not to have in my home.
DeleteGreat list! Awesome book covers, I love it! I only just discovered your blog but I’m liking it so far. I'll be sure to check out more in a minute.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Ann!
DeleteYou know, I haven't seen that cover of Sunshine... 1. I love her dress and 2. A Neil Gaiman quote? NEED IT NOW. I have the weird red mass market one...boring.
ReplyDeleteRIGHT?! I gasped the first time I saw it. It had to be mine.
DeleteI did not like The Scorpio Races for some reason but I loved The Raven Boys. That one hit the note in exactly the right places. I also loved Sunshine and I will be forever sad because she does not plan on ever writing a sequel to it. Unsticky was good but dude, You Don't Have to Say You Love Me killed me in all the right ways. And The Book Thief, that part when it happens, crushed me even though the foreshadowing prepared me for it. Lovely list. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI love hearing that. So many people fell hard and deep for TSR, leaving them sure to be disappointed by later books, which always makes me sad. I thought TRB was all kinds of awesome and have been suffering somewhat silently ever since for the sequel.
DeleteSUNSHINE. It's so hard because I think it has kind of a perfect ending. But it does leave you wanting in the worst way. And I would OF COURSE read a sequel in a heartbeat.
Oooh. You read and loved YDHtSYLM!! This thing pleaseth me very much. I really enjoyed it and have been looking forward to a reread.
I don't know what kind of deal with the devil Markus Zusak signed in order to write The Book Thief. But it was worth it.