Thoughts #1

How does a cover sell a book?

I turn to Cate Tiernan's series of SWEEP, they have should so much more now that they changed to the cover by the artist of Lori Thorn.

  Instead of the cover that they have in the Bemidji Public Library, the photographs by Barry Marcus.

There seems to be a style that is selling better: simple, one coloured, with a very provocative image.  Instead of what we had before which was more of something that consumed the entire cover.  Is it that the readers are looking for something that isn't dominating and forceful?  And they are aiming for books that are more docile and puts them more at ease and in a state to read the books better?

Then there is the whole entire point of her books overseas, known as WICCA instead of SWEEP:

                                                     

Now I asked why they would need to change the name of the series, but then it hit me.  How did people react when Harry Potter got out?  Shall we not forget the book burning and protesting?  By naming the book series WICCA in a dominantly Christian society.  You cannot walk through the magazine section in your local KMart without seeing a Christian Child's book, and people freaking out in tabloids over what religion our President practices.  And so it makes sense that if she had any hopes of her book selling it would need a new name that people would be able to read more comfortably.  Or at least something that they have hopes on selling. 

A person cannot walk on the streets with a book with the word Wicca on it when it really is referring to the religion without getting odd looks.

I wonder what other changes have been made in more best selling books versus when they were not known.

Blog #6

I forget the title of the one I read... it was the dog piece.  I tried to read the bird feed piece but the inconsistency was too much for me.  Then I realized half way through it that there was maybe one or two characters I didn't hate.  So I went back to the other one, and I have to say that it gives insight to what may be lurking within the thoughts of a police officer.  Is he a monster or a man who was trying to do what they could not?  I do not blame him for not being able to kill the dog, in fact I praise him for not being able to, and I condemn the family who were upset with him enough to go and seem almost dangerous.  If they wanted the dog gone they should have done it instead of having this poor man do it for them.  And was the joking in the bars something that would show how they do not to face the truth of what they sometimes have to do?  Or perhaps it was just the cruel reality that they don't care for the life of a dog.

I loved it instead of the one that the girl who was living with her grandmother was suddenly in an unhappy marriage with a dominating monster-in-law

Blog #5 Favorite

Have to say that this one spoke to me, however because of past relations I cannot be too unbiased to the story.  Though because it was a teacher somehow relating to the student was something that touched me very deep.  Though it would be something more for the teenagers and young adult group...  But if there was a story to let the young people know that there are people who are in an authoritative position can relate to them, they may be able to come out and tell what had happened to them instead of waiting years later...

Blog #4 Animals

It was curious and the only thing that made sense between the two stories that happened in the story were the creatures on parade...  The people and not knowing who was all going to show up and wondering what animals were going to show up across the street.  It was a weird story and I have no idea what the person was thinking when it went into publishing.  Though there is something about it that makes me want to tear it apart and figure out what the person was thinking, if any, and I don't know why it would be important to publish.  The writer seems to be scattered brain and follow the train of circular thought.  When one conversation led to another.  I really don't know.

Blog #3 Our Pointy Shoes

I truly couldn't understand what was so wonderful about these people who were wanting to put on these shoes and parade with them on, especially when they were ignoring their families who were probably happy to see them alive.  But I understood when I finished it.  It was a wonder piece, the only thing that strung it together for me was when Saunders tried to replace the memory of what had happened and what was happening with the innocent (yet destructive) fun of their youth.

Though if I hadn't chosen to read this piece for class I could have stopped after the first two or three paragraphs and maybe picked it up for a different day.

There are times when everyone wants to think of something else than what is happening.

It is also a piece that shows that these people knew what they were doing when they join up with the army, and yet it also shows what it can do to a person.  It was a touching piece by the end of it.

Blog #2 Midsummer

It's an interesting piece though I'm not sure if I like it or not.  At the moment I read it, I liked it, though after some time from then and now I think it was an okay piece.  

It had interesting parts to it, and expresses the teenage hormones of the summer time very well.  The pairing up and the fear of what happens between the couple.  Though I'm not entirely sure I understand the last part when they say that even after you grow up and get on with your life you will still want to revisit the area?  Is it talking about when we are older and will want to revisit the time of freedom to be teenagers and make mistakes while learning how to get along in life?

Maybe it touched me for that moment because I have those moments too when I revisit memories of when I grew up, even went and visited the old trailer park last winter. 

The possible reason of it being published could be because that seems to be something that everyone understands, everyone always remembers and sometimes urges to go back to their childhood, even though I'm sure the ones that ended up with children could forget what happened there in the water.