Cover Characteristic (1) Umbrellas

Happy Sunday, everyone! Hope you're all having a good weekend and recovering from whatever you got up to last night. I went to the lovely wedding reception of one of my oldest friends and enjoyed some amazing cake and am now chilling out at the in-laws-to-be.

Today I'm joining in with the Cover Characteristic meme hosted by Sugar and Snark. Every week the author chooses a theme and you have to pick five of your favourite book covers featuring that object.



Today's cover characteristic is umbrellas (very appropriate as it's been a wet summer here in England) so here are my five favourite covers:




I like the simplicity of this cover and the soft colours. Placing the girl facing away from the reader beneath the umbrella suggests to me that the character is a private person with things to hide and is also vulnerable- wanting to protect herself from something. It seems like it would be an easy-going character-led novel with not much action but some intriguing reflections on life.



This cover is spot on for the genre as it screams steampunk. I like the modern font juxtaposed with the character's Victorian dress and the way the traditional black parasol is literally twisted into something much more unusual, suggesting the book will be dark and edgy with a gothic element. 




This fun, cartoonish cover tells you exactly what you can expect from the novel-a modern day version of Mary Poppins featuring a fashionable nanny with a love of caffeine and handbags and her adventures in the big city. The blue skies despite the umbrella show it's going to be a nice light-hearted read. I don't normally read chick lit but I do like the style of the cover and the way it represents the book so clearly.



This cover has a dark and gothic vibe to it and the translucent parasol is very different. It suggests that the book is about etheral beings and illusions-things that are only half there or not as they seem. The woman and the wolf are both looking away from the reader at something unknown, anticipating something or someone with a look of seriousness but also strength. Her hand on the wolf who is right by her side looks like they are protecting each other, and although the woman is in delicate, feminine clothing she seems like she has some kind of inner strength that she is holding back. Intriguing.



Again, this cover fits the genre perfectly. The figure dancing in the fountain with the red umbrella seems carefree-he or she has no interest in protecting themselves from the rain, they have let go and are revelling in getting wet. It makes me imagine the crazy, euphoric feeling when you fall hopelessly in love without fear. The image is hopeful and fun and the font has a dreamy, carefree feel to it without the capital letters.  

As to which is my favourite, I'm torn between Spirit Storm and A Hopeless Romantic. A Hopeless Romantic is the cutest but Spirit Storm is the one that I'd most like to read based on the cover alone. What do you think? What's your favourite out of my five choices and why?

What do you think? Which is your favourite cover and why?
If you want to have a go just pop on over to the blog and sign up with the linky.