April 26, 2022
What Genre Can You Identify by Looking at the Book Cover?
I’m linking up today with #TopTenTuesday: That Artsy Reader Girl: Books With [_____] on the Cover.
I don’t often create a post of book covers. However, for this week’s top ten prompt I couldn’t resist drawing your attention to historical fiction covers!
I don’t usually choose books based on covers, but I know many others do!
I’m curious……..Are you able to determine a genre by looking at the cover?
For example, Romance/RomComs usually have cute graphic covers such as these:
But what about historical fiction? Have you noticed a trend in histfic covers?
In recent years, historical fiction can often be identified by a woman with her back to the camera as seen in the following selections. I’ve gotten to the point of inwardly groaning when I see another hisfic cover featuring a woman’s back!
(in no particular order)
QOTD:
What genre can you identify by the cover?
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I shall now be spotting ‘back to the camera’ covers everywhere LOL
I saw 2 new ones while scrolling Instagram tonight! 😂
Brilliant. I knew this was a trend but hadn’t realised quite how common it was.
I saw 2 new ones on Instagram tonight! 😂
I know exactly what you mean Carol and it’s the same with crime novels too. It’s all becoming very predictable isn’t it?!
The trends are interesting!
I think we are all drawn to certain books because of their covers. And stay away from others for the same reason. I’m not a fan of romance, so I have very few pink or purple book covers on my shelves, for example.
My TTT this week has books with maps on the cover.
Maps sound interesting!
My favourites next to books.
That is a definite trend that I noticed too! I can tell HF by the cover, romance by the cover and suspense thrillers by the cover. I’m a genre reader so I do like to check out the cover first before reading.
There are definite trends which makes shopping for books easier!
Yeah, that’s a very common thing in the historical fiction genre. I wish I knew why!
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-books-with-curly-haired-characters-on-the-cover/
It’s becoming a bit cliche!
Lately I seem to be able to identify historical fiction on sight!
I saw 2 new HF covers on Instagram that follow the trend after I posted!
I know this cover trend irritates a lot of people, but I actually LOVE it! It creates the perfect vibe for a hist-fic story. Seeing so many of them together does make me laugh a little, though 🙂 The trend is a *teensy* bit out of control. LOL.
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
😂😂😂 it’s becoming cliche! As soon as I posted I saw 2 new hf covers following the trend on Instagram.
There is definitely a “look” to rom-coms and historical fiction. I like what you did with the topic.
Thanks Lisa!
LOL, I’m so over covers with a woman’s back!! (Also, women with cut-off faces, more typical in historical romances, where they show the whole dress but somehow the face ends at the chin…)
Trends are definitely interesting!
I know the first one, the Center book, is romance. The following 3 I would guess women’s fiction. I hadn’t notice the turned back trend for historical fiction, but it’s obviously a thing. I more look at the tone of the colors and then the dressing of the characters on the cover to guess historical.
Trends in covers are so interesting! Thanks for commenting!
They really are.
Contemporary and Historical Romances are pretty easy!
So fun to nice trends!
I almost chose this as a theme, but there are so many of these faceless women
My TTT
https://seriesbooklover.wordpress.com/2022/04/26/top-ten-tuesday-books-with-images-of-outer-space-on-the-cover/
Lots to choose from! 🙌 I saw 2 new ones on Instagram right after posting this! 😂
It’s creeping into fantasy books as well!
Hi Carol! Oh that is such a brilliant question and you’ve nailed it spot on!! I’ve also noticed that all the girls in Historical Novels over the last couple of years, are standing with their backs to us. I wonder whose clever idea that was originally? Love just about all of your choices!
Happy TTT!
Elza Reads
Right?! Who started this trend? Thanks for commenting!
Wow! I’ve seen a lot of these covers, of course, but I didn’t much notice them. (I usually don’t focus much on covers.) And the way you’ve collected them here certainly made me wonder: Is this trend the result of trying to get away from the focus on women’s faces as the traditional center of beauty? Or, as often happens, am I just overthinking this?
I wonder?! Who started this trend? Maybe it represents looking into the past/history? Curious minds want to know! Thanks for commenting!
I have read a lot of these books, but never associated the backs of women with Histfic. You are truly observant, Carol.
😂 once you notice something, you can’t unsee it! Now you’re infected! 😂
😅😅
Thrillers are usually easy to discern by their covers. Cozy mysteries all seem to have artistic renderings rather than photos, so are easy to spot. Historicals usually have people clothing in vintage styles so are easy to spot as well. Fantasies and Science Fiction are often easy to pick out – I just don’t. LOL
Covers are fascinating to me!
Oh, and how about the covers with lots of splotches of solid colors? These are usually contemporary fiction books, possibly by diverse authors. I’m thinking… like the cover of The Vanishing Half. There are also the solid color cartoon-type covers that are almost always contemporary romance novels. Finally, the cozy mystery novels these days also seem to have covers that look like slightly amateurishly done oil paintings of some indoor room, that almost always have a dog or a cat doing something.
Great observations Davida! 🙌
Interesting question to think about! If the cover is well done and accurate to the plot/ book settings, think we can definitely determine the genre. But is it just me (?) — I had trouble with identifying the genre for Forest of Vanishing Stars…
I had not noticed this trend in histfic covers! Maybe because I read histfic mostly on audio now, so I don’t pay a huge amount of attention to the cover art? I don’t know. Anyway, it’s interesting to see, I had no idea how many “back to camera” women historical fiction novels featured on their covers.
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2022/04/26/top-ten-tuesday-365/
I read mostly on kindle so I don’t pay that much attention to covers either. Histfic covers need to mix it up a little! Thanks for commenting!
Definitely!
Ok I love this🤣 Most genres have a certain look! I think that helps them sell though. When I read Firekeeper’s Daughter I kept waiting for fantasy elements. That cover screams fantasy to me!
Oh you’re right! It does!
A woman with her back to the camera is also popular with thrillers. If I see an illustrated book cover with a pet (usually a cat), chances are that it’s a cozy mystery!
Like you said previously, I don’t pay attention to covers when I’m reading a book on my Kindle. But I sure do look at them before I buy.
Oh that’s a great observation about pets and cozy mystery!
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These trends actually drive me nuts. For me, it reveals poor creativity.