By The Cover: Chartreuse
Different books | Matching looks
Don’t judge a book by the cover- unless it’s chartreuse!
Are you interested in color theory/history AND trying new genres? Different books and materials, with similar aesthetics? For those of you who are literarily adventurous and love a fun color or pattern, this is the side of the blog for you! While we aren’t actually advocating for judging a book solely by its cover, we are proposing that choosing a theme is a new way to explore different genres and branch out within the collection. Plus it’s fun!
Chartreuse, a greenish yellow, was named because of its resemblance to the French liqueur green chartreuse, introduced in 1764. Moodelier says we may know the color by the names of its many shades “apple green, lime green, light grass green, light green with a tinge of yellow and mellow yellow.”
Chartreuse by any other name is still as bold, youthful, creative, energetic and polarizing as ever
And it has become a favorite cover choice for authors, publishers, and illustrators alike. I will be ranking these materials on how well they fit the “By The Cover” category – but not on actual content, cause let’s face it – they all look good!
A Song Over Miskwaa Rapids
by Linda Legarde Grover
5/10 Chartreuse Scale (a bit too olive)
10/10 Looks like a great read
A fifty-year-old mystery converges with a present-day struggle over family, land, and history
“Margie Robineau, fighting for her family’s long-held allotment land, uncovers events connected to a long-ago escape plan, and the burial–at once figurative and painfully real–of not one crime but two. While Margie pieces the facts together, Dale Ann is confronted by her own tightly held secrets and the truth that the long ago and the now are all indelibly linked, no matter how much we try to forget” Read more
Mouse was Mad
by Linda Urban
Illustrated by Henry Cole
10/10 Chartreuse is on the loose
Mouse struggles to find the right way to express his anger, modeling the behavior of Hare, Bear, Hedgehog, and Bobcat, only to discover that his own way may be the best way of all. Read More
Helping Mayor Patty
by Fran Manushkin
Illustrated by Laura Zarrin
9.5/10 Chartreuse works great with the purples and blues of this cover
Katie’s Aunt Patty is the new mayor, and Katie and her friends attend her first city council meeting, brimming with ideas about what their neighborhood needs–like free ice cream, puppies, and a new park where children can play in safety. Read more
Beginners Welcome
by Cindy Baldwin
4/10 Chartreuse is not vibrant – more yellow tones are needed, +1 point because objects on cover are chartreuse
Starting to emerge from her shell in the months after devastating losses, Annie Lee takes piano lessons from an elderly mall pianist before his disappearance forces her to break a promise to a new friend.
Just like in her debut, Where the Watermelons Grow, Cindy Baldwin brings her signature twist of magic to this authentically heartfelt story. Read more
Beneath the Trees: a Fine Summer
by author, artist DAV
10/10 GORGEOUS leafy greens
The third book in a new series designed to paint a tender and colorful portrait of everyday Life, a pair of older animals set out to relive their energetic youth. A heart-warming tale suitable for all ages. Read more
Fabulous Frogs
by Martin Jenkins
illustrated by Tim Hopgood
11/10 – This cover encompasses all the different shades of the color!
There are so many kinds of frogs in the world — more than 5,000! — and all of them are fabulous. Huge frogs, tiny frogs, hairy frogs, and flying frogs hop through the pages of this colorful nonfiction book. Read more
The Addams Family 2 (DVD)
9.5/10 – LOVE the gradient!
In this all-new movie, we find Morticia and Gomez distraught that their children are growing up, skipping family dinners, and totally consumed with ‘scream time.’ To reclaim their bond they decide to cram Wednesday, Pugsley, Uncle Fester, and the crew into their haunted camper and hit the road for one last miserable family vacation. Their adventure across America takes them out of their element and into hilarious run-ins with their iconic cousin, It, as well as many new kooky characters. What could go wrong? Read more
Catherine, Called Birdy
by Karen Cushman
10/10 – Grass green and yellow combo? (Chef’s kiss)
Read the book behind Lena Dunham’s acclaimed new movie! Catherine, a spirited and inquisitive young woman, narrates in diary form the story of her fourteenth year–the year 1290. Read more
My Vegan Year: a Seasonal Guide to Going Plant-Based
by Niki Webster
8/10 – If we mixed all the colors on the cover together, they would make a stronger Chartreuse
Millions of young people want to be more plant-based – and this is the first-ever young person’s guide to the whole vegan year. Read more
Almost Nothing, Yet Everything: a Book About Water
by Hiroshi Osada
illustrated by Ryoji Arai
10,000/10 – All shades present. Beautiful illustrations. Complementary colors. No notes
Arai’s lush art and Osada’s evocative poetry, beautifully translated from Japanese by David Boyd, work together to enchant readers and refresh their spirit, opening their eyes to the wonders of water, the universe, and life. Read more
Serving Herself: the Life and Times of Althea Gibson
by Ashley Brown
2/10 – It’s really only the title that matches our theme
10/10 – looks like a great read
Althea Gibson, 1958 Four days after her historic victory at Wimbledon in July 1957, Althea Gibson sat at the head table between her parents during a luncheon held in her honor at New York City’s famed Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Wearing a dress of red and blue silk with a corsage pinned to her lapel, she listened as local officials sang her praises. Gibson was “an American girl,” “a real lady,” and “a wonderful ambassador … [and] saleswoman” for the country, they said. Speaker after speaker reached for superlatives and generalities to pay tribute to Gibson for rising improbably from “the sidewalks of New York,” in the words of Mayor Robert F. Wagner, to winning the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. Read more
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Unlock the Weird!
6/10 – A bit too yellow
Filled with thousands of unbelievably strange oddities to discover, children and adults alike will find a new favorite on every page. Read more
Start More Than you can Finish: a Creative Permission Slip to Unleash your Best Ideas
by Becky Blades
9/10 – Almost the exact shade I imagine when I think of Chartreuse
“Starting is a skill. And like any other skill, it can be learned, practiced and mastered. When we do it right, we can go anywhere, start anything. We all need to start more. Read more
The Night the Lights Went Out: A Memoir of Life After Brain Damage
by Drew Magary
7/10 – A bit too limey/neon
A fascinating, darkly funny comeback story of learning to live with a broken mind after a near-fatal traumatic brain injury—from the acclaimed author of The Hike“Drew Magary has produced a remarkable account of his journey, one that is filled with terror, tenderness, beauty, and grace.” Read more
Living Green: a Practical Guide to Simple Sustainability
by Greg Horn
9.5/10 – There is literally a leaf AND leafy green
Over 85% of Americans today express concern about health and the environment, but only a small fraction say they know where to begin. Whether you are concerned about climate change, personal health, or just want to live more lightly on the planet, this book is for you. It helps you get past the worry and take positive action to improve both your health and the health of our environment. Read more
How Dogs Work: a Head-to-Tail Guide to Your Canine
by Daniel Tatarsky and David Humphries
11/10 – Excellent color and bonus points for the cute puppy illustrations (I cannot emphasize enough that this is a subjective scale)
From nose to tail and everything in between–this is your definitive visual guide to understanding your four-legged friend! When your dog looks at you with those big, expressive puppy-dog eyes, do you ever wonder what’s going on in their fur-covered heads? This dog book for adults will help you gain invaluable canine insight through quirky illustrations and infographics. Read More
Bread Book: Ideas and Innovations from the Future of Grain, Flour, and Fermentation
by Chad Robertson
3/10 – Not very chartreuse, +1 for bread
The cofounder of Tartine bakery and bistro shares his knowledge of the craft and science of bread making with sixteen formulas for naturally leavened doughs–including baguettes, flatbread, rolls, tortillas, gluten-free loaves, and fermented pasta doughs that use discarded sourdough starter. Read more
Handsome Devil (DVD)
6/10 – Very bright – not enough yellow and brown tones
Ned and Conor are forced to share a bedroom at their boarding school. The loner and the star athlete at this rugby-mad school form an unlikely friendship that’s tested by the authorities. Read more
Rosemary’s Baby (DVD)
3/10 – Too sage colored
10/10 – A horror classic
Based on Ira Levin’s bestselling novel, a young mother-to-be grows increasingly suspicious that her overfriendly elderly neighbors and self-involved actor husband are hatching a satanic plot against her and her baby. Read more
True Swamp: Choose Your Poison
by Jon Lewis
9/10 – A bit too yellowy, still a strong contender
Melancholy frogs, awkward cross-species relationships, thoughtful discussions on the meaning of life and love and the possibility of kindness, and of course the ever-present need to eat and not be eaten. Read more
Ghosts by Gaslight: Stories of Steampunk and Supernatural Suspense
edited by Jack Dann and Nick Gevers
10/10 – Great spooky glow, excellent notes of chartreuse
A collection of steampunk and supernatural tales that breathes new life into the Victorian and Edwardian ghost story for a new generation of readers. Read more
Once again
by Catherine Wallace Hope
100/10 – Dazzling chartreuse gradient! BEAUTIFUL butterfly
An imaginative, emotional debut novel for fans of Ann Patchett about one woman’s fight to save her daughter from repeating a deadly fate. What if you had one chance to save someone you lost? Read more
The Less Dead
by Denise Mina
10/10 – Great green and wonderful contrasting colors
She thought she was finding her birth mother. Now she’s searching for a killer. Dr. Margo Dunlop is at a crossroads. Read more
Amazing Grace Adams
by Fran Littlewood
8/10 – A bit too olive toned, love the polka dots
A funny, touching, unforgettable story of an invisible everywoman pushed to the brink–who finally pushes back. Read more
Chronicles From the Land of the Happiest People on Earth
by Wole Soyinka
10/10 – Definitely chartreuse! Love the purple and abstract images
In an imaginary Nigeria, a cunning entrepreneur is selling body parts stolen from Dr. Menka’s hospital for use in ritualistic practices. Dr. Menka shares the grisly news with his oldest college friend, bon viveur, star engineer, and Yoruba royal, Duyole Pitan-Payne. The life of every party, Duyole is about to assume a prestigious post at the United Nations in New York, but it now seems that someone is determined that he not make it there. And neither Dr. Menka nor Duyole knows why, or how close the enemy is, or how powerful. Read more