Batty About Cover Appeal -Not a Drop to Drink
by Mindy McGinnis
Welcome to all those who decided to do a read-along with Batty. Welcome to those who are just stopping by the blog to hear about Not a Drop to Drink. Today’s post has no spoilers at all (and we strive to keep even our discussions of the book sections as spoiler free as possible).
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For those of you who are new to our Batty Chats - Maria’s thoughts with Kathy’s responses are hosted here on the Melange. Kathy’s (aka @thebrainlair) thoughts with Maria’s responses reside on The Brain Lair. Take a peek at both of sides and add your own voice into the mix!
It’s time! It’s time! The Batty About Books dynamic duo is venturing into a post-apocalyptic world where clean water is almost non-existent.
Today, as has become our tradition over the past few books, we begin with some thoughts about the cover. You still have time to jump in and grab the book. We’ll hold our first novel discussion next week!
Week 1 pgs 1 - 95
Week 2 pgs 96 - 195
Week 3 pgs 196 - end
“You can’t judge a book by it’s cover” may be true, but that cover is what sets the stage. It lures us in (or doesn’t). It sets our expectations. Many a wonderful book has been overlooked due to a mediocre cover… but what first impression does the cover of Not A Drop To Drink give me?
First, let me say that this kind of discussion is so much easier with a physical copy of the book. I’m operating off of the photos that Kathy posted to our page, and that makes it much harder! I can’t touch the cover. I can’t take a closer look. I’m happy I snagged a copy of the ebook when it went on sale, but I do wish my library had a copy of this one on the shelves so I could hold it in my hands!
Kathy: I know what you mean! I had the ebook of The Archived but was glad I had a physical copy to see the little details. Some of the depth is lost in an ebook. They need to make 3D ebook covers.
Title: Not a Drop to Drink… is (I’m assuming) an allusion to the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, a poem by Coleridge. That’s a pretty bad sign, since the crew of the ship all dies! It certainly sets the tone for this to be a dark and gritty tale!
(audio of the poem)
Kathy: Well, the inside jacketcover leads me to believe that this is fitting! Eek, now I’m even more excited to dive in! Who dies??? Who lives???
Front Cover:
This is a chilling cover, as befits the title. The color scheme feels poisonous.
Water - While there is a small body of water, it clearly looks like it is shrinking. That, merged with the green and yellow of the color scheme, give it a dangerous feeling. It makes me want to start putting rain barrels in my yard and stock up on purification tablets. The sky is filled with clouds. Is there no rain? Or is the rain itself also poisonous?
Kathy: Hmm, dangerous? I didn’t get that sense at all. It looked cartoony to me and out of proportion. The top half feels like it’s from a different photo altogether. I wish the water was flatter instead of looking like a depression or well. I think then I would have felt like it was shrinking. While it does look there is less since you can see the inches of where it used to be, it would make more of an impression on me if it appeared that this used to be a huge body of water.
Isolation - A single home. A single figure on the roof. It appears that she is holding a rifle. Is it easier to survive when you are so far away from others? When the world breaks down, is it safer to be on your own?
Kathy: Definitely got that sense of isolation! Her watching the road with the rifle looks like she is expecting danger and she is prepared. Is it safer to be so far away? Or will it be easier for bad things to happen when you are so far away from neighbors/friends?
Back Cover:
Well, the blurb that says this book is a mixture of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Cormac McCarthy has me intrigued. Little House on The Road? Between this, the trailer (see below), and the positive word of mouth I’ve heard from fellow dystopian fans who have read Not a Drop, I’m ready to begin!
Kathy: Looking at the back, there are only two authors whose promos I would look at, as I’ve become jaded against these sorts of things. Michael Grant and Kendare Blake, I’ve read and enjoyed both of their works. I have not read Little House or The Road!! Though my daughter was a fan of Wilder! I recently had a student ask for a book that was similar to a western with mysterious elements. I’m hoping that this will fit the bill! Reading time!
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