Talk to Me Tuesday is a brand new weekly meme where we will discuss anything (and everything) literary-related in an open forum of honesty. Questions for the next week will be posted one week prior to the post on the Features page. If you'd like to participate in this weekly feature, simply create your post, link back to me, and add your post to the wonderful Mr. Linky below. Have fun, and have at it!

This week's question: What books have better covers than content, and what books have better content than covers?

We all know that the YA market is currently dominated by incredible covers. From upcoming books like The Water Wars (om nom nom) and Across the Universe to recent releases like Virals and Dark Song, it’s clear that covers are fast-becoming as important as the content itself. So, what happens when a perfectly good novel is stuck with a rather, shall we say, unfortunate cover? I am by NO means a graphic artist or designer, but I am a self-diagnosed cover-slut, and I’m not afraid to admit that I’ll often judge a book by its cover.

Take, for example, The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum. The series is a fun, sci-fi/fantasy tale, but the covers are bit, well, flat. I get it. It’s a door…for time…in an hourglass. Go figure. Now, I loved the book, but I bounced over it for a long time because the cover felt so blah compared to others on the shelves. For me, a good cover hints at the story’s content without over-exaggerating the details (*cough* Zan-Gah *cough*). I want colour, a touch of beauty, a hint of mystery, and something that makes me do a double-take in the store because, let’s be honest, I judge with my eyes first. See a sampling of what I drool all over in the store:

Here’s what some of your fellow book bloggers have to say about covers that didn’t quite work for them:

Sandy from Pirate Penguin Reads believes that the same goes for Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier. She says, “Born confused doesn’t have the nicest cover, but I LOVE that book to pieces!”

Linna from 21 Pages feels that the cover for She’s So Dead to Us by Keiran Scott falls flat. She says, “It’s terribly bland without conveying something meaningful about the actual plot or characters.”

Linda from Book Girl of Mur-y Castell thinks the covers for Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series just don’t live up. She says, “They are just so childish.”

Author, Melissa Walker says, “People hated my Lovestruck Summer cover, but loved the book.”

Capillya from That Cover Girl loves Jennifer Echols’ work but couldn’t connect with the cover of The Ex Games. She says, “What I don’t get is how I’m supposed to walk out of a library or bookstore without feeling completely mortified that I’m carrying a book that has cartoon characters on the front.”

Yes, there are times when books have far better covers than stories…Witch & Wizard is a prime example, but I will say that I bought that book based on the cover, so it clearly influenced me. 

His eyes. His touch. His kiss. Dante was unlike anyone Abby had ever met. Now he’s gone, and Abby will do anything to get him back…

The hourglass door has closed behind Dante, sending him back in time to hunt down Zo, Tony, and V. Abby knows that Dante, as a Master of Time, is the only one who can stop them from destroying time itself. She also knows that he will need her help. But almost immediately, things start to change and Abby’s worst fears are realized when Zo begins targeting her past specifically.
Taken from GoodReads.

The Golden Spiral is the second book in The Hourglass Door trilogy, following Abby's life in the wake of losing Dante to the mysteries of time. Sent back to find Zo, Tony, and V, Dante must desperately work to stop the destruction of time and restore the balance in the fluidity of time. Abby has two choices - she can roll over and accept that she's lost the guy she truly loves, or she can discover, accept, and utilize her own unique gifts to help save the days.

I was actually really impressed with The Golden Spiral. I remember feeling that parts of The Hourglass Door were a bit too formulaic, but I was overall pleased with the fact that the teenagers in the book were realistic. In a sea of YA books where teens are always binge drinking, throwing down and doing it, and generally being raucous, I enjoyed that this series presented teens who were normal despite the paranormal elements in the story. Furthermore, I really enjoy Lisa Mangum's writing style. It's clear, fluid, and flows really well, keeping the pace up and the story line going throughout.

I think my favourite aspect of The Golden Spiral is Abby's reaction to losing Dante. Rather than curling up in a ball and spiraling into depression like another female MC you might have heard mentioned (cough...Bella...cough), Abby springs into action. Determined not to accept defeat, she finds another route to saving the boy she loves. The Golden Spiral essentially created a strong female protagonist, giving me someone to cheer for and empathize with. While Abby continues to lose people she knows through The Golden Spiral, she stays strong and steadfast. The only thing I really disliked about this book was the abrupt ending, but I think it will set the third and final installment up well.

All in all, I really enjoyed The Golden Spiral - far more even than its predecessor. I think it a very strong 4 out of 5, and I would recommend it to all YA fans of paranormal and sci-fi books. The third installment, The Forgotten Locket, is due out in Summer 2011.