Sunday, October 30, 2016

Shelf Candy Saturday No. 192: Moonlight, by Ann Hunter



Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!


***LATE EDITION***

Due to some unforeseen circumstances, 
this post is late again....
I guess I'll have to play things by ear.
Although this meme is titled 
"Shelf Candy Saturday", some weeks
 it will seem to be 
"Shelf Candy Sunday". Lol.

This is my weekly feature
showcasing beautiful covers!
It also provides information, 
if available, on their 
very talented creators!


Here's my choice for this week!



Moonlight
 Ann Hunter
Trade Paperback , 276 pages
 Afterglow Productions, First Edition
March 3, 2014
Fairy Tale Retellings, Fantasy, Romance,
 Young Adult Fiction

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32808796-moonlight




My Thoughts About This Cover

This is a totally exquisite, elegant, refined cover.... It is breathtakingly beautiful! The juxtaposition of the huge, gorgeous moon with the still waters of the lake, and dark silhouettes of the graceful swans....is just lovely.

The first thing that came to mind when I first saw this cover was Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake". I'm not sure, but I think that the plot of this novel might be related to that ballet. Whether it is or not, this cover brings to mind all things romantic, not only in the sense of love, but of the 19th-century Romantic Movement, which was most prevalent in music and literature. 

I am also reminded of Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata. The first movement of this beautiful, soulful sonata is especially appropriate for the mood of this cover, which certainly has some very beautiful classical music associations! There's definitely something very musical about this image. In fact , I'm listening to Daniel Baremboim,'s rendition of the "Moonlight" while I'm writing this. Of course, Debussy's "Claire de Lune" also comes to mind. Perhaps I'll listen to that next.

While I believe this image is a composite photograph, it's very seamlessly put together, and appears to be one image. Or perhaps I'm wrong, and it IS one image. If so, the photographer was able to capture just the right, purely magical moment! On the other hand, as Brian Joseph points out in his comment below, the moon appears much too big for this to be a photograph snapped right on the spot. So I'm back to thinking that this is a composite image.

As for the font used for the title, it's a classical one, but it has been slightly elongated, which I think is a very nice touch. And I LOVE the decorative flourishes added to the letter "M" of the title!

When I opened the Amazon preview for this book, I found the name "Andrew A. Gerschler" on the copyright page. He's listed as the cover designer. However, I have been unable to find anything else about him through Google, except his LinkedIn page, which would be inaccessible to anyone who wasn't a LinkedIn member. 

I'm sure someone else must have taken that exquisite photo, and then Gerschler did the overall cover design. Perhaps this is  a stock photo. I just don't know..... If I find anything further, I'll come back and add it to the post.

  


What do you think of this 
week's cover?
Please leave a comment
and let me know!








2 comments:

  1. That is another great cover.

    I agree with everything that you said.

    In addition, the picture exudes atmosphere. Though the elements, Swans out at night, an oversized Moon etc. are not realistic, I get the feeing of being at the edge of a lake at night. In fact, it reminds of a place that I know of.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Brian!

      It's wonderful that you like this cover, too!

      Yes, this picture definitely "exudes atmosphere", as you say. And I agree that somehow, the viewer is pulled right into the scene. And this image reminds you of a place you know of? Lucky you! I'd love to be able to visit such a place!

      I was wondering whether this photo was taken on the spot, or if it was comprised of a combination of images. I think you're right, though -- the moon is much too big. So this is a manipulated image. I do wish I had more information about this lovely cover..... It's too bad that not all publishers give proper credit to their books' cover creators. As all of us bookworms know and agree, book covers are a very important part of books. They are what draw a potential reader to get acquainted with a book, after all.

      Thanks for the nice comment!! Happy Halloween!! :)

      Delete

THIS IS NOW AN AWARD-FREE, AND TAG-FREE BLOG. Thanks for the compliment, though! : )

As of today, 9/23/18, I have permanently enabled comment moderation, due to a sudden rash of SPAM comments. I appreciate your patience!

Thanks for your thoughts on my posts! I always reply here, as well as comment back on your blog. Have a WONDERFUL day!! :)