I judge books by their cover

Then get home ones I would probably never be able to read, and that’s okay. For books you don’t know much about, you look to the art surrounding it to give you a clue of whether it vibes with you. You know? Whether it takes itself seriously, whether it needs you to take a closer look, or if it’s inviting you to join in on an adventure.

There’s colour, and lines, and pictures, and art, and typefaces. They make you wonder why you don’t see those shapes and shades together more often.

Faces left half-illustrated, colours faded in, embossed words that you can only read at an angle. These let you fill in the gaps how you see fit at the time. What’s wonderful is you can do it differently every time you pick it up.

Monochrome sets, complementary hues, matte and glossy embossed motifs. They change colour with light. Look at them in the day, and then in the night. Mhmm!

Shiny, reflective foil printing. The cat within me is forever fascinated and entertained.

Covers that fold out into whole posters. Which of course I probably won’t ever put up on my walls because kharaab ho gaya toh?!

Ones that double up as space for word and picture games the author leaves readers to find when browsing through the shelves in a bookstore. Always a delight to go through when you can’t start on the chapter and you’re itching to pick up your phone again.

Covers with photography. I’ll be honest, these aren’t a favourite.

Covers with art from the movies it was adapted into.

Oh I reallly judge those. Especially if the cover art used to be a beautiful sketch or any of the other stuff mentioned above.

Soft pastel strokes and bold lettering. Soothing. Rousing. Calming. Determin…ing? Oh the possibilities!

Fabric covers that are cool to the touch but warm up pleasantly around your finger tips soon enough. Unless you have hyperhidrosis like I do. Then touching anything for too long is a b!tch if it’s over 23ºC.

Covers that turn it into a notebook for the titular character. I love seeing character names scribbled in the margins. I mean, I have my own library stamp.

It’s great. Think movie trailers you can hold and turn around and re-examine from a different perspective! And if you’re anything like me, you’re not reading nearly as much as you’d like anymore. I used to devour books when I was a child. Now I can barely read an entire article online – even ones about things I like! But hey, you’re trying. We all are. Hugs.

So here I am, struggling to get back into reading by writing about it. I have 5 books I’m in the middle of right now. By middle I mean 25 pages in. I genuinely like three of them, but a part of me is just too tired to put in any amount of effort into one more thing and another part just simply doesn’t want the story to end. So I’m looking at the covers and building endless worlds within. Ask me to hang in there, please?

...

Consider this as my submission to Compulsive Book Buyers’ Anonymous.

whimsy turned 8 today!

A Letter from “Crawly” to Azirapil

This remarkable letter of unknown provenance surfaced recently in the cuneiform collection of the University of West Wessex.  Addressed to Azirapil from a Mr. “Crawly,” it appears to be begging for the other’s return to Ur from a western journey with another individual, Abiraham.  The relationship between the two (brothers? business partners? friends?) is unknown, and all three names are quite unusual.  The letter also mentions a Mr. Ea-naṣir in Ur; if this is the same Ea-naṣir as the merchant mentioned in UET V 22, 29, 71, and 81, then the original letter would be dated to the Larsa period, around 1800 BCE.  However, this particular copy appears to be a scribal exercise; the writing is relatively unskilled, and the cuneiform is Neo-Assyrian in form.  It is unclear whether the text is based on a historical letter, or if its unusual names and content were invented for scribal practice.

Text:

Tell Azirapil [1]:

Thus says “Crawly” [2]:

When will your time in the West be finished?  Abiraham [3] seems very dirty, and I am weary [4] in Ur.  [There is] a talented mirsu-maker [5] on Wide Street!

Watch out, for I have acquired a new friend.  His name is Ea-Naṣir [6], and I may play wickedly with him if you do not return.  

Come quickly!

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