From One Book Lover

I have begun to judge books by their covers (and titles).  There are so many good books to read, I have to use some sort of criteria to sort through them. Had books I read been published differently, would I have made different decisions? Most definitely. The novel Little Bee originally published under the title The Other Hand in the U.K. before it was published in the U.S. with the new title.  I might not have read it otherwise — the U.K. title holds no interest to me, and the cover is interesting, but not as compelling. A Reliable Wife was published with a different cover for the novel's paperback release.  After reading the book, I found I like the paperback cover, with the silhouette of a fashionable woman walking away from a train, more than the hardback cover.  However, I liked the hardback cover's snow and single cardinal for its artistic value. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was published in its original language and country under the tit...

From the first chapter of Little Bee , I was hooked.  The writing was exquisite, the characters interesting, the story compelling and the plot unique. Like the book jacket itself states, I don't want to tell you too much about the book.  First of all, where would I begin?  Secondly, how could I stop?  While reading the book I tried to describe the story to my husband, David, and I know I was singularly unsuccessful. However, this is a review and those who read this deserve something for their troubles, so I'll try again. Little Bee has spent two years in an immigration facility in England, where she has learned impeccable English.  She is in England because of an encounter on a beach in her native Nigeria, and she brings with her only two items tossed aside on that beach, considered worthless to everyone but her. She is alone, but in remarkable company.  Her journey takes her places I could never imagine. I was most struck by Little Bee's observat...