Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

This is all about visuals this week- a book with a symbol of death on the cover. The book doesn't need to have anything to do with death past the symbol. And there are so many symbols of death out there, here's a couple lists:

https://www.mycaringplan.com/blog/28-...
https://www.legit.ng/ask-legit/top/15...

ATY Listopia https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

What are you going to read? Does the symbol on the cover make you think about death or is just a coincidence?

I bought Scythe years ago, and this will push me to actually give it a try. (I liked the TV show Dead Like Me, so maybe.) If I hate it, I’ll pick one with a black bird. Please let me know if these don’t really fit.

Gifts of the Crow: How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans
Three Bags Full
The Thing with Feathers: The Surprising Lives of Birds and What They Reveal About Being Human

I think I'm going to go with A Tomb With a View. I'm reading Dreadful for another prompt.

Dixie wrote: "[bookc..."

I can't decide if I want to do Tomb with a View or another cemetery history book for this or go 100% not death related which means I need a space for deathy books elsewhere

Pamela wrote: "Dixie wrote: "[bookcover:The Crow Roa..."

This is the "book shuffling" portion of the process...

Dixie wrote: "This is the "book shuffling" portion of the process..."

I'm in that right now for 2025... 5 more books and I can start playing with 2026!

Current possibilities:

The King of Bones and Ashes

When You Are Engulfed in Flames

The Invisible Parade
Millie Fleur Saves the Night

and

I was browsing for some symbols and found that dogs (especially black or hairless), owls, bats, and crows are associated with death. Also chrysanthemums are associated with death and mourning in several cultures and countries (including Dia de los Muertos, Japan, China, Korea, Italy, and France).

Nice easy one for me, This Charming Man by C.K. McDonnell has a coffin on the cover:

A Good Hanging by Ian Rankin

Saw that wolves were on one of the lists so I'll go with:

My Life With Wolves: How I Became the Storyteller for the Yellowstone Packs

Ron wrote: "Saw that wolves were on one of the lists so I'll go with:

My Life With Wolves: How I Became the Storyteller for the Yellowstone Packs

[bookcover:My Life With Wolves: How I Became..."

Great choice. I have a book about wolves that I want to read, so I may change.

Do you think this would fit? I can’t tell what kind of birds are in the picture, but the whole cover says hellfire to me.

A Canticle for Leibowitz

NancyJ wrote: "

Do you think this would fit? I can’t tell what kind of birds are in the picture, but the whole cover says hellfire to me.

[book:A Canticle for Leibowi..."

Works for me. Also, it's a really good book.

I'm going to read If Looks Could Kill by Kate White. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

I am reading Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse for this prompt.

Misty wrote: "I am reading Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse for this prompt.
"

OK, I admit to not enough coffee, but is the mask the symbol of death?

Bea wrote: "OK, I admit to not enough coffee, but is the mask the symbol of death?"

LOL - I get it! Tea for me, but I hear you. :) Black is a symbol of death as is the eclipse in the background. An eclipse was considered a symbol of death in some cultures. In ancient Babylonia, eclipses were seen as omen of an impending king's death. I'm usually not very into the cover prompts, but I had a lot of fun looking into symbols of death for this one.

Misty wrote: "Bea wrote: "OK, I admit to not enough coffee, but is the mask the symbol of death?"

LOL - I get it! Tea for me, but I hear you. :) Black is a symbol of death as is the eclipse in the background. A..."

Thank you for explaining this to me. I got stuck with the usual rope, knife, gun thinking and ended up with a skull.

I was thinking of one in the Alan Bradley series, probably The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches. It's been on my TBR forever

I hadn't thought of the crow as a symbol of death! Thanks for another interpretation!