Question: Does art make you want to read?

The moment I set eyes on Phoenix Lu's gorgeous portrait of Cindy Pon's characters (Silver Phoenix and Zhong Ye), I was completely mesmerized by it.  It led me to think about how much lovely artwork can enhance my experience with a book and how it can make me want to read a highly-anticipated novel even more.  


Do you find yourself adding books to your wishlist because of gorgeous character art or stunning cover art?

I was already excited to read Cindy Pon's Fury of the Phoenix because I enjoyed Silver Phoenix (click here to read my review), the first book in her Kingdom of Xia series.  But seeing this portrait on Cindy's blog made me want to read it even more because I now have this captivating image of her characters in my mind.  


So today I want to share a few examples of beautiful artwork that helped put books on my wishlist, and I would love it if you would share links to some of your favorite character art or cover illustrations in the comments!  :-)  

A couple examples of character art that caught my eye:

Yue Wang's artwork featuring Ellie and Will from Courtney Allison Moulton's upcoming book  Angelfire.  A beautiful boy, a lovely girl, and two deadly blades?  I will definitely be reading this book!  You can learn more about Angelfire and find this eye-catching wallpaper on Courtney's website.   

Jason Chan's cover illustration for Ellen Potter's The Kneebone Boy.  If you've been following our blog for a few months, you probably already know that I am a huge fan of Jason Chan's artwork.  His covers for Lisa Mantchev's Eyes Like Stars & Perchance to Dream are among my all-time favorite book covers, and his cover illustration for The Kneebone Boy is equally striking.  Did you notice the boy sitting in the tree?  How about the cat's fifth leg?  Read Ellen's post about her reaction to seeing the cover art for the first time.

To learn more about each of these books, please visit the authors' websites:  
Cindy Pon | Courtney Allison Moulton | Ellen Potter


To see more of these artists' work, please visit their websites:  
Phoenix Lu | Yue Wang | Jason Chan

• Buy this book:  Powell's | Amazon | The Book Depository | IndieBound
• Add this book to your:  Goodreads | Shelfari | Library Thing

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  • Pre-order Fury of the Phoenix: Amazon | The Book Depository | IndieBound
  • Add Fury of the Phoenix to your:  Goodreads | Shelfari | Library Thing
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    • Pre-order Angelfire:  Amazon | The Book Depository | IndieBound | B & N
    • Add Angelfire to your:  Goodreads | Shelfari | Library Thing
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          • Pre-order The Kneebone Boy:  Powell's | Amazon | The Book Depository | IndieBound | B & N
          • Add The Kneebone Boy to your:  Goodreads | Shelfari | Library Thing
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        So what book-related art do you love? Do you have a favorite illustrator or a book cover that you especially adore? Perhaps there is a gorgeous piece of fan art that made you want to pick up a particular book? I'd love to hear how art affects your reading or book-buying experience. :-)