the 5 best upgrades that make books awesome
All books are cool, but not all books are equal… Some of them have been upgraded. Here are five of the best book upgrades.
1. Maps
Okay. I know what you’re thinking. LOTS of books have maps, especially in fantasy genres. That doesn’t cancel out the fact that they’re nifty and actually helpful. If you use a map right, you can basically predict the course of the story. Unless you’re reading on a Kindle. Then it will take approximately two years to flip from the page you’re on to the map and back again.
2. Secret Codes
The only book that comes to mind when I think of deciphering languages is Artemis Fowl. Across the bottom of every page in every book of the series are coded messages. And I loved decoding them because (a.) they’re like big puzzles, (b.) they gave me something to do after reading the books, and (c.) I could write in the language and no one would be able to understand. *Note: I was going to upload some of it to show you, but apparently it is impossible.* 😐
3. Chapter Titles
These normally aren’t too exciting. If you’re a regular author, they don’t have to be. Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc. will do. If you’re feeling fancy you can label chapters with their main events, or with a name to show whose Point Of View it is. Or if you’re Rick Riordan, you can give chapters the most hilarious names ever.
4. Praises/Reviews
Okay, so, in most books this is just the same basic gush that probably will not help you decide if you want to buy or not. This is not the case in Quidditch Through the Ages, and hats off to J. K. Rowling. It wasn’t enough for her to write a book that she mentioned in her other books—she had to use fictional characters with their own fictional books to review QTTA. Gilderoy Lockhart’s cracks me up every time.
5. Book Designs/Cover Art
This is a make or break for me. Even if it’s a book you love, if the cover looks stupid, you won’t want to read it. Let alone have other people see you reading it.
Some of my favorites based on a design standpoint include: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children—the cover and old pictures add to the creepy factor; A Little Princess, Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, and Heidi in the Puffin in Bloom set—they are adorable, flowery, and I want them all; Fahrenheit 451—I’m talking about the edition of the book that has a match and striking surface *swoon*; and lastly, anything from the Folio Society because it’s British and amazing.
