Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

75 views
Weekly Topics 2026 > 44. A book with a symbol of death on the cover

Comments Showing 1-16 of 16 (16 new)    post a comment »
dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by Pamela, Arciform Mod (new)

Pamela | 2634 comments Mod
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?


message 2: by NancyJ (last edited Oct 29, 2025 01:05PM) (new)

NancyJ (nancyjjj) | 3795 comments Scythe (Arc of a Scythe, #1) by Neal Shusterman Gifts of the Crow How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans by John M. Marzluff Three Bags Full (Sheep Detective Story, #1) by Leonie Swann The Thing with Feathers The Surprising Lives of Birds and What They Reveal About Being Human by Noah Strycker

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


message 3: by Dixie (last edited Oct 29, 2025 02:22PM) (new)

Dixie (dixietenny) | 1467 comments The Crow Trap (Vera Stanhope, #1) by Ann Cleeves In the Company of Crows and Ravens by John M. Marzluff A Tomb With a View The Stories & Glories of Graveyards by Peter Ross The Crow Road by Iain Banks Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell The Dead of Winter Beware the Krampus and Other Wicked Christmas Creatures by Sarah Clegg Botanical Curses and Poisons The Shadow-Lives of Plants by Fez Inkwright Crypt Life, Death and Disease in the Middle Ages and Beyond by Alice Roberts Three Days in April by Edward Ashton Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis

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


message 4: by Pamela, Arciform Mod (new)

Pamela | 2634 comments Mod
Dixie wrote: "The Crow Trap (Vera Stanhope, #1) by Ann CleevesIn the Company of Crows and Ravens by John M. MarzluffA Tomb With a View The Stories & Glories of Graveyards by Peter RossThe Crow Road by Iain Banks[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


message 5: by Dixie (new)

Dixie (dixietenny) | 1467 comments Pamela wrote: "Dixie wrote: "The Crow Trap (Vera Stanhope, #1) by Ann CleevesIn the Company of Crows and Ravens by John M. MarzluffA Tomb With a View The Stories & Glories of Graveyards by Peter Ross[bookcover:The Crow Roa..."

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


message 6: by Pamela, Arciform Mod (new)

Pamela | 2634 comments Mod
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!


message 8: by LeahS (new)

LeahS | 1482 comments Buried An Alternative History of the First Millennium in Britain by Alice Roberts and Death Sentences Stories of Deathly Books, Murderous Booksellers and Lethal Literature by Otto Penzler


message 9: by Jennifer W (new)

Jennifer W | 701 comments 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).


message 10: by Marie (new)

Marie | 1115 comments Nice easy one for me, This Charming Man by C.K. McDonnell has a coffin on the cover:

This Charming Man (Stranger Times, #2) by C.K. McDonnell


message 12: by Ron (new)

Ron | 21 comments 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

My Life With Wolves How I Became the Storyteller for the Yellowstone Packs by Rick McIntyre


message 13: by Charlsa (new)

Charlsa (cjbookjunkie) | 726 comments 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.


message 14: by NancyJ (last edited Nov 10, 2025 11:11PM) (new)

NancyJ (nancyjjj) | 3795 comments A Canticle for Leibowitz (St. Leibowitz, #1) by Walter M. Miller Jr.

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


message 15: by Dixie (new)

Dixie (dixietenny) | 1467 comments NancyJ wrote: "A Canticle for Leibowitz (St. Leibowitz, #1) by Walter M. Miller Jr.

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.


message 16: by Monica (new)

Monica (booksarelove) | 23 comments I'm going to read If Looks Could Kill by Kate White. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...


back to top