John Fontana: The Tower, The Zoo, and the Tortoise

Noticed the US cover yesterday - a very different look from the current offering at Borders. Illustrator name to follow. The UK cover is below...different title, but I think it's the same book. This is supposed to be a very fun almost child-like novel about a Beefeater in the Tower of London who becomes zoomaster to the Queen's menagerie when they become housed on the Tower grounds. I just visited The Tower, and this is fascinating. There are 36 Beefeaters living there- they are retired members of the military who keep the tower safe and lead the tours, telling you all about Anne Bolyn's head being chopped off at the Tower, people being tortured there, and showing you the awesome Queen's Jewels. Anyway, love these covers.

Lucy Knisley: French Milk

Just finished reading this terrific graphic journal, which I read based solely on the cover. Lucy and her mother spend six weeks in a funky Paris apartment for Lucy's 22nd birthday, where Lucy goes through a post-art-school crisis, and recovers with a good helping of her mother's love and vast quantities of French milk. Like the cover, the book combines photographs and comics, sometimes on facing pages, so we're seeing "reality" and its cartoon version right next to it.