Lets Judge Books By Their Covers

Yeah ok, we’ve all been told not to judge a book by its cover, but what about for actual books? While I think the cover is certainly not indicative of what’s inside, I do really like perusing covers, comparing US to UK covers, and thinking about how to organize the books on my shelf to show off my favorite spines and covers. I wanted to share my top five favorite covers (as of right now, in no particular order) and why I think they are special.

Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese

This might be recency bias since I just finished this book, but I really love this cover. Not just because it’s pretty, but because it becomes more special the more you read of the book. The cover is embroidery - a key plot point in the novel - and at least on my copy the “stitching” is raised and fun to run your fingers over as you read. I also love the embroidered scarlet A as a nod to The Scarlet Letter.

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

It’s no surprise to me the UK cover (a.k.a. the Dead Bird Edition) is my favorite. The bird is an important symbol in the novel, I like that it seems like a warning for the book’s contents, and the note on the front that “When friends become enemies… there’s no limit to the damage they can do” is an interesting addition.
The next one is the US cover and I love it for the simplicity and the ivy details. I think it tells you it’s going to be dark academia, but it really doesn’t reveal anything else about the plot and that is an interesting choice.
The white one is the new US cover and it’s growing on me, but the stark white background was hard for me to adjust to. I do love the Shakespearean swords and the blood spatter.
Finally, the blue one is the Barnes and Noble exclusive cover. I love that Barnes has these different covers because I’m a book buying addict and it allows me to justify buying multiple copies of the same book. While I like the color and the star detailing on this one, it’s not as representative of the vibes of the book for me. If I’m honest though, this one is probably last just because I don’t have it.

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

This cover, appropriately, shows a road into the Alaskan wilderness. The Great Alone follows the Allbrights who move to Alaska in 1974 to escape the demons Ernt picked up in the Vietnam War. While the landscape of Alaska would have been gray and dark, the characters are full of life and color. Like a sunrise or sunset, this book often feels like it’s on the cusp of something. Also, at least on my copy, the road and the title are beautifully metallic.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

I read The Bell Jar in college when I realized it was one of the books that felt like a blind spot in my reading. The Bell Jar was probably the first account I ever read of a slow descent into madness and mental health treatment in the 1950s. I never really understood the cover I had seen in libraries and on bookshelves growing up (the blue one on the left) because it just seemed so unrelated and uninspiring. Looking back now, I’d like to think this cover is saying something about how Esther tried to conform to the fashion and lifestyle of her peers, but she couldn’t really hack it. Like trying to wear shoes that just aren’t comfortable. I recently got the UK cover (on the right) because I was immediately drawn to it. To me, this cover more obviously screams descent into depression, things that are almost too bright, and a book within a book. The text behind the teal swirls is the first page of the first chapter, but having it obscured means you feel compelled to open the book and start reading.

Normal People by Sally Rooney

Normal People feels like a little bit of a cheat for me to include, because I don’t actually have this edition, but I did get it for a friend when I was in London. (I will not apologize for preferring the UK covers so often). To me, the idea of the characters being in a tin of sardines suggests that maybe Connell and Marianne would have been ok if they could have existed just in their little sardine tin. Inevitably though, the tin was opened and the secrets and miscommunications are unleashed.