Top Ten Tuesday, as always, is hosted at my other blog — The Broke & the Bookish
This week’s topic: Top Ten Things I Like/Dislike When It Comes To Book Covers
I decided to switch up the topic because I’ve realized that I don’t really pay attention to trends or elements when it comes to covers but I just know if I like them or not and I know what stands out to me. Also, when I say I hate a trend, let’s say the girls with a pretty dress for no reason trend, then I’ll find a book that IS TOTALLY THAT TREND and somehow like it.
I absolutely HATE whitewashing of covers so that’s about the only definite I can think of. Getting sick of random faces or people on the covers or like half faces or headless figures. Girls with pretty dresses for no reason.
I tend to like: minimalist covers, great typography, pretty color schemes, covers WITHOUT people on them (exception: if it is interesting — I’m just so sick of the boring pretty girl doing nothing on the cover thing), illustrated covers, covers that cleverly portray some detail or scene from the book, covers that have incredible detail to them, good photography
With that being said here are the top 10 favorite covers so far this year:
Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern: Love the color scheme & the text bubbles!
The Strange & Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton: I have a thing for feathers & this cover is gorgeous. Even more gorgeous in person! Simple and love the color scheme!
Landline by Rainbow Rowell: Rainbow always gets great covers! I just love this one and the typography is perfect!
The Angel of Losses by Stephanie Feldman: I think this is so beautiful and whimsical! Love the details!
Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper: I love the rope detail and really love this font and the way the words fit with the rope!
Let’s Get Lost by Adi Alsaid: I love maps sooo there’s that. Plus the color scheme and the typography is excellent! Really always stands out to me when I see it!
Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang: God I love this book and the cover is perfect for it. I love the little details and it’s just perfect honestly!
Anatomy of A Misfit by Andrea Portes: I know. Random chairs? There’s just something about this cover that catches my eye every time!
Far From You by Tess Sharpe: Really great book! But I always just loved this cover!
The Museum of Intangible Things by Wendy Wunder: I normally don’t love super pink colors but there is something about this cover that I just ADORE. I love the banners and the colors together and it’s just so pretty!!
Honorable mentions:
Damsel Distressed, Words & Their Meanings, No One Else Can Have You, Everything Leads To You
So tell me…which covers from my list are you in love with?? Do you DISLIKE any of the ones I picked (I won’t be offended!)? What kinds of covers do you typically love? What don’t you like? Any covers that you think I missed and would be into?
Alex @ BooksyDaisy Reviews says
I love your choices! Ava Lavender is one of my favorite covers as well. Everything about it is so pretty, from the colors to the font to the feather design. I’ve never heard of The Angel of Losses before but the cover alone is enough to make me want to read it!
Jamie says
It’s so gorgeous! I got it in a gift bag from a party at BEA and had NO idea what it was about but kept it because of the cover. IT’s even more gorgeous in person. And right?? That was the first thing that attracted me to The Angel of Losses!
Haley says
They are all so pretty I have to have them all! Salt and Storm is gorgeous!
Haley
readtwentyone.com
Jamie says
I know! I love the strong colors with Salt and Storm too!
Chrissi Reads says
Beautiful choices. I love the cover of Everything Leads To You. There’s just something about it! I quite like simple covers that catch your eye. I particularly love the Ava Lavender cover. It’s just so pretty!
Jamie says
Yes I don’t know what it is about Everything Leads to You — I think the colors and the typography and also the way the words are placed! I’m a big fan of simple covers that just have that wow factor too!
Rosie says
I like all of the ones you listed, especially Landline and Salt & Storm is beautiful. I don’t like books with the movie cover or books with any kind of people on, unless they’re illustrations, because it gives me an idea of what the character looks like without me getting the chance to form my own image.
I chuckle at books that try to avoid this by putting headless people on the cover. I’m reading the first Mortal Instruments book and it has a headless topless man on the front, makes me laugh everytime I pick it up.
Jamie says
UGH I hate the movie covers too!! The only one I can say is not AWFUL is the If I Stay one that just came out. I wouldn’t buy it but it didn’t bother me as much!
And yes illustrated people are far better than actual people! And hahaha yes the Mortal Instruments book is on that jumps out at me the most! HI NAKED TORSO!
Rebecca says
You have such good taste in covers! I love all of these. It’s freaky, the things you listed under what you like, are my favourite, too! I’ve seen #2 in person and the simplicity and colours is gorgeous! I love the US cover for Far From You (those yellow lights against the black!). I wish I’d gotten that oversion, but when I saw the book in the store, I couldn’t resist buying it (UK).
Jamie says
Why thank you, lady! I always feel like I’m the odd man out when it comes to covers because everyone seems to love the really flashy covers (at least what I perceive) and I just am all about really simple ones for some reason. Simple but has SOMETHING to it!
Katrina says
The strange And Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender made my list too! These are gorgeous picks 🙂
Check out my TTT!
Katrina @ Chased By My Imagination
Bella says
Terrific choices! I also love the Say What You Will cover; I thought the designers nailed it between the colors and the typography choices. While I haven’t read Falling Into Place {although it looks amazing!}, I appreciate all the little details – they seem to match up with the synopsis fairly well! Finally, The Anatomy of a Misfit catches my eye EVERY time I see it pop up on Goodreads or another blog. It’s the bright colors!
Bella @ Ciao Bella
Rachel Lyn says
I pretty much love every cover you picked. My absolute favorite on your list is The Angels of Losses. I’m very into the minimalist, graphic covers. Pretty much anything illustrated. I just hate pictures of people on covers – I think they are too gendered and unrealistic.
Michelle says
Picking your favorite covers is like taking a personality test. While I do like these covers, especially Everything Leads toL You, I’m definitely drawn to more shiny things. I think I’ll do this later for myself and then compare 🙂
Elizabeth @ Book YAbber says
I like a lot of these too! I really like Falling Into Place, The Museum of Intangible Things, and Far from You. Landline is a great one too. I especially love the spine of Landline.
Stefani @ Caught Read Handed says
It seems we like the same types of covers! I especially love the covers for Say What You Will, Everything Leads to You, and The Museum of Intangible Things. I’m a fan of minimalist covers and interesting typography as well.
My TTT!
Margot says
100% agree with you on Salt and Storm! But for me, it’s that particular shade of blue that I love because it’s one of my all time favorite colors but you so rarely see it outside of nature! I too love The Museum of Intangible Things but I have no idea why. For me, I think it’s the text treatment with the colors! Kind of reminds me of a Wes Anderson movie.
Other 2014 covers I love are Half Bad by Sally Green, The Impossible Knife of Memory, Beware the Wild, A Thousand Pieces of You, Noggin, the 3rd book in The Forsaken series (not such good books but I’m super in love with those covers), Learning Not to Drown, Complicit. . . okay I’ll stop now. I could keep going.
Kat says
Love your examples! Such pretty covers. I think (hope) the trend of faces/people is going out. I prefer pretty graphics that relate to the story more than some designers guess at what a character looks like.
Critica says
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender is my favorite from this list 🙂
Mika (Oshiro Design) says
I love this post! I think my favorite is The Strange & Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, but with Far From You and Let’s Get Lost as a close second and third (:
Nikki Robinson says
I typically dislike covers with people on them, but they’ve been growing on me lately for some reason.
Annie says
I’m not a big fan of face covers either! They can be done well but more often than not, it’s a little creepy to see a blown up picture of a face on the cover! I tend to veer away from photography in covers and instead lean more to illustration and graphic design. Most of my favourite covers are illustrated!
I love The Museum of Intangible Things! It’s very artsy, like something I’d find at Urban Outfitters. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender is a beautiful cover as well! It’s one I’d really like to have as a print on my wall. The feather is beyond GORGEOUS. Landline and Let’s Get Lost are really pretty too though!
Kayla @ The Thousand Lives says
I love Let’s Get Lost’s title font – it looks like a highlighter you would use to trace a route on a map. And the colors don’t hurt either! It fits in so well with the whole road trip thing. And I totally agree with you about Ava Lavender – the book is so much prettier in person with the shimmery foil stuff.
Lakin says
I hadn’t seen the Ava Lavender cover before, but it’s sooo pretty! It really stands out and I love the color scheme and feather.
moonglint says
Whitewashing, yes, absolutely hate. You’re only the second blogger I’ve seen mention it, so thank you. These covers are beautiful and The Angel of Losses cover is so gorgeous.
My TTT
Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library says
I’m with you in not paying attention to trends. I’ve seen plenty that I like and then will see one that is part of the same trend that I absolutely hate. I love the cover from Far From You and Let’s Get Lost especially.
Nobody@thestorygoes... says
I love the Far From You cover and also No One Else Can Have You! I’m like you I don’t really pay enough attention to covers beyond a first impression that might make me pick a book up, so I don’t really notice trends. =)
Christina @ BookTasty says
I completely agree with you regarding the whitewashing issue, which is why I am a fan of cool typography, illustrated covers and silhouettes. I think they’re all creative ways to prevent the whitewashing. 🙂 All of the covers you showed above are beautiful!
Rachel Patrick says
I love love love the cover for LET’S GET LOST. It’s why I wanted to read it in the first place. I have a thing for maps. (:
Rachel @ Beauty and the Bookshelf
Fida says
I love those covers, too!
Lorraine says
I LOVE good typography on a cover. I’m always shocked at how many publishing imprints (especially YA ones) go for the kind of fonts that got used on websites in the late 90s. My favourite cover from your list is definitely ‘The Strange & Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender’, while my own favourite this year is ‘The Girl With All The Gifts’ – https://www.librarything.com/work/14221146 🙂
Nicole Hewitt says
Ha! I think we have almost opposite taste in book covers. Funny how that works, isn’t it? I did mention typography, though, so we do have that in common. 🙂
After I wrote my post, I wished I had mentioned diversity on covers – I wish I could see more of it, and whitewashing is downright maddening!
Mel@thedailyprophecy says
I really like the covers you picked and all the things you’ve mentioned (illustrations, great typography, minimalist: those are all things I love too) Say what you will is gorgeous. I also like Falling into place (these two made it to my list this week as well) The angel of losses is a new one, I like it. I love the font from Everything leads to you and The museum of intangible things has such a cute, summery vibe 🙂
Rosie says
can’t wait to read Landline!
lulufrances says
that wendy wunder cover…swoon. i would totally hang it up as a poster in my room!
brittany @ The Book Addict's Guide says
Love love love so many of these! I really enjoy simple covers, I think. When cover artists (or whoever) starts to put a lot of things on there, I think it gets distracting and tends to be overdone so I think the minimalist covers and typography are reeeeeally starting to draw me in!