I Always Judge a Book by Its Cover

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma. This design demonstrates the importance of perspective. Tilt the cover 90 degrees and you’d have a relatively interesting photo, but nothing fantastic. Yet this visual is gorgeous and impossible to look away from. The ripples of the water’s surface extend vertically with the length of the girl’s body, even as her auburn hair, flowing white dress, and bright red ribbon float perpendicular to her limp form. Due to the scene’s strange angle, her reflection within the ripples creates a sort of distorted portal, something to mirror her fears. The beautiful blue underwater surroundings set an oddly peaceful mood, yet the red ribbon starkly contrasts such a notion. The girl’s free-floating form and the ribbon wrapped around her arm like a trail of blood leads viewers to believe that this story is far from peaceful. My only complaint is the rather obvious, not to mention trite, tagline, though these are (unfortunately) common with YA covers.

Readers’ Average Rating: B

In Stitches by Anthony Youn. One look at this cover inspires intrigue, if not fascination. Between the title and certain visuals, viewers can ascertain that this is a memoir concerning a medical incident. Yet the design is set up so creatively that even those not normally interested in said memoirs must look twice. The cream and tan color scheme intermixed with bright red provides an appropriately sterile design with bits of pizazz. The Barbie doll torso and arms on either side of a red candy sucker suggests a number of puzzling possibilities. I love the band-aid backdrop for the author’s title, yet another indication of the story’s medical premise. I must admit that the design is somewhat misleading, however—judging by the Barbie body parts, I would have guessed this memoir surrounded a woman’s tale of the body, not a man’s tale of the mouth. Even so, the cover is a success in terms of cleverness and color.

Readers’ Average Rating: B+

Happy Birthday, Turk! by Jakob Arjouni. War violence meets childlike simplicity in this design. Who would guess the two could go together? Yet the message is executed marvelously with this cover, as is usually the case with Arjouni novels. The black background efficiently offsets the red and greyscale color scheme. The title and author sit within what appear to be cutouts, giving the design a rough, crafted feel. The knife, too, looks like a one-dimensional cutout that is nevertheless creepy in its spattered and cruelly-shaped state. The “blood” running off the knife is like a ball of yarn, something that a child could have crafted. This roughly-hewed design exhibits a dangerous yet childish approach to a clever war thriller.

Readers’ Average Rating: B

Revolution by Deb Olin Unferth. With a design like this, the book should be called “revelation” instead of Revolution. The cover pops with a background color that is somewhere between red and fuchsia and suffused with a grunge texture. The multicolored diagonal title is probably my favorite part of the design. It is blocky in nature, but stretches across the cover in a flexible, fun manner. The white silhouette of a woman sitting atop one of the letters is another fun touch, and clearly signifies the author and her time spent roaming the war-town jungles of South America in 1987. Another indication of the memoir’s setting comes from the white (and occasionally black) silhouettes of palm trees and tropical birds in the lower left corner. This colorful design is an achievement in memoir creativity.

Readers’ Average Rating: B+

True Confections by Katharine Weber. Like a candy shop filled with dazzling colors, patterns, and scents, this cover grabs viewers and doesn’t let go until they’ve satisfied their interest. The swirling candy cane stripes of the background bring classic “confection” to mind and elevates the design to a new level. In fact, the stripes are almost hypnotic. The centered chocolate candy piece creates a perfect display for the title and author. The fact that the typography sticks with what could only be called “candy bar fonts” makes the display seem authentic, and therefore even more clever. One can only hope the offbeat story of love and life is just as sweet!

Readers’ Average Rating: B-

Petty Magic by Camille DeAngelis. I don’t typically enjoy a red-and-black themed design, but there is something dainty and pleasing about this cover. At first glance I thought the title read “Pretty Magic,” and I agreed that the design matched the name. I really like the spade-like vines that weave through the cover, as well as the subtly curled typeface set within black blocks. There is a lot going on in this design, but it all works. The style of the drawn witch above the title seems somewhat out of place with the rest of the design, but it’s nonethless appropriate, being a witch and all.

Readers’ Average Rating: B+

Johannes Cabal the Detective by Jonathan L. Howard. I love the comic book design of this cover. It works especially because of the “detective” aspect—it seems perfectly natural to pair a Holmes-style mystery with a steampunk-style appearance. The red details against the muted background colors work to pop certain cartoonish elements. Finally, the seemingly unrelated images, like the rather ominous detective, the blimp, and the looming storm clouds, are definitely intriguing.

Readers’ Average Rating: B+

My Appetite for Destruction by Steven Adler. The majority of celebrities who put out books feature themselves on the cover—that is just one of the reasons why I like this famous drummer’s memoir design. Mostly, I’m excited about all the interesting elements that work together on this cover. With classic Guns N’ Roses touches, the design still manages to stand alone in terms of authenticity. I love the faded, Old West look and the complementing red accents. Besides, what could be cooler than sixguns and roses together (Can you tell I’m a Dark Tower fan?)?

Readers’ Average Rating: B

Fury by Koren Zailckas. This cover channels movie-poster vintage. Its use of color and texture is fantastic. The striking red title (appropriate, considering the word) transposed over the velvety dark green background presents a perfect contrast in hue and feel. The blurred face of the girl is just the right amount of creepy and intriguing. In class memoir fashion, the straight-forward, sans-serif text complements the bold simplicity of the design.

Readers’ Average Rating: B