The five best book covers

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

The main reason I picked this book up is its cover. I haven’t finished reading it yet, but you don’t need to read much (just the blurb, in fact) to see that the cover focuses on a very prominent part of the story. Both intricate yet simple in its design, I think this cover successfully attracts and holds attention.

Wikimedia Commons

Bossypants by Tina Fey

This cover made me double-take in an effort to process what I was seeing. It effectively conveys Tina Fey’s knack for comedy and hints at the humour to follow within the pages.

Although an autobiography generally demands its subject as the book cover, Fey avoids potential pretension through the humorous touch, and adds some satire whilst she’s at it.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Amongst all its other covers, this one brings the idiom ‘dance with death’ to life. Much like Walton’s book, it coveys the story’s essence: the connection between Liesel with Death.

Even though they never directly interact, the cover captures their relationship metaphorically as Liesel does encounter Death multiple times, in different ways. The illustration has a childlike quality to it, which prompts the imagination further than a photograph might.

The Monogram Murders by Sophie Hannah

Flickr / Ben Sutherland

The striking colours of this cover caught my attention. The frankly opulent design of the elevator doors contrasts nicely with the dark background and black and white text. Due to this balance, the cover only verges on being over-the-top.

Look Who’s Back by Timur Vermes

I have not read this book yet and I might not have decided to, had the cover not caught my attention. Despite its minimalism, it manages to convey the book’s subject, arguably with some mockery. The title, instead of floating about on the cover, serves a purpose and fits in with the whole picture, as if truly indicating who’s back.

Image Credits: Flickr/ CCAC North Library (Header), Wikimedia Commons (Image 1), Flickr / Ben Sutherland (Image 2)