Hello everyone,
It is time to take a look back at the most beautiful books I had the privilege to read during 2021. While it is never good to judge a book by its cover, a nice design certainly helps to catch your eye and make you want to know more.
I usually find that I am most attracted to contemporary historical fiction covers, as they are quite often detailed and decorative, with images of pretty things like leaves or country houses or curious artefacts. I also love colour and interesting font types.
When I look to my bookshelf as I write this most, some books definitely stand out among the rest and I can definitely say that about every one on this list. Even better, most of them turned out to be fairly good reads!
So here we are, my favourite covers out of the physical books I read in 2021.
The Lost Ones by Anita Frank
This one is among the best books I have read all year, and the cover is simply glorious. Firstly, I adore the colour scheme of deep midnight blue, allied with the burnt orange of the autumn leaves. Then we have the white wisps that make up the staircase to the front of the house.
When this book was delivered, it was just such a joy to behold. The quality of the contents topped things off.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
This cover is quite minimalistic in a way, but extremely arresting as the woman sits gracefully and stares directly at the viewer in her voluminous plum dress. It fits perfectly with the green background and can very much pass for a work of art.
Girl In The Walls by A.J. Knuse
For me, seeing this cover was like love at first sight. It is just so intriguing, seeing the shadow of the girl as she walks impossibly through the house. Every detail spoke to me, including the grandfather clock, and the birds on the trees which decorate the vivid blue archway. Just beautiful.
The tagline at the top also contributed to making me want to read it. When I did, it was good, although did not quite fulfil my expectations.
The Betrayals by Bridget Collins
The cover design for The Betrayals is almost as complex and abstract as the story itself. Every detail is fascinating, as flowers adorn the intricate golden timepiece upon a black background. It is quite an extraordinary thing to take in, and what lies underneath the dust jacket is rather impressive too.
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
The vial with the elaborate stopper in the centre of this cover is almost translucent and really stands out beneath a striking typeface. However, what really does it for me is the beautiful, almost psychedelic shades of purple and pink which transports you to somewhere else entirely.
The colours are absolutely magical, and the more I look at them, the more mesmerised I feel.
And that is everything! One interesting omission was Mrs England by Stacey Halls, whose books are usually a shoe-in for most beautiful cover. This one was still incredible, but it just goes to show how difficult it was to choose a top five for this category this year.
Let’s Chat
Do you like these covers? Which one is your favourite? What is the most beautiful cover you have come across in 2020? Let me know in the comments!
Happy reading :)
Stephen Reads Books 