Here are some swoon worthy delicious book covers of books released in 2017. It was difficult to choose a few, but these 14 covers make my cut for the best book covers of the year. Which is your favourite?
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Cover design by Nathan Burton
Viking (January, 2017)
Welcome to Lagos by Chibundu Onuzo
Cover design by Bill Bragg
Faber & Faber (January, 2017)
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Cover design by David Grogan + Aitch
Del Rey (January, 2017)
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Cover design by Melissa Four
Hutchinson (February, 2017)
Little Nothing by Marisa Silver
Cover design by James Paul Jones
Oneworld (March, 2017)
One Day we’ll all be Dead and None of This Would Matter by Scaachi Koul
Cover design by C. S. Richardson
Doubleday Canada (March, 2017)
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
Cover design by Alasdair Oliver
Hodder and Stoughton (March, 2017)
Swimmer Among the Stars by Kanishk Tharoor
Cover design by Justine Anweiler
Picador (April, 2017)
The Teeth of the Comb and other Stories by Osama Alomar
Cover design by Erik Carter
New Directions (April, 2017)
Strange Heart Beating by Eli Goldstone
Cover design by Jo Walker
Granta (May, 2017)
The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
Picador (May, 2017)
Flesh and Bone and Water by Luiza Sauma
Cover design by Lauren Peters Collaer
Scribner (June, 2017)
See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt
Cover design by Yeti Lambregts
Tinder Press (May, 2017)
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy
Cover design by David Eldridge
Hamish Hamilton (June, 2017)
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I had to read Strange Heart Beating after seeing that cover. So striking!
I agree. I admit it was the cover that drew me to the book too.
I love all of these! They make a beautiful selection when they’re all together. I know we’re not supposed to choose books based on their covers, but honestly it does make a difference to my choices. Somehow I feel like a good cover is worth paying a bit more for.
I agree about that. Especially if I am at a book store and there is a striking cover, I will pick it up and read the blurb and then decide. A good cover says a lot about the book.
Oh wow! What a gorgeous set of book covers. I especially liked the ‘Ministry of Utmost Happiness and Swimmer Among the stars. 🙂
And I wish that more people (and by people I mean authors – esp Indian and Indie ones) paid attention to their book covers too.
Thank you so much. I love nice covers, though I don’t often buy the prettiest ones out there. I am so glad that now cover designers are given more importance (but still it is so difficult to google a designer for a book) and many designers are putting up posts on their thinking and design process. A very interesting world.
I get what you mean about some of the Indian books. I have wondered the same. I do not know whether we give less importance to covers or whether the renumeration is not tempting enough for good designers; but some covers are really terrible. I remember I once got a book with a cover that looked like it had been done on Word or something. It was that bad. And needless to say I did not feel like picking it up. Aleph is one Indian pub house that publishes lovely cover designs and I adore their covers. They certainly give a lot of importance to the cover design as well.
Not all Indian publishers ignore design. For sheer beauty and attention to detail, you cannot overlook Kolkata-based Seagull Books. They do specialize in English translations of European literature, including poetry and essays, as well as Indian literature. There is a recent article here: https://qz.com/1011933/a-tiny-indian-publisher-is-translating-hidden-gems-of-world-literature-for-global-readers/
You are right. I have loved the covers of Seagull books too. They are striking and well designed. And their choice of books is excellent too.
Cover design is so fascinating *o*
Some of my personal favourite for 2017 would be Killing gravity by Corey J. White, All Systems red by Martha Wells, The Ruin of Angels by Max Gladstone…. also the new Penguin Orange Collection from 2016 for Halloween was amazing! I could go on and on but I’ll try and stop there ahaha
I have to google those covers. Thanks for sharing. Yes, the Penguin Orange collection of 2016 was spectacular!!
Oh my goodness, some of these are absolutely STUNNING. The Wonder is probably my favorite of all of these. I love a good cover, always. I’m definitely one of those people that tend to judge a book by its cover. I have to be intrigued by that first, most of the time.
I loved The Wonder too. The 2016 edition of Wonder is amazing too. I agree with you – a cover speaks alot about the book.
Love the Onuzo – hadn’t seen that before. The Goldstone is completely unnerving.
I agree. I am so intrigued by the cover of Strange Heart Beating.
Such gorgeous covers. So many books– such little time.
I know!! I want to buy them all.
This post is certainly a treat for the eyes!
Thank you. It was such fun researching for this post
Oh wow, all of these covers are stunning – and I haven’t heard about most of these books so I am grateful twice for this lovely post, thank you! <3 I am especially in love with The Bear and The Nightingale cover, Swimmer Among the Stars and, of course, Strange The Dreamer <3 Beautiful post,t hank you so much for sharing this <3
Thanks Marie. I adore the cover of Strange the Dreamer and Bear and Nightingale. I have read Bear and Nightingale and it is an amazing one.
Gorgeous post Resh! I love them all 🙂
Me too. I love them all
Swimmer Among the Stars cover is nice to run your hand over with. And did you get See What I Have Done with the orange sprayed edges? It’s gorgeous; complements the whole colour theme well!
Gemma
http://thetravellingbibliophile.com
I have not seen a physical copy of Swimmer among the stars. I recently received the orange edged See what I have done and I absolutely adore it
All these are so gorgeous. I love how their so unusual and whimsical. I really like the cover for Strange Heart Beating. I have so many questions after seeing that cover. The Bear and the Nightingale is so lovely too. I haven’t read it, but it’s on my TBR and I’ve read a couple of glowing reviews for it.
I was very curious because of the cover too. The book is about a lady who is killed by proximity to swans. I have not yet finished reading the book but I am very very curious about it. Bear and the Nightingale is wonderful. I hope you will pick it up
Whoa, that’s an interesting premise. I just saw you posted a review of The Bear and the Nightingale, so heading over to your blog now!
Thanks, Always welcome. 🙂
All these covers are beautiful – but the ones I love the most are The Bear and the Nightingale and Strange The Dreamer. And I’ve yet to read those two. I also think Follow Me Back by AV Geiger and Obsidian and Stars deserve some cover love too.
I just googled the ones you mentioned. Obsidian and Stars is such a striking cover indeed. I have heard good things about Strange the Dreamer. I want to read it too. Bear and the Nightingale is fantastic!
I haven’t tried those 3 yet, actually. But I know I want to start Strange The Dreamer right away. Well…. after I finish Warcross that is.
I have heard Strange the Dreamer is amazing. Hope both of us get to read it soon. 🙂
Yes! I can’t wait. 🙂
I love these covers for The Bear and The Nightingale and The Wonder! Even more beautiful than the US editions!
I agree. They are stunning
Oh! What a delicious post this is! I read ‘The Bear and the Nightingale’ a couple of months ago. Unfortunately, I read the beauty on my Kindle, and missed this gorgeous cover. Now, at least for keepsake, I want to buy the physical copy. 🙂
I was mesmerized by the beauty of that cover. The designer went through alot of research to design it so well. If you enjoyed the book, then a physical book would be a nice buy
The Bear and the Nightingale is very pretty. It reminds me of the cover for The Essex Serpent – the style is quite similar.
Now that you mention it I feel the same. It looks similar to The Essex Serpent, maybe because the design crowds the entire cover.
Welcome to Lagos and See What I Have Done! OH my. What deliciousness.
I agree. the back cover of See what I have done is equally pretty
I need that edition.
It sure is gorgeous. I hope the book is a good one too.
It is!!! One of my favourites this year.
You read it? Did I miss the review? Did you review it on the blog?
I did. You commented on it!
Haha. Yes. I searched on your blog when your reply got delayed. I loved the book too.
^_^ I didn’t even get the notification for the comment. Stupid phone
Delicious indeed! In your pic on the front of the blog, my eyes were drawn to the Gentleman in Moscow cover — it’s such a strong striking one!
Always interesting to see how covers differ. The US editions of Homegoing, Gentleman in Moscow, and Bear and the Nightingale are not nearly as beautiful as these. Such a pity!
Yes, I saw those covers too. These are definitely prettier.
I completely agree with you. All of these covers are so gorgeous! I especially love the ones for The Wonder, Homegoing, Flesh and Bone and Water, and The Bear and the Nightingale.
Me too. They are all so gorgeous.
WOW these covers are stunning, particularly the first two and the Bear and Nightingale one you posted! We have a different UK See What I Have Done Cover, with a peacock on it.
I agree. I love them all. I must looks at the different cover. A peacock on the cover sounds interesting
OHHH THEY ARE SO GORGEOUS. I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHICH TO HUG FIRST. I love love love The Bear and the Nightingale cover and may or may not have bought it exclusively for that. And yessss to Strange the Dreamer. Also I really love the one for The Man in Moscow and The Wonder! I hadn’t seen either of those before, but wooooooow.
I adore all of these too. I still need to get to Strange the Dreamer. I have heard it is amazing. And cover buy for The bear and the nightingale is TOTALLY worth it.
I always judge a book by its cover. And I’m usually very specific about what edition I want, which is not a good thing when you’re visiting a second-hand book and an employer is bringing you the books out from a warehouse… Glad to know I’m not alone though!
I am so glad cover design is given so much more importance now. It is an art indeed.
/heart eyes/ All of these are so beautiful-some of them even majestic. I definitely want those copies of Homegoing and Strange the Dreamer. And, of course, The Bear and the Nightingale as I mentioned in your review. Thanks for sharing these with us, Resh Susan!
I agree. I hope the books are as good as the covers. I have heard both Homegoing and Strange the Dreamer are fantastic. So I am very excited.
LOVE all the covers you selected here! My favorites are probably A Gentleman in Moscow, Strange the Dreamer, and The Bear and the Nightingale. I will actually be reading Strange the Dreamer this month, so fingers crossed the inside match the outside 🙂
I love all of them. And they are good books too which is an added bonus
These covers are so gorgeous! I never get tired of looking at vibrant and colorful book covers.
I love excellent cover designs too.
I love looking at beautiful covers so I really appreciate this post. That Gentleman of Moscow cover is my fav of the lot.
I love that one. The gold and black on the cover is amazing.
These covers are all beautiful!! I have Homegoing and The Ministry of Utmost Happiness 🙂
Resh, I think we have very similar tastes in books! A lot of the books you’ve been reviewing has caught my eye or I already have them on the shelves. And from this list, I really really want to read Gentleman in Moscow, The Bear and the Nightingale and The Wonder
I am glad to hear that Melinda. Always lovely to discover bookworms with similar taste. What were your favourite books of 2017?
I have heard amazing things about A Gentleman in Moscow. I want to read it soon. The Bear and the Nightingale was an amazing book for me