We usually hear the saying: Don’t judge a book by its cover. But sometimes, that cover is exactly what you need to pull you into a fantastic story.
I recently went to the library after not going for a while, and I’m struggling to find good books to read. I also rarely go to the library with a strict list of books I want to read in mind. So at the start of the new year I had this idea: to walk through the aisles and read books that catch my attention. A beautiful, colorful palette, a mysterious design or sometimes one blank image that made me curious enough to pick up the book.
Here are some of the books I’ve picked up simply because the books intrigued me, and you never know, you might want to read them too.
Honey by Isabel Banta
This cover caught my attention immediately. It features two discs that made me think of one thing – music. I love anything related to music, so I had to pick it up.
The novel takes readers back to the late 1990s and early 2000s, following Amber Young, a young woman who gets a life-changing opportunity to join a girl group called “Cloud 9” in Los Angeles. Amber, who comes from a small town, feels like it’s a dream come true. As Amber navigates a whole other world, she quickly realizes that the music industry is far more complicated than she realized.
She meets other rising stars: Gwen Morris, a rising singer and dancer, and Wes Kingston, a member of the biggest boy group in the world. As Amber’s fame grows, so does the pressure. She becomes surrounded by people who seem to care for her, but may just want something from her.
What makes this book so interesting is not only the fact that it’s the author’s debut single, but that it explores the darker side of celebrity culture not often talked about. The story shows how public opinion can shift quickly and how one mistake can change everything in a young star’s career. If you are interested in stories that are about pop culture, fame and struggles that come with fame, this book is definitely a book I would recommend reading.
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
Okay I’ll be honest, this is a book that didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
I first picked up the book not only because of its cover, but also because I recognized the book was trending on #BookTok. Emily Henry is also a very popular author, and I’ve read one of her books before so I thought: why not see what the book is about?
The story follows Alice Scott, an optimistic writer hoping for her big break, and Hayden Anderson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. Both of them travel to a small island hoping to write a bibliography of Margeret Ives, a mysterious woman who is a member of a famous family and a tabloid sensation.
Margaret agrees, after hard conversations with both journalists, to meet with both for a limited time. She plans to choose only one of them to tell her life story. Though she only gives each writer bits of pieces of her past, and because of a strict NDA, they can never share information they’ve learned from her with one another.
The concept is interesting enough, yes, but the book having constant flashbacks to Margaret’s story wasn’t appealing to me. I understand the reasoning for it, and flashbacks can be a well-liked element, but in this case it disrupted the flow of the book. I also found the main character a bit frustrating at times (actually, most of the time).
This book wasn’t a favorite; it proves judging a book by its cover doesn’t always guarantee you’ll love it — but it’s still worth trying.
Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma
I saw the cover and immediately had to take it. It shows a hand holding up a building — maybe a house — and the word immortal caught my eye and made me think of supernatural stories, which I love. I’ve also been on a fantasy drought, and it is one of my favorite genres when it comes to books. If you love shows like “The Vampire Diaries,” this story might appeal to you. It’s not exactly like “The Vampire Diaries,” but it has that same dark, mysterious tone which makes the cover match perfectly with the atmosphere of the book.
It’s about Kidan Adane, an heiress who attends an elite university to find her kidnapped sister, suspecting the kidnapper is a powerful vampire named Susenyos Sagad. .
The book takes you into a world filled with supernatural elements, power struggles, dangerous situations and even a little romance. This is also Tigest Girma’s debut novel, and she was praised for her world-building and plot.
For readers who love to read darker fantasy and supernatural stories, a book like this will quickly pull you in.
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
A cover can catch your attention not only because of its design, but because of who’s on it.
Former Nickelodeon star Jennette McCurdy made me want to pick up the book.
Many people, including me, grew up watching her on television, but this memoir tells the painful reality behind her childhood fame.
McCurdy writes about her complicated relationship with her mother, the pressures of child stardom and the mental struggles she had to go through growing up in the entertainment industry.
Ultimately, she tells a story that is honest and raw in such a vulnerable way. Out of all the books I picked up, this one hit me in a different way than the others and was certainly the most impactful.
Other Cover Picks I Loved
There are a few other honorable mentions that grabbed my attention:
- A Thousand Boy Kisses by: Tillie Cole
- I Who Have Never Known Men by: Jacqueline Harpman
- Every Summer After by: Carley Fortune
All these books offer stories that are vastly different, from emotional romance to thought-provoking fiction. Even though the genres may not be the same, they start the same way — covers that made me interested enough to open the book.
Maybe It Is Okay to Judge a Book by Its Cover
The phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover” is good for life advice, but when it comes to actual books, maybe the cover is a good starting point.
I think covers are designed to spark curiosity. It gives a hint at the tone and genre of the story a book is trying to tell.
The next time you go to the library or bookstore, pick up a book simply because the cover intrigues you. Not every cover-based pick will become a favorite, or maybe it will become a favorite; that’s the fun in exploring a new story.
After all, as an aspiring writer myself, the best reading experiences start with a little bit of curiosity.