We’re not supposed to do it. We are supposed to understand that the literary endeavor contained between two cardboard rectangles (or after clicking/swiping past the cover) cannot possibly be captured and accurately represented by one static image. And yet. Cover art persists and it’s kind of a big deal. The major publishing houses have large art departments composed of book designers, graphic designers, and artists who determine what we see when we are deciding what to read. Cover art decisions really boil down to marketing, and all those decisions—illustration versus photo, people versus objects or designs, minimalist versus lavish—are choices meant to indicate to the reader what to expect within. Want to hear a crazy bit of trivia? Unless authors are a really big deal (think Stephen King or J.K. Rowling) they do not get to have anything to do with their cover art. That’s right, they have no say in what their book will look like. Writers must put their trust in the publisher and hope they like the result, because that’s just how the business works.

Spend enough time looking at book covers (as a librarian inevitably will over time) and you begin to have a type of pavlovian response, likely allowing yourself to be waaayyy too much of an authority on what will be contained within. After all, there are consistent formulas and trends. Looking at a cover will tell you several things: first and foremost, the intended audience as decided by the marketers at the publishing house (it’s worth noting that ‘intended audiences’ equals who-will-this-book-appeal-to-categories which are sadly reductive and often classist, sexist, and ageist, but that is another post for another time). Other obvious cover art indicators include the genre of course, but also attributes like tone and even writing style. Book cover artwork is so pervasive, evocative, and powerful, that jaded readers run the risk of smugly glancing at a book and deciding they know exactly what awaits its reader. It’s good to remember that these types of assumptions can be proven wrong time and time again.

Having said all that, I will confess that recently I chose a book solely by its cover art. Gasp. I promise you this was a serious departure for me. So much so that it inspired this blog post! I do, at times, lean on generalizations and stereotypes regarding cover art, but I put a lot more stock in summaries and book reviews. So it was weird when I was browsing Sora a few weeks back and I kept going back to a book just to look at the cover. It just spoke to me aesthetically. I don’t really know how to explain why? It was cool, exciting, and sumptuous… Anyway. Reader, I read it. And I’m not sorry I did! Did the cover give me an idea of what to expect? Sure it did. Did the cover really have anything to do with my actual reaction to the book? Not one bit. Suffice it to say, I was a moth to a flame, and I didn’t get burned. Without further ado, the book cover artwork in all its (as subjectively judged by me) splendor:

What are your thoughts about book covers? Do you have a favorite? What does the cover art tell you? Let us know in the comments!

The end of the year is a great time to reflect on what we read. The Book Blog Leadership Team has read many books this year. Which ones were our favorites?

Standalones: If you don’t want to commit to a full series of books, check out one (or more) of the standalones that we loved!

If you’re looking for an insightful book into the experiences of young girls and how “femininity” is pushed upon them, look no further. Cinderella Ate My Daughter is another incredible release from an author who is pretty familiar to Harker students: Her works have been featured in previous Re-Create Reading lists!

With lyrical writing and a heartbreaking plot, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is perfect for artists and storytellers. If everyone you meet forgets you, how do you leave a mark on the world? After making a deal with the darkness, Addie becomes immortal, at a price: no one will ever remember her. Until, someone finally does.

Bri wants to become a rapper; it’s been her dream ever since her father passed away. Now that her mother has lost her job, becoming a rapper is not just a dream: It is a necessity. Following The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas’ new novel deals with race, class, and privilege.

If you’re a fan of poetry, this is the book for you. Following two girls who discover that they are sisters, this book discusses family and loss in a beautiful way. And, if you do choose to read it, the audiobook is fantastic!

This literary fiction novel follows two twin sisters: one who lives her life as a black woman and the other who lives as a white one. Perfect for fans of family dramas and hard-hitting commentary on race and privilege.

This historical fiction novel details the experiences of Lale, a tattooist at a concentration camp during World War II. While historical fiction, the book is based on the real life romance of an individual at Auschwitz.

This Tender Land follows an orphan named Odie O’Banion who is separated from his parents. He is at the Lincoln School where Native American children are sent to be educated in 1932. If you are interested in learning more about the Native American experience, this is the perfect one for you.

After being stopped by law enforcement at a local supermarket for “kidnapping” a child, Emira is swept up into a world of people trying to help her, but perhaps not for the right reasons. This book has a really interesting and humorous exploration of performative activism.

Author Gene Yang reflects on his own experiences with basketball. As a kid, he did not understand sports. But now, he meets with members of the Dragons to learn more about basketball while finding unexpected connections.

Series: These recommendations are part of a larger series. We’ll leave information about the book mentioned and the first book in the series so you can start your journey at the beginning!

In a London plagued by demons, how will the nephilim protect themselves and the mundanes? This urban fantasy series follows the children of the characters of The Infernal Devices. Because of that, we recommend reading The Infernal Devices first. But, you could just start with this one.

A Sky Beyond the Storm is the climactic ending to the story following a slave and a soldier, who team up to fight greater evil. We recommend starting with An Ember in the Ashes, which is the first book in this series based on Ancient Rome.

The Poppy War is a gritty Asian-inspired adult fantasy series about a war orphan named Rin who is taken in by a family in the opium trade. To escape an arranged marriage, Rin tries to get into a school for war. The Burning God is the final book of the trilogy, so we recommend starting at The Poppy War.

Want more recommendations? Check out these “Best of 2020” lists from other sources:

Goodreads Choice Awards: https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-books-2020?ref=gca2020winners

New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/books/review/best-books.html

New York Times Critics: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/02/books/times-critics-top-books-of-2020.html

Vanity Fair: https://www.vanityfair.com/style/photos/2020/12/the-15-best-books-of-2020

Book Riot: https://bookriot.com/best-books-of-2020/

NPR: https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view=covers&year=2020

Penguin Random House: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/the-read-down/the-best-books-of-2020

Or, you could fill out this form (https://library.harker.org/upperlibrary/reading) to get a recommendation from a Harker librarian!