10 Books I Bought For The Cover

I absolutely agree with the general wisdom that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover – but that doesn’t mean we can’t make purchasing decisions based on the cover, not at all. There are plenty of books on my shelves that earned their spot with brilliant design and eye-catching concepts, before I even looked inside. Often, I don’t buy them just for the cover, but when the blurb or the hype is intriguing, it can be the cover that seals the deal. Here are ten books I bought for the cover – and it’s not hard to see why.

True Story by Kate Reed Petty

“An inventive and breathtaking exploration of a woman finding her voice in the wake of trauma, True Story is part psychological thriller, part fever dream, and part timely comment on sexual assault, power, and the very nature of truth.” Read my full review of True Story here.

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

“A brilliant depiction of a world hidden from view, Convenience Store Woman is an ironic and sharp-eyed look at contemporary work culture and the pressures we all feel to conform, as well as a charming and completely fresh portrait of an unforgettable heroine.” Read my full review of Convenience Store Woman here.

Normal People by Sally Rooney

“Sally Rooney brings her brilliant psychological acuity and perfectly spare prose to Normal People, a story that explores the subtleties of class, the electricity of first love, and the complex entanglements of family and friendship.” Read my full review of Normal People here.

The Helpline by Katherine Collette

“A sharp, witty, big-hearted comedy from a hilarious new Australian writer, Katherine Collette’s The Helpline is about people power and brain power—and the difficulty of getting them to work together.” Read my full review of The Helpline here.

Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix

“A traditional haunted house story in a thoroughly contemporary setting, Horrorstör is designed to retain its luster and natural appearance for a lifetime of use. Pleasingly proportioned with generous French flaps and a softcover binding, Horrorstör delivers the psychological terror you need in the elegant package you deserve.” Read my full review of Horrorstor here.

The Harpy by Megan Hunter

“Told in dazzling, musical prose, The Harpy is a dark, staggering fairy tale, at once mythical and otherworldly and fiercely contemporary. It is a novel of love, marriage and its failures, of power, control and revenge, of metamorphosis and renewal.”

Tampa by Alissa Nutting

“Laced with black humor and crackling sexualized prose, Alissa Nutting’s Tampa is a grand, seriocomic examination of the want behind student / teacher affairs and a scorching literary debut.” Read my full review of Tampa here.

Dry by Augusten Burroughs

“Dry is the story of love, loss, and Starbucks as a Higher Power.”

His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet

“His Bloody Project is a mesmerising literary thriller set in an unforgiving landscape where the exercise of power is arbitrary.”

Draw Your Weapons by Sarah Sentilles

“In Draw Your Weapons, Sentilles tells the true stories of Howard, a conscientious objector during World War II, and Miles, a former prison guard at Abu Ghraib, and in the process she challenges conventional thinking about how war is waged, witnessed, and resisted.”