The 11 Best Book Covers of February

Another month of books, another month of book covers. Usually, the best thing February has going for it is that it’s short, but on a leap year, we have to find comfort elsewhere. Here are a few of the jackets that caught my eye in the dismal, dragging end of winter:

Liliana Colanzi, tr. Chris Andrews, You Glow in the Dark; cover design by Jamie Keenan (New Directions, February 6)

There’s string art, and then there’s string art. You can always trust Jamie Keenan to go the extra mile.

Ivana Sajko, tr. Mima Simić, Love Novel; cover design by Jason Arias (Biblioasis, February 6)

The most perfectly claustrophobic marriage of image and text (and angle).

Rebecca K. Reilly, Greta & Valdin; cover design by Clay Smith, art direction by Alison Forner (Avid Reader, February 6)

I always enjoy a cover that is lewd-but-not-lewd, but it’s the color story here that I really love—it’s giving convenience store snack, in the best way.

Sheila Heti, Alphabetical Diaries; cover design by Na Kim (FSG, February 6)

A clever solution for an unusual concept.

Scott Guild, Plastic; cover design and illustration by Tyler Comrie (Pantheon, February 13)

I want to know what it feels like, and also I do not want to know.

Rae Giana Rashad, The Blueprint; cover design by Robin Bilardello (Harper, February 13)

Another cover where the unusual color story is doing a lot of work—in this case, it’s almost hypnotic. Paired with the image, the whole package feels dangerous and alluring.

Mariah Stovall, I Love You So Much It’s Killing Us Both; cover design by Jack Smyth (Soft Skull, February 13)

Big Zine Energy.

Phillip B. Williams, Ours; cover design by Lynn Buckley; art by Damilola Opedun (Viking, February 20)

“Lynn Buckley’s vision for my novel, Ours, as expressed in her design is a miraculous merging of plot and character as imagined from her impeccable read of the book,” Williams told Lit Hub. “From her choice of visual artist, the great Damilola Opedun, to the title and author name rendered in water coloring by her hand, the conversation between story and design couldn’t be any clearer. I love the hoop earrings worn by the model on the right, paired with the colonial attire that creates a bizarre anachronism fitting for the novel.”

Amitava Kumar, My Beloved Life; cover design by Oliver Munday (Knopf, February 27)

Lovely and ruminative, with a little wink. That yellow!

Lottie Hazell, Piglet; cover design by Jenni Oughton; art by Noah Verrier (Macmillan, February 27)

I can just feel the grease.

Emmeline Clein, Dead Weight: Essays on Hunger and Harm; cover design by Janet Hansen (Knopf, February 27)

Simple and effective.