The 14 Best Book Covers of January

Another month of books, another month of book covers. It’s bad out there, but it’s good in here. Here are a few of my favorites from January.

Irvin Weathersby Jr., In Open Contempt; cover art by Titus Kaphar (Viking, January 7)

Striking art—the colors! the textures!—for a striking title.

Adam Ross, Playworld; cover design by Oliver Munday (Knopf, January 7)

I’m always a sucker for a wrap illusion, and I love the particular weirdness of the doubled “a novel.” Choice of photograph also on point.

Kevin Maloney, Horse Girl Fever: Stories; cover design by Joel Amat Güell (Clash Books, January 7)

The merchandising takes care of itself.

Andy Corren, Dirtbag Queen; cover design by Albert Tang (Grand Central, January 14)

Look, sometimes more is more.

Tom Lamont, Going Home; cover design by Jared Bartman (Knopf, January 14)

The unusual high-contrast color palate makes this cover stand out. (The bear’s claws are also kind of sending me.)

Maria Zoccola, Helen of Troy, 1993: Poems; cover design by Maddy Angstreich (Scribner, January 14)

It’s all about the crop.

Cynthia Weiner, A Gorgeous Excitement; cover design by Chris Allen (Crown, January 21)

I would have to imagine that a title like this represents an interesting challenge for a designer—especially in this case, since the phrase refers to cocaine. But this is a perfect, vintage-coded solution that makes me want to pick up the book.

Andrew Lipstein, Something Rotten; cover design by Na Kim FSG, January 21)

Wah.

Oluwaseun Olayiwola, Strange Beach: Poems; cover design by Victoria Maxfield (Soft Skull, January 21)

Lovely.

Maggie Su, Blob: A Love Story; cover design by Robin Bilardello (Harper, January 28)

So yellow, so touchable. Putting the title and author under the gel blob is just brilliant.

Betty Shamieh, Too Soon; cover design and illustration by Kimberly Glyder (Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster, January 28)

A simple-but-lovely illustration and deft layering here—the filled Os work particularly well (and also look great on the spine).

Dorian Lynskey, Everything Must Go; cover design by Eli Mock (Pantheon, January 28)

I love the newspaper headline style title paired with the pleasingly textured comet; one of those covers that feels like a poster you’d want on your wall.

Neko Case, The Harder I Fight the More I Love You; cover design and photo by Neko Case (Grand Central, January 28)

It’s fitting that Case designed this cover herself—it has the warmth of a DIY project, which is perfect for this memoir.

Tamara Lanier, From These Roots; cover design by Anna Kochman, illustration by Mark Harris (Crown, January 28)

A restrained but clever collage.