Favorite Covers 2015

I received complimentary copies of most of the books I mention here in exchange for honest reviews, which you’ll find in the posts I’ve linked to.

Oh, I’m not strictly a “judge a book by its cover” kind of reader, as I’ve found and have read some wonderful books with covers I didn’t care for or with no cover art at all–in the cases of used hardbacks that had lost their dust jackets before meeting me. 🙂 Still, I have an appreciation for cover art as a part of the reading experience, and here are covers I particularly liked from books I’ve read this year!

When Lyric Met Limerick by Dawn V. Cahill

Christian Fiction/Romance/Short Story

Romantic, kind-of dreamy but still mature, wonderfully blended in colors that are muted but not dull–and score all the bonus points for the lovely view of the Emerald City, my hometown. Way to go, Seattle! I’ll also unashamedly admit that the cover’s quote from my review of this story makes it all the more special to me. What an honor!

The 13th Gift: A True Story of a Christmas Miracle by Joanne Huist Smith

Nonfiction/Memoir

Okay, I technically read this book last year, but it was after my December cutoff date. The cover is uncomplicated but makes a bold, Christmassy statement in vivid color.
A door, and a gift. Boom.

To Capture Her Heart by Rebecca DeMarino

Christian Fiction/Historical Romance

It’s a pretty singular thing for me to find such romantic tension conveyed on a mainstream ChristFic book cover, but the body language and facial expressions of this man and woman have an excellent, passionate effect. I mean, you can see just how aware she is of him, and his hand there–he isn’t touching her, but the way he isn’t (yet) has all the more subtle power, especially considering that intense look between his eyebrows.

Detained by Don Brown

Christian Fiction/Thriller

Clear, bold, clean, masculine–with a hint of suspense going on with that shading at the top. You see the military, you see danger, and it doesn’t take a whole lot for the cover to get its point across. I was in the mood for a “man” read when I found this novel, and the cover immediately grasped a hold of that mood in me.

Starry Night by Debbie Macomber

Romance

Yup, another book I read last year after last year’s cutoff date. This one is holiday-cold and holiday-cozy at the same time with rich, beautiful hues of blue. And on the dust jacket of the hardback I read, the title twinkled in a little rainbow of colors when I moved the book around. A wonderful combination of darkness and light, just like an actual starry night. (Hey, I rhymed!)

Silver Linings by Debbie Macomber

Romance

No, there aren’t clouds on the cover with silver linings around them, but it doesn’t really matter. I like this image for its soft, welcoming lights in a heavily shaded area, for its tranquility and its few but well-represented colors. This is one of those covers that I flipped back to look at again and again while reading, as the lights made the whole experience more relaxing.

A Wreath of Snow: A Victorian Christmas Novella by Liz Curtis Higgs

Christian Fiction/Historical Romance

*A 2015 Christmas Book Pick*

A book I’ve recommended for everyone to read a print copy of, if possible. Its feel and design just adds to the warm Christmas-ness of it all. And even though it’s obviously cold on the cover, what with all the snow and the woman elegantly bundled to face the chill, the cover is indeed still warm, with the light from the old-fashioned train and the reds and greens that are inviting without being flashy.

The Tears of Olive Trees by AbdulKarim Al Makadma

Nonfiction/Memoir

Excellently suiting the memoir’s content, this cover is sobering but hopeful with a look toward the horizon and a beautiful revelation of light and color in the background. It took me a few glances to notice that the title isn’t merely overlaying the tree, but it’s actually sitting in the tree, entwined in the leaves. And while much of the tree is in shadow, some of the branches are touched with a glow, as if that distant light is not at all out of reach. Again, sobering and hopeful at once.

How Much Do You Love Me? by Paul Mark Tag

Historical Fiction

All right, just one more cover of one of my 2014 reads that I’m including because my Favorite Covers list didn’t exist last year. And how absolutely beautiful is this cover? The color scheming that’s serious and dreamy at the same time. The impeccable layering and blending from handwritten letter to contemplative model to cloudy sky over snowy peaks and the barrenness of an internment camp. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to combine this many images and this much text of different fonts and colors into one seamless work of art, but this cover achieves it superbly.

The South Wind Blew Softly by Ruth Livingston Hill

Christian Fiction/Romance

The best picture I could come up with for this cover is this one I took myself, so please, please forgive the little wrinkles on my old copy. 🙂 It’s a 1988 design for a book originally published in the 50s. There’s kind-of a lot going on, what with the three different sizes of folks, but the folks are all rather distinct, and the seamless layering makes it work. No, I’m not usually a fan of newer designs that don’t do the best job of representing the time the story actually takes place in, but the 80s pizzazz of this cover got me anyway.

Well, there you have them, and my applause to the artists who gave these books such a great look! Entries for 2015’s Favorite Covers giveaway are now closed, but comments on the post are remaining open.