Mostly because I felt bad about going through the books I read in search of ugliness, I also picked out the covers I liked. Maybe doubling the number of books I read this year made me raise my standards, because there weren’t as many as I thought there would be. The best one was probably:
Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel
It’s a graphic novel, so I guess the art had better pull you in. Same with:
The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen and Rebecca Guay
The art in this book was beautiful.
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
I also really like this cover, because it advertises the story so well: early modern period + dragons
The Professor’s Daughter by Joann Sfar and Emmanuel Guibert
This was another graphic novel about an Egyptologist’s daughter who falls in love with one of the mummies he brings home. The art style is different, but I kind of like it.
Annoying: The Science of What Bugs Us by Joe Palca and Flora Lichtman
The cover is what first drew me to this book: it’s perfect.
Extremes by Nick Middleton
I read a lot more non-fiction this year than ever before, and they do a really good job of pulling you in with evocative photographs like this. For instance:
The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook by Lindsay Landis
I actually bought this book, because I was hungry and that cover
The Africa Book, Lonely Planet
This is a pretty great reference book on Africa: lots of detail, lots of great pictures
Maphead by Ken Jennings
I don’t know why I like this one so much. Maybe it’s the colors, or maybe it’s that I too find maps really aesthetically pleasing. For instance, on the wall across from me right now:
I claim I need it to keep track of stuff for my book (which is admittedly also true), but really I just like the way it looks
Finally two Rainbow Rowell covers, that I love
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
A good year of books. I don’t think I’ll be making a reading goal for next year. It’s too stressful and takes some of the joy out of it.
2013: The Good
2013: The Bad
2013: The Ugly
2012: The Pretty