Judging Books by their Cover: 2020 Releases
What makes you pick a book to add to your list? I won’t lie; a lot of the time I’ll pick a the book because of the cover. I know we’re not “supposed to” judge books by their cover, but the publishing industry has clearly caught on- covers featuring bold colors, floral patterns, and iconic fonts line the front tables at bookstores.
I was playing around with Netgalley the other day and realized when I’m on that website I use the cover first as a guide to figure out what might be worth requesting. The ten selections below jumped out at me the most. They may or may not end up on my actual TBR list, but they sure are fun to look at.
Minor Dramas and Other Catastrophes | Kathleen West | Release Date: 2.4.20 | Berkley
Liston Heights High is the perfect utopia- to those on the outside. That is until the drama surrounding Isobel, an idealistic and well liked teacher and Julia, a helicopter mom with an agenda, comes to a head and forces the students caught in the middle to take action. This one is for all of you fans of stories with parents behaving badly.
Take Me Apart | Sara Sligar | Release Date: 4.28.20 | Farrar, Straus and Giroux
An ex-journalist hired to archive a murdered artist’s work becomes obsessed with her subject. While in the process of uncovering details about the deceased’s private life, she finds a diary that might be the key to solving the mystery of her death. This one combines literary fiction with psychological suspense and gives it a feminist twist.
Pride of Eden | Taylor Brown | Release Date: 3.17.20 | St. Martin’s Press
A Vietnam Veteran and retired racehorse jockey runs an exotic animal sanctuary in Georgia. When his prize lion escapes and meets an untimely end, he and his eclectic colleagues become obsessed with replacing her. In doing so, they break into the brutal underground world of trophy hunters, smugglers, and other unsavory characters who will stop at nothing to take their prize.
Hex | Rebecca Dinerstein Knight | Release Date: 3.31.20 | Viking
An expelled Ph.D. candidate in biological science quite literally explores the fine line between poison and antidote- her apartment is filled with the poisonous plants she’s studying. Amidst her research, she becomes fixated on her mentor and gets entangled in relationships fraught with obsession and ambition. But really, I didn’t even need to know the synopsis to want it- just look at this cover!
The Sun Down Motel | Simone St. James | Release Date: 2.18.20 | Berkeley
A woman in the 1980s disappears during a shift at The Sun Down Motel. 35 years later, the woman’s niece decides to visit the motel to see if anyone has any more information about what happened to her, and it doesn’t go well. I’m loving the retro vibe of this cover!
If I Had Your Face | Frances Cha | Release Date: 5.28.20 | Penguin Random House
We learn about the cutthroat economy of contemporary Seoul, where plastic surgery is routine and social status defines everything, through the eyes of four very disparate women.
The Antidote for Everything | Kimmery Martin | Release Date: 2.18.20 | Berkley
Two doctors in South Carolina put their career and their patients before nearly everything else. When they find out that their hospital board has plans to fire doctors who treat transgender patients, their dedication to the profession and to human rights gets tested.
The Companions | Katie M. Flynn | Release Date: 3.3.20 | Gallery
Station Eleven meets Never Let Me Go. California is under quarantine… and honestly I stopped reading because that’s all they need to say to get me to take a closer look.
Dead to Her | Sarah Pinborough | Release Date: 2.11.20 | William Morrow
I want it I want it!! A second wife will do whatever it takes to come out on top. The striking cover is what sucked me in, but then I saw the author was Sarah Pinborough (of Behind Her Eyes) and requested immediately. I have high hopes!
The Girl with the Louding Voice | Abi Dare | Release Date: 2.25.20 | Dutton Books
Adunni is a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl who desperately wants an education so that she may have a “louding” voice. Instead, her father sells her to be a 3rd wife and produce an heir. Despite all that’s against her, she still fights to be heard because she know that’s the only way things are going to change for her and other young women.
What upcoming release are you looking forward to?
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