The 14 Best Book Covers of May

Another month of books, another month of book covers. Things got pretty wacky (and pretty pink) in May—here are my favorites from the long, weird month that was:

Georgi Gospodinov, tr. Angela Rodel, Time Shelter (paperback); cover design by Jason Arias (Liveright, May 7)

It’s like someone threw a Magritte through a window. Or through…time?

Fiona Warnick, The Skunks; cover design by Beth Steidle (Tin House Books, May 7)

This is one of the coolest text covers—and text treatments on a cover—I’ve seen in a long time.

Kaliane Bradley, The Ministry of Time; cover design by Alison Forner, typography by Andrew Footit (Avid Reader Press, May 7)

Another text-forward book cover on a field of black, though a completely different vibe. This one is more conventional in shape, but just looks so luscious and fun. Color choices are also spot on.

Plum Sykes, Wives Like Us; cover design by Robin Bilardello, illustrations by Maizie Clarke (Harper, May 14)

I find these little compartment-style covers very comforting for some reason; this is a very satisfying version of the trope.

Robert Plunket, Love Junkie; cover design by Oliver Munday (New Directions, May 14)

The title and author on the waistband bring it to the next level.

Hari Kunzru, Blue Ruin; cover design by John Gall, painting by Chad Wys (Knopf, May 14)

I happen to love Chad Wys, so it’s a gimme—but the reflected text is also very nice.

Peter Schjeldahl, The Art of Dying: Writings, 2019 – 2022; cover design by John Gall (Abrams Press, May 14)

So much done with so little.

Anna Noyes, The Blue Maiden; cover design by Kelly Winton (Grove Press, May 14)

I always appreciate a book cover that doesn’t look like anything else—except maybe the locked drawer at the beach house you rented from a kindly old woman that one time. Weird and lovely.

Frankie Barnet, Mood Swings; cover design by Rodrigo Corral (Astra House, May 21)

Digital My Little Pony Delight! The insane, sherberty visual is perfectly balanced here with the harsh black text. The UK cover, designed by Kate Sinclair, is just as deranged and wonderful.

Holly Wilson, Kittentits; cover design by Eli Mock (Zando/Gillian Flynn Books, May 21)

Another perfectly insane book cover, to go with a perfectly insane title. I only wish I had been cool enough to have something like this on my bedroom wall in high school.

Anna Dorn, Perfume and Pain; cover design by Math Monahan (Simon & Schuster, May 21)

It’s giving Valley of the Dolls, the 2024 version.

R.O. Kwon, Exhibit; cover design by Vi-An Nguyen (Riverhead, May 21)

I love the ambiguity of this cover: what looks like abstract forms is revealed, upon gazing, as a body cloaked in hair—or is that paint? Perhaps both. A perfect treatment for the book at hand.

Thomas Grattan, In Tongues; cover design by Alex Merto (MCD, May 21)

This reminds me pleasantly of the UK cover for Big Swiss, only a tad grittier (thanks to the halftone and the Western-lite title font). My favorite bit is actually the spine—look for it next time you’re browsing.