7 Paperback Books So Stunning You’ll Be Glad You Judged It By The Cover

July 30 2020
Share 7 Paperback Books So Stunning You’ll Be Glad You Judged It By The Cover

There’s just something so comfortable about holding a soft, beautiful paperback book in your hands. The ease at which the pages turn, the ability to travel with its simplicity—not to mention its lower price point—make paperback books such a treasure. And on this day, 85 years ago, the first paperbacks were published, marking July 30 as Paperback Book Day. Here on Off the Shelf, since we are so keen on recommending backlist titles and newly published paperbacks, we thought we would honor this day by sharing a few of our staff-favorite paperback covers. Here are the titles we reveled over in all their paperback glory. 

The Deep
by Rivers Solomon

Holly's Pick #1: The new paperback cover for THE DEEP is absolutely breathtaking. The sweeps of color and flares of shimmer immediately catch the eye. And underneath this beautiful exteriolies an even more captivating story. The main character, Yetu, holds all the memories of her peopledescendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners. Their past is too traumatic to be remembered, leaving Yetu as the only soul who holds these stories. Weighed down by the gravity of the painful history she must carry, Yetu decides to swim to the surface to escape these memories. But when she arrives, she discovers a world her ancestors left long ago. In order to reclaim their identity, her people must resurface their memories and accept who they really are. 

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo
The Deep
Rivers Solomon

Octavia E. Butler meets Marvel’s Black Panther in The Deep, a story rich with Afrofuturism, folklore, and the power of memory, inspired by the Hugo Award–nominated song “The Deep” from Daveed Diggs’s rap group Clipping.

Yetu holds the memories for her people—water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners—who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly is forgotten by everyone, save one—the historian. This demanding role has been bestowed on Yetu.

Yetu remembers for everyone, and the memories, painful and wonderful, traumatic and terrible and miraculous, are destroying her. And so, she flees to the surface escaping the memories, the expectations, and the responsibilities—and discovers a world her people left behind long ago.

Yetu will learn more than she ever expected about her own past—and about the future of her people. If they are all to survive, they’ll need to reclaim the memories, reclaim their identity—and own who they really are.

The Deep is “a tour de force reorientation of the storytelling gaze…a superb, multilayered work,” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) and a vividly original and uniquely affecting story inspired by a song produced by the rap group Clipping.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

10 Epic Books Under 250 pages

By Alice Martin | July 18, 2023

6 Mind-Expanding Reads for Octavia Butler Fans

By Emily Lewis | December 21, 2022

10 Award-Winning Books That Deserve All the Praise

By Off the Shelf Staff | June 23, 2021

7 Bite-Size Books That Pack a Powerful Punch

By Maddie Nelson | December 22, 2020

12 Stunning Books New in Paperback to Fill Your Shelves

By Carrie Cabral | August 17, 2020

7 Paperback Books So Stunning You’ll Be Glad You Judged It By The Cover

By Off the Shelf Staff | July 30, 2020

Close
Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley

Sharon's Pick: This was the first book I ever bought because of its cover. Last summer I was perusing the shelves of The Book Barn in Niantic, Connecticut, for a copy of FRANKENSTEIN. The Book Barn is a used bookshop, so most, if not all, of the copies were from the 80s, and thus the cover art was exceedingly campy. When I found this edition, its dark Romantic aesthetic and anatomical art immediately drew me in, and I knew I had to have it. 

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo Libro.fm logo
Frankenstein
Mary Shelley

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo Libro.fm logo

MENTIONED IN:

7 Paperback Books So Stunning You’ll Be Glad You Judged It By The Cover

By Off the Shelf Staff | July 30, 2020

Close
My Best Friend's Exorcism
by Grady Hendrix

Kerry’s Pick: As a lifelong horror fan, one of my favorite things to do during the family trips to the local video rental store was gaze in wonder at all the horror VHS tapes (especially the ones I was too young to see). I haven’t been able to do that in a very long time, but the paperback edition of MY BEST FRIEND’S EXORCISM—a tongue-in-cheek yet heartfelt and terrifying ode to the 1980s and teenaged friendship—brought me back to my childhood love of campy thrills. Perfectly illustrated to hit you right in the nostalgia, this cover not only tells you everything you need to know about the novel but is a colorful celebration of a bygone era. 

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
My Best Friend's Exorcism
Grady Hendrix

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Close
The Doll Factory
by Elizabeth Macneal

Holly’s Pick #2: If there was ever a time to judge a book by its cover, it’s with THE DOLL FACTORY by Elizabeth Macneal. It’s 1850s London and the Great Exhibition is being set up for a crowd of spectators when aspiring artist Iris and curiosity collector Silas meet by happenstance. When Iris is asked to model for Pre-Raphaelite artist Louis Frost, she agrees on the condition that he will also teach her to paint. Suddenly, her entire life is transformed by the life of artists. But Silas has only thought of one thing since that chance meeting, and his obsession is darkening by the day. Obsession is its own form of art. 

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo Libro.fm logo
The Doll Factory
Elizabeth Macneal

The #1 international bestseller and The New York Times Editor’s Choice

“As lush as the novels of Kate Morton and Diane Setterfield, as exciting as The Alienist and Iain Pears’ An Instance of the Fingerpost, this exquisite literary thriller will intrigue book clubs and rivet fans of historical fiction.” —A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window

“A lush, evocative Gothic.” —The New York Times Book Review

This terrifically exciting novel will jolt, thrill, and bewitch readers.” —Booklist, starred review

Obsession is an art.

In this “sharp, scary, gorgeously evocative tale of love, art, and obsession” (Paula Hawkins, bestselling author of The Girl on the Train), a beautiful young woman aspires to be an artist, while a man’s dark obsession may destroy her world forever.

Obsession is an art.

In 1850s London, the Great Exhibition is being erected in Hyde Park and, among the crowd watching the dazzling spectacle, two people meet by happenstance. For Iris, an arrestingly attractive aspiring artist, it is a brief and forgettable moment. But for Silas, a curiosity collector enchanted by all things strange and beautiful, the meeting marks a new beginning.

When Iris is asked to model for Pre-Raphaelite artist Louis Frost, she agrees on the condition that he will also teach her to paint. Suddenly, her world begins to expand beyond her wildest dreams—but she has no idea that evil is waiting in the shadows. Silas has only thought of one thing since that chance meeting, and his obsession is darkening by the day.

“A lush, evocative Gothic” (The New York Times Book Review) that is “a perfect blend of froth and substance” (The Washington Post), The Doll Factory will haunt you long after you finish it and is perfect for fans of The Alienist, Drood, and Fingersmith.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo Libro.fm logo

MENTIONED IN:

10 Historical Fiction Mysteries Ideal for Winter

By Sara Roncero-Menendez | January 17, 2024

13 Book-to-Screen Adaptations We Can’t Wait to Watch in 2023

By Off the Shelf Staff | February 16, 2023

10 Winter Book Club Picks to Discuss Over Hot Cocoa

By Book Club Favorites | December 21, 2021

10 Historical Novels Perfect for Crisp Autumn Nights

By Chris Gaudio | October 11, 2021

Try On Your Dream Life with These 9 Wish-Fulfilling Reads

By Off the Shelf Staff | July 8, 2021

Readers’ Choice: Our Top 25 Most Popular Books of the Year!

By Off the Shelf Staff | December 30, 2020

Close
The Beautiful and Damned
by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Holly’s Pick #3:  The paperback cover of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED is truly a work of art. The elegant shapes and pops of color emanating from this 1920s-inspired art perfectly capture the theme of this classic tale. Harvard-educated and an aspiring aesthete, Anthony Patch is waiting for his inheritance upon his grandfather’s death. His reckless marriage to Gloria is fueled by alcohol and destroyed by greed, causing the couple to race through a series of alcohol-induced fiascoesfirst in hilarity, then in despair. THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED is a devastating portrait of the nouveaux riches, New York nightlife, reckless ambition, and squandered talent. 

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo
The Beautiful and Damned
F. Scott Fitzgerald

It’s generally believed that Scott and Zelda’s relationship inspired THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED, which followed his massive hit TENDER IS THE NIGHT. Anthony Patch, an Army serviceman and heir to a tycoon’s fortune, meets and marries the wild, passionate (and sometimes selfish) Gloria Gilbert. What follows is a roller-coaster relationship that rivals its real-life counterpart.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo
Close
Annihilation
by Jeff VanderMeer

Sarah Jane’s Pick: I love the paperback covers for Jeff VanderMeers Southern Reach series, starting with ANNIHILATION, which recently had a major film adaption. The spines of the three books are beautiful together, and the strange, almost alien-looking flower on the cover of the first book is an intriguing way to draw readers into the story of four womenan anthropologist, a surveyor, a psychologist, and a biologistwho are on a dangerous expedition. They are going into Area X, a wild, quarantined region that has destroyed eleven previous teams who were sent in. What follows is an engrossing adventure that reads like an H. G. Wells nightmare. 

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Annihilation
Jeff VanderMeer

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

Author Picks: 6 Books in the “New Weird” Genre

By Arianna Reiche | July 21, 2023

8 Survival Thrillers That’ll Leave You Breathless

By Sara Roncero-Menendez | May 12, 2023

7 Paperback Books So Stunning You’ll Be Glad You Judged It By The Cover

By Off the Shelf Staff | July 30, 2020

The Top 10 Books That Had the Biggest Impact on Me In The Last Decade

By Ana Perez | December 23, 2019

Women in the Wild: 9 Stories of Survival and Adventure

By Zoey Cole | August 14, 2019

8 Books We Can’t Stop Thinking About Right Now

By Off the Shelf Staff | August 9, 2019

Close
Himself
by Jess Kidd

Hannah’s Pick: This cover brings me so much joy! Every time I look at it, I feel as if I’m being swept up in an imaginative, beautiful forest fantasy. The book itself supports this feeling; the story is so magical and full of rich descriptions and characters. A young man who was orphaned as a baby receives a hint about his past, and so he leaves Dublin for a small town in the Irish country in search of his mother. With the help of a few ghosts (yes, he can see ghosts!) and colorful townspeople, he tries to find out what happened to his family and himself. It’s really gorgeous, inside and out. 

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo
Himself
Jess Kidd

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

7 Cozy Fantasies to Curl Up With in Your Reading Nook

By Off the Shelf Staff | November 9, 2022

12 Haunted Settings to Spook Any Reader

By Kerry Fiallo | September 20, 2022

10 One-Sitting Reads for a Well-Deserved Lazy Day

By Off the Shelf Staff | October 26, 2021

The 10 Most Popular Books We Read and Reread This April

By Off the Shelf Staff | April 30, 2021

Librarian Picks: 7 Page-Turning Reads I Highly Recommend

By Carol Ann Tack | April 5, 2021

Author Picks: 8 Novels That Prove the Irish Are Genius Storytellers

By Rebecca Hardiman | March 17, 2021

Close

You must be logged in to add books to your shelf.

Please log in or sign up now.