Color color color

Another month of books, another month of book covers. The books of August were as lush as you might expect, though not always in the usual ways. Here are a few of my favorites from the end of summer. What’d I miss?

Devyn Defoe, Burnside; cover design by Frances diGiovanni at Rodrigo Corral Studio; cover art by Kate Awalt-Conley (Astra House, August 4)

Deranged, in the best way. I love the uneven overlap in both text and image.

Annie Lord, The Project; cover design by Robin Bilardello (Harper, August 4)

A book cover you can feel.

Paul Yoon, Etna; cover design by Oliver Munday (Scribner, August 4)

So simple—but it’s all in the color story.

Matthew Futterman, The Cruelest Game: Chasing Greatness in Professional Tennis; cover design by Oliver Munday (Doubleday, August 4)

I love the sly distance between the racket and its shadow.

Téa Obreht, Sunrise; cover design by Adriana Tonello at Rodrigo Corral Studio (Random House, August 11)

Another great color story (and appropriately giving Big Book Energy).

Claire Carusillo, The Responsible Party; cover design and illustration by Clay Smith (Henry Holt, August 11)

There’s something deeply appealing—and charmingly ’80s—about the textures here.

Daljit Nagra, Yiewsley; cover design by Kishan Rajani (Faber & Faber, August 18)

A knockout.

Malavika Kannan, Unprecedented Times; cover design by Sara Pinsonault, artwork by Shyama Golden (Henry Holt, August 18)

The illustration is arresting, but for me the genius is really in the sharp droop of “unprecedented.” Says it all, really.

Dorthe Nors, tr. Caroline Waight, Range; cover design by Alban Fischer (Graywolf, August 18)

A gorgeous collage that’s more complex than it first looks.

Anjet Daanje, tr. David McKay, The Song of Stork and Dromedary; cover design by Emma Moore (FSG Originals, August 18)

Tricky, tricky. Also, that bird wants to tell me something, I can feel it.

John Manuel Arias, Crocodilopolis; cover illustration by Rafael Nobre (Bloomsbury, August 25)

Another bold, gorgeous illustration.