Please tell me you thought of Shania Twain, even if you aren’t a country fan. I’m probably dating myself here.

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“They” say never judge a book by it’s cover…

Yet I do it all the time. Rather than speaking of books that did not manage to impress me, I decided to cover (sorry, not sorry) books that left me underwhelmed, visually speaking. Occasionally good books get bad* covers.

The Bird Sisters // Rebecca Rasmussen. I really enjoyed this novel, but the cover never would’ve grabbed me. I read it on the recommendation of a fellow librarian.

Bag of Bones // Stephen King. See also: Any Stephen King novel.

Straight Man // Richard Russo. One of the best campus novels of all time simply has a duck on it. Truly, I understand why it was picked, it’s just so unappealing!

The Devil All the Time // Donald Ray Pollock. This is one of my favorite novels, but the cover is so lackluster – especially in comparison to Pollock’s new novel.

Euphoria // Lily King. I’m not sure of the general consensus, but I would’ve passed on the novel based on the cover alone.

The Marauders // Tom Cooper. Funnier than any post-Katrina novel should be, yet visually underwhelming.

Unholy Ghosts // Stacia Kane. I think it’s likely a genre thing, and I’m not fond of paranormal romance usually, but the book was solid, the cover art…less so.

Edge of Dark Water // Joe R. Lansdale. This is one of my favorite novels by Lansdale, along with Leather Maiden, and comparing the two covers reveals a stark contrast not in Edge of Dark Water’s favor.

The Night Sister // Jennifer McMahon. Just…meh.

Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage // Alice Munro. The short stories are amazing. The cover is not.

Have any great books with bad covers you’d like to share? For more lists, visit here.

*Don’t get me wrong, yeah I think they’re alright.