30 books that you can totally judge by their covers

This year has been full of exciting book releases, made more appealing by the fact that most of them have gorgeous covers.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover” is one of those sayings that readers always hear but never quite manage to follow. After all, it’s a little difficult to ignore a shiny new book with a beautiful cover — especially if you relish in your physical TBR pile being taller than you are. The more books, the merrier! Right?

And why shouldn’t readers judge books by their covers, anyway? I mean, sure, a bad cover doesn’t necessarily mean the book isn’t worth reading. But a good cover usually does indicate that a significant amount of time and effort went into that particular title — two good signs for readers looking for a story that’s treated with a similar amount of care.

This is especially true when you realize that publishers have caught on to the hype surrounding cover art. When they believe a book is worth selling (and reading), they work hard to ensure that it has unique and impressionable art on its front, art that will draw readers in just by sitting on the shelves of a bookstore.

So, although covers aren’t everything, they definitely signify the fact that effort has gone into a book — and that people in the industry believe the book is worth reading.

And if that’s the case, let readers be a little shallow! Let us judge our books how we want, even if it means that we’re picking up the ones with the fancy covers first and foremost.

And choosing books based on the attractiveness of their covers is an especially easy feat this year. Throughout 2018, numerous titles with gorgeous covers have hit bookstores, and many of these new releases are hyped for reasons beyond their covers.

So, having trouble choosing your next read? Well, here are 30 books released in 2018 that you can totally judge by their covers.