Back by popular demand, Electric Literature is hosting our second annual “Best Book Cover of the Year” tournament, where readers determine which cover designs impressed in 2021. Just as the Italian Renaissance was born of the bubonic plague, will covid’s enduring grasp on society inspire similarly enlightened art? Help us decide which of these books are the most innovative, accurate, and visually appealing and who the Da Vincis are among this talented cohort of cover designers, illustrators, artists, and photographers.
The following list details all 32 book covers paired in 16 match-ups for the first round, and you can vote for each of your favorites on our Twitter and Instagram stories today. Voting continues throughout the week, with round two on Tuesday, quarterfinals Wednesday, semifinals Thursday, and the final face-off Friday. If you want to really lean into the competitive spirit, download the full bracket here and make your predictions for the entire tournament to see who among your literary friends has the best taste.
Right: Cover design by Holly Ovenden.
Dreaming of You by Melissa Lozada-Oliva vs. Somebody Loves You by Mona Arshi
Right: Cover design by Jimmy Iacobelli, art adapted from Temi Coker
Black Girl Call Home by Jasmine Mans vs. The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
Right: Cover art by Cynthia Warren
A Touch of Jen by Beth Morgan vs. Mona at Sea by Elizabeth Gonzalez James
Right: Cover design by Rodrigo Corral Studio, photograph by Roozbeh Roozbehani
My Darling from the Lions by Rachel Long vs. I’ll Be Strong for You by Nasim Marashi
Right: Cover design by Leia Bryans
Three Rooms by Jo Hamya vs. Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados
Right: Cover design by June Park, photographs by Jose A. Bernat Bacete and Robert Alexander
Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian vs. The Scapegoat by Sara Davis
Right: Cover design by Allison Saltzman
The Divines by Ellie Eaton vs. Nobody, Somebody, Anybody by Kelly McClorey
Right: Cover design by Emily Mahon
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner vs. Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder
Right: Cover design by Kelly Blair
The Rib King by Ladee Hubbard vs. Morningside Heights by Joshua Henkin
Right: Cover design by Michael Morris, photograph by Leon James and Willa Mae Ricker
This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno vs. A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib
Right: Cover design by Donna Cheng
Women and Other Monsters by Jess Zimmerman vs. Ghost Forest by Pik-Shuen Fung
Right: Cover design by Olga Grlic, cover illustration by Colin Verdi
The Ghost Sequences by A.C. Wise vs. The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
Right: Cover design by Elizabeth Yaffe
Milk Fed by Melissa Broder vs. Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So
Right: Cover design by Sharanya Durvasula
Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin vs. In Case of Emergency by Mahsa Mohebali, translated by Mariam Rahmani
Right: Cover design by Laywan Kwan
Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke vs. The Atmospherians by Alex McElroy
Right: Cover design by Mark Robinson, illustration by Tobatron