WORST Book Cover Art

Do you have a really abominably painfully ugly book cover to nominate? Something so bad that you feel a need to put a post-it note over it while reading what is inside to keep from cringeing? Please feel free to add to the list.

PLEASE NOTE: Nominations should be considered only on the Cover Art--the outside packaging. Not to what is inside. Remember, authors rarely get to influence their cover art choice and bad covers are usually not their fault. (There are different lists for criticizing the insides. This is not one of them.) Ugly cover art only, please!

Again, this Listopia list refers only to the outside packaging! Not to the book inside.

Let's try to be nice about self-published books. But publishers that can afford to hire professional artists are fair game.
398

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4.18 avg rating — 1,954 ratings
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3.70 avg rating — 190 ratings
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402

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3.89 avg rating — 278,333 ratings
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405

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4.32 avg rating — 29,560 ratings
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405

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3.57 avg rating — 30 ratings
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3.80 avg rating — 10 ratings
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3.86 avg rating — 812,072 ratings
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4.28 avg rating — 28,030 ratings
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409

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3.70 avg rating — 23,637 ratings
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3.86 avg rating — 566,573 ratings
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409

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4.28 avg rating — 6,217 ratings
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413

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4.33 avg rating — 29,324 ratings
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413

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3.93 avg rating — 1,940 ratings
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413

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4.27 avg rating — 1,173 ratings
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413

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3.91 avg rating — 689,932 ratings
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417

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4.29 avg rating — 27,484 ratings
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417

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3.95 avg rating — 24,657 ratings
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417

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3.94 avg rating — 271,513 ratings
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417

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3.87 avg rating — 488,970 ratings
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421

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4.36 avg rating — 30,181 ratings
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3.87 avg rating — 64,991 ratings
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423

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4.39 avg rating — 30,515 ratings
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423

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4.14 avg rating — 203,889 ratings
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425

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4.47 avg rating — 32,785 ratings
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425

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4.26 avg rating — 580,709 ratings
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425

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1.86 avg rating — 728 ratings
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428

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4.39 avg rating — 31,998 ratings
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428

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4.03 avg rating — 160,666 ratings
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430

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4.38 avg rating — 31,492 ratings
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430

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3.82 avg rating — 445,451 ratings
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432

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4.36 avg rating — 31,750 ratings
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432

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3.90 avg rating — 461 ratings
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432

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3.92 avg rating — 214,909 ratings
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435

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3.88 avg rating — 3,375 ratings
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436

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3.77 avg rating — 17,389 ratings
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4.14 avg rating — 124,750 ratings
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438

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4.11 avg rating — 61,091 ratings
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4.45 avg rating — 643,808 ratings
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3.90 avg rating — 115,189 ratings
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441

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4.01 avg rating — 83,262 ratings
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442

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4.44 avg rating — 1,064 ratings
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442

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4.17 avg rating — 15,954 ratings
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444

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3.70 avg rating — 694 ratings
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444

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3.74 avg rating — 3,997 ratings
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446

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3.59 avg rating — 5,939 ratings
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446

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it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings
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448

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3.53 avg rating — 34 ratings
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448

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4.16 avg rating — 4,570 ratings
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448

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4.26 avg rating — 700,185 ratings
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451

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3.60 avg rating — 416 ratings
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451

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2.63 avg rating — 183 ratings
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453

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3.80 avg rating — 10,567 ratings
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453

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3.89 avg rating — 98,774 ratings
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455

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3.58 avg rating — 846 ratings
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455

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4.33 avg rating — 297 ratings
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457

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2.62 avg rating — 29 ratings
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457

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4.62 avg rating — 164 ratings
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459

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3.92 avg rating — 3,065 ratings
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459

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3.71 avg rating — 14,157 ratings
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459

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4.53 avg rating — 66 ratings
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462

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3.82 avg rating — 3,747 ratings
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462

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4.49 avg rating — 105 ratings
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464

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3.52 avg rating — 1,265 ratings
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464

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4.37 avg rating — 214 ratings
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466

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3.58 avg rating — 649 ratings
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466

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4.37 avg rating — 310 ratings
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468

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4.02 avg rating — 2,842 ratings
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468

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3.76 avg rating — 608 ratings
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470

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3.50 avg rating — 80 ratings
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470

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4.30 avg rating — 77 ratings
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472

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3.94 avg rating — 11,227 ratings
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472

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2.36 avg rating — 642 ratings
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474

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3.61 avg rating — 194 ratings
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474

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4.44 avg rating — 2,040 ratings
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476

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3.48 avg rating — 3,987 ratings
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476

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3.40 avg rating — 10,745 ratings
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478

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3.90 avg rating — 579 ratings
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478

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3.88 avg rating — 433,120 ratings
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480

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3.48 avg rating — 3,596 ratings
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480

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4.27 avg rating — 50,168 ratings
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482

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4.03 avg rating — 29 ratings
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482

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4.16 avg rating — 806,792 ratings
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482

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4.13 avg rating — 12,181 ratings
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485

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3.77 avg rating — 370 ratings
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485

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3.61 avg rating — 6,953 ratings
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487

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3.54 avg rating — 689 ratings
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487

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4.09 avg rating — 6,197 ratings
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489

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3.77 avg rating — 1,535 ratings
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490

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3.57 avg rating — 219 ratings
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491

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3.93 avg rating — 666 ratings
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492

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3.42 avg rating — 139 ratings
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493

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3.33 avg rating — 225 ratings
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494

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2.97 avg rating — 150 ratings
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495

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3.99 avg rating — 2,395 ratings
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496

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3.65 avg rating — 409 ratings
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497

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3.73 avg rating — 597 ratings
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498

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3.93 avg rating — 136 ratings
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498

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3.63 avg rating — 7,302 ratings
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500

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3.96 avg rating — 49,299 ratings
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506 books · 230 voters · list created January 26th, 2011 by MB (What she read) (votes) .
16 likes · 
Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.


MB (What she read) 8718 books
119 friends
Nina 995 books
54 friends
Brad 2673 books
705 friends
A 3805 books
1097 friends
Kimberly 2004 books
281 friends
Rachel 415 books
56 friends
Zuzana 728 books
110 friends
Cindi 2318 books
62 friends

More voters…


Comments Showing 1-13 of 13 (13 new)

dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by A (new)

A Dude! I love The Dark Divine's cover! :) I just won't vote for it, hehe.


MB (What she read) No problem, our tastes are subjective. It'll be interesting to see what gets the most votes.

I'm going to add a lot more when I have a chance to think about it.

Frankly, I look at this as constructive criticism for publishers. Ha!


message 3: by A (new)

A Don't get me started on indie publisher covers. It's like they're not even trying.

Notable exception: Flux Books, of which there is already one on this list (imho just meh but not the WORST I've seen!) I loooove the cover for Mahoney's Iron Witch.

I'll be back to vote (and abstain from voting) some more!


message 4: by Cindi (new)

Cindi I especially hate when they just put a bulging body with no head showing...it's too embarrassing to read them in public. It says, "Who cares about brains or personality...I only care about animal physicality!" What an insult to the author and the readers!!!!


MB (What she read) Oh, me too, Cindi! That is a style I dislike. For some reason the older style of romance covers that was popular a few years ago with a woman's legs and shoes didn't bother me as much. But chopping off the head/s is just annoying.

Subliminally, I feel like I'm being told to 'check my brain at the door' while reading.


Therealbadkitty All of the newer Nightshade covers are awful. The orginals are so beautiful why did they change it?!


message 7: by [deleted user] (new)

Cindi wrote: "I especially hate when they just put a bulging body with no head showing...it's too embarrassing to read them in public. It says, "Who cares about brains or personality...I only care about animal p..."

I agree!


message 8: by Lu (new)

Lu I vote for any cover with a shirtless dude and little else on the cover...then again I don't think I've ever read a book like that. Not my genre :D


MB (What she read) Lu wrote: "I vote for any cover with a shirtless dude and little else on the cover...then again I don't think I've ever read a book like that. Not my genre :D"

I hate those covers too. Unfortunately, they must sell well.


message 10: by Jan (last edited May 07, 2021 10:40PM) (new)

Jan All these covers are beautiful. I will not comment that somebody thinks ugly book cover art is possible. To each their own, but these are evocative covers that take me places. Anyone who thinks they're ugly is missing out on magical dreams.


message 11: by Ketutar (new)

Ketutar Jensen Jan wrote: "All these covers are beautiful. I will not comment that somebody thinks ugly book cover art is possible. To each their own, but these are evocative covers that take me places. Anyone who thinks the..."
It's very nice of you to think everything is beautiful, but you are pretty unique with that opinion.
I'd rather let the book take me places.


message 12: by Ketutar (new)

Ketutar Jensen Laura The Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Donald Zochert
WHY THE HECK DID THEY USE THE TV SERIES THAT HAS PRACTICALLY NOTHING TO DO WITH LAURA INGALLS WILDER!!!??!?!?


message 13: by Ketutar (new)

Ketutar Jensen Yes, one could fill up this list with self published and the "Chinese" classic covers where they have just whacked on some image that may or may not be some way associated with the story itself...


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