By Abbie Wright, Megan Coote, Juliette Tulloch and Laura Wallace
Spring has finally arrived and the change of season seems like a great time to treat yourselves to a new, entertaining novel. Our team have found some books with covers that perfectly capture this colourful season through vibrant colours, floral symbolism and bold style. So, whether you’re going on a picnic, visiting a new town or simply having a night in in the spring weather, here are some books that you are sure to enjoy.
Furies: The Virago Book of Wild Women by fifteen authors
“DRAGON. TYGRESS. SHE-DEVIL. HUSSY. SIREN. WENCH. HARRIDAN. MUCKRAKER. SPITFIRE. VITUPERATOR. CHURAIL. TERMAGANT. FURY. WARRIOR. VIRAGO.”
Looking for an anthology of stories to pick up and put down when you please? Furies: The Virago Book of Wild Women by fifteen bestselling authors landed this month as part of the celebrations for Virago’s 50th anniversary, to much excitement and acclaim. Contributing authors include Kamila Shamsie, Ali Smith, Margaret Attwood, Chibundu Onuzu, Stella Duffy and many more. The anthology seeks to reclaim the words from traditional stories of abuse and misogyny, transforming them instead into original stories that are empowering and fierce, taking inspiration from a word that represents Virago. The cover is true to its contents, using a bold colour palette and the image of a dragon to hone in on the fantastical and powerful words used by its authors, whilst adding a retro undertone that resonates with the founding of Virago in the 1970s. The placement of the authors around the edges and on the spine illustrates that this is a one-of-a-kind anthology that brings together bestselling authors and illuminates each one’s unique writing at the same time.
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
If you are looking for a new book with a colourful cover to add to your shelves this spring and love a story with a touch of magic, look no further than this gorgeous edition of Emily Wildes Encyclopaedia of Faeries written by Heather Fawcett. The cover design, by illustrator Bex Parkin, is enchanting and captures the essence of Fawcett’s novel. Parkin is known for her love of colourful wildlife and botanicals with a vibrant colour palette and her style carries through clearly with this design – from the vibrant green foliage to the bright pink berries and toadstools. The greenery and touches of gold glitter creates the sensation of walking through an enchanted forest, giving the cover a fresh spring feel. You can find more of Bex Parkin’s illustrations here.
Maame by Jessica George
The vibrant display of colours on the cover of Jessica George’s novel Maame immediately invites the reader to pick this as their springtime read. The flowers on the front cover, mixed with the reds, yellows and greens of the background creates an aesthetic display for any bookshelf. The cover immediately evokes feelings of springtime, with the flowers and colour palette alluding to a sense of growth and a return to brighter days.
Beyond the cover, George’s novel is one that resonates with the idea of growth, a classic theme of spring. The story is about Maddie, a woman living in London while struggling with her identity and family relationships. Her mother spends most of her time in Ghana, while Maddie must take care of her father who suffers with Parkinson’s. Maddie must navigate her life while keeping hold of the relationships closest to her. The novel is a heartwarming tale of culture, love and change through the lens of a strong female protagonist. Both the book’s cover and the contents of the novel make this new story the perfect springtime read.
The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti
The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti is a pretty YA (Young Adult) addition to your bookshelf this spring. The sunny yellow of the cover with the white petals of a beautiful spring flower appear to represent a cheerful springtime read. On looking more closely, though, something unusual can be seen in the petals. They are made of paper. They are fragmented. This simple and effective cover design represents that things are not always as they seem – one of the central themes of the book. Themes of mental health, including loneliness and insecurity, are pronounced with a unique narration. Lovett is a twenty-one-year-old who disappears from a campsite one night, something that doesn’t happen in the quiet town in which she lived. Hawthorn, a seventeen-year-old from the same town, becomes obsessed with Lizzie’s disappearance. As Hawthorn searches for the truth about what happened, she ultimately finds her own truths.