Staff Picks: Vi-An Nguyen’s Favorites
Hey, reader! I design book covers at Penguin—so my job is to make the things you’re traditionally told to ignore. And sure, you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but there’s no shame in admiring a book for its cover! Here are a few of my favorite books, inside AND out. Follow along @frenchchips for more book covers and shots of my two naughty, but irresistible, orange tabbies.
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Add to BookshelfKnow My Name
by Chanel Miller
If you know, you know—that Chanel Miller isn’t just someone with a remarkable story of strength and resilience, but also an incredibly gifted writer whose powerful memoir is simply unforgettable. The cover art, a rendering of kintsugi—broken pottery mended with gold joinery—is the perfect face for her story.
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$19.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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Add to Bookshelf
Exit West
by Mohsin Hamid
The painterly brush strokes and sparkly stars on the cover of Exit West bring me right back to this magical story of war and love. It’s beautifully simple, too—just like Hamid’s gorgeous, spare writing.
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$18.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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Add to Bookshelf
Tin Man
by Sarah Winman
Wistful and heartbreaking, this unique love story is a short read but it has stayed with me for a long time. After you’ve read it, you’ll find new layers of beauty in the deeply textured, dimensional cover design.
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$17.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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Swing Time
by Zadie Smith
All of Zadie Smith’s writing—and book covers—is stunning, but Swing Time is (probably) my favorite. The simple but complex type on the cover hint at the sweeping, but sharply insightful, story inside.
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$18.00Buy from Other Retailers:
