As much as LJ editors love to read, we also hold deep admiration for book and cover design. Each year we gather to debate how image, text, and color help create the mood of a book and invite readers into the story. These 10 choices represent the standout covers from our best books and highlight trends in jacket design, arresting imagery, and just how important the aesthetics of book art can be.

Abdurraqib, Hanif. There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension. Random. ISBN 9780593448793. CULTURAL & ETHNIC STUDIES

Cathrall, Sylvie. A Letter to the Luminous Deep. Orbit. ISBN 9780316565530. FANTASY

Jackson, Lottie. See Me Rolling: On Disability, Equality, and Ten-Point Turns. Penguin Bks. ISBN 9781529156058. MEMOIR

Kiefer, Jenny. This Wretched Valley. Quirk. ISBN 9781683693680. HORROR

Leong, Julie. The Teller of Small Fortunes. Ace. ISBN 9780593815915. FANTASY

Matsumoto, Taiyo. Tokyo These Days, Vol. 1. VIZ Media. tr. from Japanese by Michael Arias. ISBN 9781974738809. GRAPHIC NOVEL

Prasad, Aarathi. Silk: A World History. Morrow. ISBN 9780063160255. HISTORY

Rendon, Marcie R. When They Last Saw Her. Bantam. ISBN 9780593496527. MYSTERY

Wilkinson, Crystal. Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks. Clarkson Potter. ISBN 9780593236512. CULINARY MEMOIR

Williams, Tia. A Love Song for Ricki Wilde. Grand Central. ISBN 9781538726709. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE