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They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but is there anything wrong with judging – or rather, appreciating – book covers themselves? At JBC, we definitely don’t think so. In fact, this is one of my favorite times of the year because I get to do exactly that: reflect on the intriguing, brilliant, and beautiful book covers published in the past twelve months. Here are ten standouts.
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Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska
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The Sea Elephants by Shastri Akella
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Return to Latvia by Marina Jarre, translated by Ann Goldstein
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A Gift of Feathers by Ken Schept, illustrated by Romina Galotta
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Stockholm by Noa Yedlin
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Happily: A Personal History-with Fairy Tales by Sabrina Orah Mark
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The Vegan by Andrew Lipstein
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The Marriage Box by Corie Adjmi
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All-Night Pharmacy by Ruth Madievsky
Becca Kantor is the editorial director of Jewish Book Council and its annual print literary journal, Paper Brigade. She received a BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania and an MA in creative writing from the University of East Anglia. Becca was awarded a Fulbright fellowship to spend a year in Estonia writing and studying the country’s Jewish history. She lives in Brooklyn.