Top Ten Tuesday used to be a weekly post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, but was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl. “It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.” This is definitely something I can understand and want to participate in.
This week’s prompt is covers/titles with things found in nature (covers/titles with things like trees, flowers, animals, forests, bodies of water, etc. on/in them). The topic was submitted by Jessica @ A GREAT Read. This is such a broad topic, yet somehow I feel like I’m still going to struggle with it. To make it even trickier for myself, I decided to narrow it down into books featuring water on the cover. So after some intense thinking, here’s what I was able to come up with:
- A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow — this was such an interesting story featuring sirens and other mythical creatures, and the struggles they face as magical creatures in society.
- House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig — this spooky retelling of the 12 dancing princesses was done so beautifully it was like being stuck in a fever dream.
- The Deep by Rivers Solomon — exploring the idea of Black mermaids with communal memory ceremonies was such a fascinating story to me, and has stuck with me for years.
- The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware — a locked room mystery on a cruise ship made me think twice about going on a cruise.
- The Lost Home by Cait Marie — this is one of the prettiest book covers I’ve seen, and I loved the novella even though it kind of broke my heart.
- The Anatomy of Desire by L.R. Dorn — I loved this fiction novel that was told like a true crime docuseries, uncovering the truth behind a shocking murder, and the social media influencer who has all the answers, but has a lot of secrets to keep as well.
- Mona at Sea by Elizabeth Gonzalez James — with a title like this, you’d expect there to be water on the cover, and I wasn’t let down. But the book is a really good one too.
- Grounds for Murder by Tara Lush — this cozy mystery series takes place in a small, quirky town on the beach in South Florida, and I’m kind of addicted to the series.
- Once More with Chutzpah by Haley Neil — so the body of water isn’t specifically identifiable, but there’s definitely water taking up a large portion of the background of the cover.
- The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell — any book featuring Vikings is most likely going to feature the sea at some point, and this one is no different. However, it is a very good book.
So what are some of your favorite books featuring water on the cover?
Categories: Top Ten Tuesday
Leah's Books 
I featured some books with water on the cover a while back too. It’s a fun design to feature because water can convey different things for a story. Looks like you found some great designs for this list!
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Thank you! Books featuring water is such a fun list to make – I could even narrow it down by genre or mood, since there’s so many ways that water on a cover can evoke a mood!
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Such good examples. I think that covers should be lovely and inviting not creepy and dark.
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Thank you! I generally agree, although if I’m looking for a thriller or a darker mystery, I kind of want a creepy or dark cover. And I think that horror readers probably want a creepy, dark cover too, but I can’t read horror so who really knows? 🤷🏻♀️
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Haven’t heard of most of them.
My TTT: https://laurieisreading.com/2024/02/27/top-ten-tuesday-titles-with-things-found-in-nature/
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There is so much water! You found a great selection of covers, Leah.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/see-the-forest-for-the-trees-book-covers-featuring-trees/
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Thank you! I’d expect nothing less from me, since I live on an island and am never more than half an hour from the beach.
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A great list of pretty covers!
Have a great week!
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
My post:
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Thank you! I chose pretty covers with great stories inside. Have a great week too!
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I do love a pretty cover 😂 And sprayed edges (although I only have a couple of books with sprayed edges!). Thank you 😊
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Ooooh sprayed edges are nearly irresistible when I can afford them!
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They are. Oh I ask for them as presents – mother’s day, birthday, Christmas 🤣
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The Deep was such a great book.
Here is my Top Ten Tuesday post.
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It really was, and it was my first physical ARC that I ever received!
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I am still obsessed with the cover of A Song Below Water, and it’s been a few years since I’ve read it. I am so happy to see House of Salt and Sorrows on this list!! I feel like that book never got enough hype, and I still recommend it to everyone.
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Thank you! You just validated two of my favorite covers on the list! And as for House of Salt and Sorrows, that book definitely got underhyped. I ended up getting an ARC of the second book, and only knowing about it because it I randomly came across it on NetGalley. It got almost no hype, and I was so disappointed! I’m glad to see there’s another person out there hyping it.
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I just recently finished the audiobook for The Last Kingdom and both the story and the narrator were fabulous!
Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!
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Oooh, that’s great to know! I loved the book, but haven’t checked out the audiobook. I’ll definitely do that for my next reread, because I love that series so much.
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I think that the narrator even won an award for it. But I do hope you enjoy the listen!
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I’m sure I will!
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Great choices. I’m always drawn to a book with water on the cover.
Here’s mine for this week: https://portobellobookblog.com/2024/02/27/top-ten-tuesday-27th-february-2024-covers-with-things-found-in-nature-toptentuesday-bookrecommendations-tuesdaybookblog/
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Great post. Here is my list https://paigesofnovels.com/2024/02/27/top-ten-tuesday-covers-titles-with-things-found-in-nature-covers-titles-with-things-like-trees-flowers-animals-forests-bodies-of-water-etc-on-in-them/
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Thank you!
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My favorite book cover with water on it would have to be The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea. It’s so pretty!
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That one is a really pretty cover, too! I’m a sucker for books with pretty covers.
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I love water covers. They can be both similar and different and are always impactful.
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They truly are – there’s so much variability in covers that feature water. Water covers can give such different moods to a cover, but I’m always drawn to them.
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I love that you narrowed down the theme! And you’ve got some great picks here too. I’ve only read the Ruth Ware book, but some of the others look intriguing.
Haze @ The Book Haze
https://thebookhaze.com/
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Thank you! I get easily overwhelmed with too broad of a topic, so I went with my favorite nature thing to see on book covers. I’m glad you liked my pics, and hope you give one or more of these a read!
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I love watery covers and watery settings! It’s interesting how water can be used to depict so many different moods – tranquility, suspense, danger, etc. Great twist on the topic.
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
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Thank you! I also love covers featuring water, and they’re definitely versatile. They can provide a sense of fun, relaxation, danger, romance, so many settings feature water.
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These covers are great! 😍
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Thank you!
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