Cover Snark: Best of 2022

NB: This week, we’re taking a look back at some of our favorite and our most popular pieces of writing this year. We’ve got a week of best-of posts to share, with reviews, cover snark, and more. We hope you enjoy revisiting our archives, and most of all, we wish you and yours a wonderful holiday and a happy new year – with all the very best of reading.

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Say hello to the top five Cover Snark posts of 2022! These are the most viewed Snark posts from last December to now! It’s such a joy to put these together and I hope you all get as much joy from reading them.

Let’s count them down!

 

5. Traitorous Nipples (January 29)

The nip content is starting right out of the gate. Plus we have Keanu Reeves look-a-likes and computer generated WTFery.

Best reader comment is from DiscoDollyDeb:

The Bitchery knows I’m always there for a priest romance, so—despite that terrifying “torso face” cover—I had to investigate and check out BILLIONAIRE’S SINS on Amazon. The blurb includes these immortal words:

He’s the hot priest.

I am a belly dancer.

And, apparently, there’s a love-triangle element. Plus, it’s available through KU. Did I download it? Yes, yes I did. Am I ashamed? Never!!

 

 

4. More Questions Than Answers (December 13)

It appears that some cover models are quite confused at what’s happening on their own covers. We also have our first bear/shifter cover on the list.

Best reader comment is from Augusta Scarlett:

As someone who’s done a lot of shifter book covers for clients, I not only recognize stock photo models by their abs, I recognize bears. And you also realize, after paging through photo after photo of bears looking for one that’s lit correctly, whose head isn’t spoiled by random grass stalks, and which is (hopefully) easy to cut out of the background…a bear’s favorite thing to do is to frustrate Designers of Vry Srs Shifter Book Covers by MAKING GOOFY FACES..

 

 

3. Happy Halloween (October 31)

It’s quite the treat for Cover Snark to coincide with Halloween. This one has lots of interesting costuming choices and backwards body parts.

Best reader comment is from MelMc:

The Deep Midnight lady’s expression seems to say “I told him it was a costume party. Look at his smug face thinking he’s clever after he showed up in the same black t-shirt he wears every day and is trying to pass it off as modern vampire. It will look more realistic once I add a few real blood stains.”

 

 

 

2. Bears, Transformers, & Aliens – Oh My! (November 28)

We’re hitting some major high notes here! There are dehydrated abs, bears (again!), and crotch planets. This is a top notch collection for second place.

Best reader comment is from Lena Brassard:

How do all these plump pre-hibernation bears shift into human forms with 0% body fat? I’ve never cared about preservation of mass Because Magic, but disregard for composition ratios is a bridge too far!

 

 

 

1. More Arms and a Big Pickle (November 14)

Those minor of these snarks is a clear OSHA violation. But then things really go off the rails with a four armed, four pecced cover. Definitely one of the more disturbing covers we’ve seen, I think.

Best reader comment is from Lena Brassard:

I glanced at the front page of the site, and even the barest glimpse of the thumbnail of that first one made me say “OH no.” That’s a full tufted leather sofa of dehydrated musculature. Is he 8 feet tall, or is everything proportionately smaller to fit into the optimal hero height of “just over 6 feet”? He’s cut off at the hips, so he could very well be stacked atop another pelvis, as well. Is he made of Space Legos and you can capriciously snap on as many parts as you want? The possibilities are endless.

And, as always, weird arm configuration has taken my brain on the journey to “How do centaurs masturbate?”, so I am ready for anything Monday throws at me.

 

And that’s our top five! What do you think? Did you have any Cover Snark favorites this year?