In a look back at the 2011 list of gorgeous book covers - Are the Books As Good As the Covers? {Finishing the 2011 List} - 4 books were as good as the cover, 2 books didn't stack up to the cover, 2 covers were creepier than the book and 2 books that were better than the covers. I loved comparing the the books with the covers, so here are 10 book covers that have me intrigued for the first half of 2012.

10 Intriguing Book Covers from January to June 2012

The Flight of Gemma Hardy, Margot Livesey. (Jan 2012). Fate has not been kind to Gemma Hardy. Orphaned by the age of ten, neglected by a bitter and cruel aunt, sent to a boarding school where she is both servant and student, young Gemma seems destined for a life of hardship and loneliness. Then she accepts a position as an au pair on the remote and beautiful Orkney Islands and all seems well. But Gemma's biggest trial is about to begin ... a journey of passion and betrayal, secrets and lies, redemption and discovery that will lead her to a life she's never dreamed.

Above, Leah Bobet (April 2012). Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her bee's wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above - like Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his fingers. But one terrifying night, an old enemy invades Safe with an army of shadows, and only Matthew, Ariel, and a few friends escape Above.

Fire Baptized, Kenya Wright (Jan 2012). Since the 1970s humans have forced supernaturals to live in caged cities. Silver brands embedded in their foreheads identify them by species. Lanore Vesta is marked with a silver X, the brand of Mixbreeds, second-class citizens shunned by society. She stays to herself, revealing her ability to create fire only during emergencies. All she wants to do is graduate college and stop having to steal to survive. But when she stumbles upon a murder in progress, she catches the attention of a supernatural killer. Now all she wants is to stop finding dead bodies in her apartment.

The Wind Through the Keyhole: A Dark Tower Novel, Stephen King (April 2012). Roland Deschain, Mid-World's last gunslinger, in his early days during the guilt-ridden year following his mother's death. Sent by his father to investigate evidence of a murderous shape-shifter, a "skin-man," Roland takes charge of Bill Streeter, a brave but terrified boy who is the sole surviving witness to the beast's most recent slaughter.

The Obsidian Blade, by Pete Hautman (April 2012). The first time his father disappeared, Tucker Feye had just turned 13. The Reverend Feye simply climbed on the roof to fix a shingle, let out a scream, and vanished - only to walk up the driveway an hour later, looking older and worn, with a strange girl named Lahlia in tow. In the months that followed, Tucker watched his father grow distant and his once loving mother slide into madness. But then both of his parents disappear. Now in the care of his wild Uncle Kosh, Tucker begins to suspect that the disks of shimmering air he keeps seeing - one right on top of the roof - hold the answer to restoring his family.

Insurgent (Divergent #2), Veronica Roth (May 2012). One choice can transform you, or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves - and herself - while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

What Color is My World, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Raymond Obstfeld, A.G. Ford (Illustrator), Ben Boos (Illustrator) (January 2012). A handyman named R.E. Mital teaches a pair of twins about great African-American inventors and scientists as they explore their new house. The authors interweave the story of the brother and sister and their unusual house guide with facts about people whose achievements have become part of our everyday lives. Each room they explore provides Mr. Mital with an opportunity for a biographical presentation. Thus, turning on a light bulb opens a discussion about Lewis Latimer, while cleaning the bathroom cabinet leads to information about Drs. Percy Julian, Daniel Hale Williams and Charles Drew. Time in the kitchen segues into facts about George Crum and the potato chip. A cell phone leads to details about Dr. Mark Dean and computer graphics, Dr. Valerie L. Thomas and 3-D and James West and microphones.

Radio Belly: Stories, Buffy Cram (May 2012). In the surreal world of Buffy Cram's stories, someone or something slips beneath the skin of her already beleaguered characters. Stealing into their worlds, it rearranges the familiar into something strange and possibly threatening, making off with their emotional and even physical goods.

Blackbirds, Chuck Wendig (Apr 2012). Miriam Black knows when you will die. She's foreseen hundreds of car crashes, heart attacks, strokes, and suicides. But when Miriam hitches a ride with Louis Darling and shakes his hand, she sees that in thirty days Louis will be murdered while he calls her name. Louis will die because he met her, and she will be the next victim. No matter what she does she can't save Louis. But if she wants to stay alive, she'll have to try

Nameless, Kyle Chais (Jan 2012). In the in between are the Nameless; names are for masters and they have none. They live in the Nameless realm; between being saved and being destroyed. They are Fallen.

Some of the covers on this list are more creepy than cute - but they are all memorable. Do you have any of these books on your "to be read" list?