March 2013 New Reads

Here is a list of my top 5 most anticipated releases for March (lots of debuts this month!) as well as some other notable releases for the month. Which books are you excited for?

March 5

The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett
#1 in The Arkwell Academy Series
DACWhy I'm Excited:  Another magical boarding school story, but this one sounds cool because of the having dreams and then they come true aspect.  Also fun fact, Mindee Arnett will be doing a book signing at the Dayton, Ohio Books & Co. March 5th at 7:00pm!  I'll probably be going, will I see you there?

 

 

March 8



The Culling by Steven Dos Santos
#1 in the Torch Keeper series
DACWhy I'm Excited:  This month's hunger games fix.  It actually has a really cool premise and I'm really excited for gay YA science fiction.  You don't see that a lot and it sounds pretty awesome.








 


March 12

Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson
#1 in the Strands of Bronze and Gold series
DACWhy I'm Excited:  First the cover is just beautiful.  Second the bluebeard myth is really crazy and I'm curious to see this adaptation.

March 21

17 & Gone by Nova Ren SumaWhy I'm Excited:   I've heard some really good things about this novel that even though the premise doesn't seem that original, it's presented in a really unique way. 















March 26

Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

Why I'm Excited:  This sounds really cute.  I hope it's as charming as it seems, I get a Stephanie Perkins vibe from the summary and I hope it lives up to that expectation.














Other Notable Releases

March 1 - Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally

March 5 - Requiem by Lauren Oliver
                 Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger
                 A Touch Menacing by Leah Clifford
                 Infatuate by Aimee Agresti

March 12 - MILA 2.0 by Debra Driza
                   Deep Betrayal by Anne Greenwood Brown

March 19 - Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
                   With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent

March 26 -  A Touch of SCarlet by Eve Marie Mont
                    Impostor by Jill Hathaway

February 2013 New Reads

 Here's a list of my top 5 most anticipated releases for Feburary (lots of red and black covers lol) as well as some other notable releases for the month.  Which books are you excited for?

February 5

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
#2 in the Lunar Chronicles

Why I'm Excited:  Cinder was one of my favorite books of 2012.  It was a wonderful re-telling of Cinderella and I just fell in love with the characters.  I cannot wait to read what happens to Cinder and to meet new characters, this time with Little Red Ridinghood!  Scarlet is definitely my most anticipated book for February and 2012 in general.

Hysteria by Megan Miranda

Why I'm Excited:  I read Fracture, Megan Miranda's first book, last year and I was really impressed with her crafting of mystery and suspense so I'm very excited to read her sophomore novel.  I expect Hysteria to be just as exciting and with many twists and turns.












February 12

Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black
#1 in the Dance of Shadows series
DAC

Why I'm Excited:  Demonic ballerinas.  Enough said.














February 19

Mind Games by Kiersten White
#1 in the Mind Games series

Why I'm Excited:  I love stories about schools for kids with special powers.  Fia and Annie sound awesome!  I also love psychological thrillers, that's definitely a buzz word for me!












Fuse by Julianna Baggott
#2 in the Pure series

Why I'm Excited:  Pure is one of the most unique and interesting post apocalyptic books I have ever read.  I really liked Pressia and I can't wait to read the next installation of her story.













Other Notable Releases

February 5 - Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter
                     Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
                     Pantomime by Laura Lam
                     Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
                     City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster

February 7 - The Ruining by Anna Collomore
                     The Mad Scientist's Daughter by Cassandra Rose Clarke

February 12 - The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead
                       Override by Heather Anastasiu
                       Sever by Lauren DeStefano
                       The Lives we Lost by Megan Crewe
                       Breaking Point by Kristen Simmons
                       The Mirrored Shard by Caitlin Kittredge
                       Pivot Point by Kasie West

February 19 - Broken Wings by Shannon Dittemore

February 21 - The Different Girl by Gordon Dahlquist

February 26 - Fragments by Dan Wells
                       The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter
                       The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson
                        Dualed by Elise Chapman

December 2012 New Reads

Hi everyone, here are the December new releases (all 2 of them, oh boy!).  This isn't a complete list, just some of the ones I'm interested in. I hope this list will help feed your readers!

December 6


The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress


Why I'm Excited:  This sounds like a super fun steampunk plus I have an ARC!  Look out for a give away soon!








December 18

Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout 
#3 in the Lux series

Why I'm Excited:  This series has so much hype, I just have to read it!  I own the first book, Obsidian, and I really want to get into it soon.

Top Ten Tuesday 4/10/2012: Top Ten Books That Were Totally Deceiving

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.  This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish.  We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new top ten list complete with one of our bloggers' answers.  Everyone is welcome to join.  All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating.  If you don't have a blog, just post your answers in the comments.

Long time no see huh?  I haven't done a Top Ten Tuesday since January!  But this week's topic was too good to pass up.

TOP TEN BOOKS THAT WERE TOTALLY DECEIVING (AKA COVER FRAUD)

1.  Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon - I love this cover, it is just beautiful.  Sadly the story inside is not so much.

2.  Across the Universe by Beth Revis  - This cover is GORGEOUS!  I seriously love it so much.  But that's about where the love of this book ends sadly.

3.  Wither by Lauren DeStefano - Sometimes I feel alone in this, but I didn't really like Wither.  The cover is amazingly beautiful, but the book fell completely flat.

4.  The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - This book had SO MUCH HYPE.  Seriously, I was quivering with anticipation once this cover was revealed.  Too bad I didn't really like the book :(

5.  Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - It's no secret that I HATE this cover with a burning passion.  I didn't read this series for the longest time because of the terrible covers.  But once I got over my prejudice and actually read the book I fell in literary love.

6.  Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick - I love the sexy man cover of Hush, Hush, but the book?  Not so much.

7.  Divergent by Veronica Roth - I have to be honest, I really don't like the cover of Divergent.  If there hadn't been a lot of hype I'm not sure I would have picked it up.  Now that I know more about the story I like the cover a lot more, but if I were coming to it knowing nothing?  I would pass it by.

 8.  Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor - I really dislike this cover, it does nothing for me.  However, I really freaking loved this book!  Daughter of Smoke and Bone is the best paranormal romance I've ever read.

 9.  Tris & Izzie by Bette Ive Harrison - This cover is stunning, but Tris & Izzie may be the worst book I've ever read.  Ever.

10.  The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa - I loved the covers of the first three books in the Iron Fey series, but The Iron Knight cover is nowhere near as good (though I do like the fact that Puck is on the back).  However, The Iron Knight is my favorite book of the series! 

I Couldn't Wait....

So.  I preordered The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, but that copy wouldn't have come until Friday so....I went to the store today.  Make that three stores today.  I was on a mission.  A fish mission.  And I didn't come away empty handed.  DFTBA.

Faves of 2011: The Covers

So I decided to skip day 3 and 4 because they were a little too specific and I could really only think of a couple good answers, so I'm just skipping ahead to the covers.  Because I can do that :)  So here are my top 10 covers!

The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

Possess by Gretchen McNeil

Feed by Mira Grant

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Top Ten Tuesday 10/18/2011: Top Ten Books Whose Titles or Covers Made Me Buy It

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.  This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish.  We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new top ten list complete with one of our bloggers' answers.  Everyone is welcome to join.  All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating.  If you don't have a blog, just post your answers in the comments.

TOP TEN BOOKS WHOSE TITLES OR COVERS MADE ME BUY IT

1.  The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan - This book is because of the title.  What a perfect zombie book title!  It's chilling and violent and awesome.  Too bad the book didn't do as much for me as the title did.

2.  Wither by Lauren DeStefano - This book I knew nothing about other than the fact that the cover was amazing.  It's so, in the words of Tyra, FIERCE!  Again too bad the story inside of it doesn't live up to the awesomeness that is this gorgeous cover.

3.  Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater - I haven't read The Wolves of Mercy Falls yet, but if the cover is indicative of the story within (and I have a feeling I'm going to like these books because I loved The Scorpio Races) it's going to be beautifully written.  These covers are so intriguing and unique, they really drew me to these books, even before I really got into YA.

4.  Possess by Gretchen McNeil - This cover is lovely and creepy at the same time.  I love how the girl looks a little Asian like Bridget (she's half Asian, half Caucasian).  I also love how the trees also kind of look like creepy veins.  In real life the cover has a really pretty shine that makes it extra pretty.

5.  The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - I love how on the hard cover the title seems to disappear depending on how the light hits the cover.  I'm usually not a fan of headless people on book covers, but I think because of the fact that they're underwater it's ok.  I also really like the position of the man in this photo.  Is he helping her out of the water?  Or is he dragging her under?

6.  From Bad To Cursed by Katie Alender - I LOVE THIS COVER.  You can't really tell in the picture but the expression on this girls face is so creepy.  She looks straight evil.  I actually bought this book then realized it's the second book in a series lol.  Yeah the cover was that awesome for me.

7.  Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs - This book is a modern interpretation of the Medusa legend, and WOW was a perfect cover!  I love how her braid mimics a snake without actually turning into a snake (unlike some other book covers that take the whole modern Medusa thing a little too far).  I also love how you can see her bones at the back of her neck.  I don't know why, but I feel like they add to the other-worldly-ness of the book.  

8.  Firelight by Sophie Jordan - I have red hair, so I always love seeing fellow red heads on the covers of books.  I especially love what they did with this cover model, giving her golden scales and human-reptile hybrid eyes.  I think the red and gold coloring really lends to the title too, being fiery colors and whatnot.  

9.  Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev - I really like the almost anime quality of this cover.  I really like how it combines the fantasy elements of the book with the theater aspects.  Really the entire series has beautiful covers, but I really don't know what these books are about.  At all.  I just know the covers are lovely.

10.  Uglies by Scott Westerfeld - While I disagree with the title matching the cover (the cover of Pretties should be called Uglies, IMO) I think this cover is SO pretty.  I'm not a huge fan of the cover re-designs either.  I like the smaller version of these books and the face covers.  They're more unique and interesting in the original format.

Bookish Pet Peeves Part 3: Cover Redesigns

I really hate it when the cover styles change half way through a series, either in cover art or printing size.  A really good example of this is the Nightshade series by Andrea Creamer.  Here's the original cover for the first book:

Holy gosh, beautiful right?  I love this cover so much, and I HATE calla lilies, so that's saying something.  It's glittery and feminine while still being wolfish and fierce.  When I look at this cover, I want to read this book. 

But then for the paperback, they changed the cover!  And now all of the rest of the series will match the paperback.  I hate this so much because I HAVE to have all of a series either all in hardback or all in paperback, I absolutely refuse to mix the two.  

I don't mind the new cover art, but it definitely isn't as good as the original art.  It looks a lot cheaper and less interesting and unique.  They do go together nicely except for the fact that Nightshade will have to be in paperback to match.  So either I have to have mismatched hardbacks OR I have to wait until the paperbacks come out, and considering I already purchased the original hardback, I'm kind of stuck.  (P.S. I HATE the cover for Bloodrose.  I think it's ugly as shit.  Her hand is huge and has talon fingernails and she's looking too far to the right, her irises are almost off her head).

Another book series that has fallen victim to the cover art redesign is the Delirium series by Lauren Oliver.  I have the original hardback that looks like this:

And it's ok.  I mean, I don't love it, but it's not horrible.  I'd never really seen a cover like that before, so it definitely stood out.  But now there is a special re-release with a new cover design that will match the next book Pandemonium. 

 I like the new covers a lot more.  They have a more cohesive look and I really love the colors.  I just am annoyed that my original copy won't match anymore.  I wish they had just started these covers from the beginning because I want the new cover now.

There are many examples of this happening.  The first book is released then they change the design of the paperbacks for the rest of the series.  Here's the Claire de Lune series by Christine Johnson:

Original hard cover for first book

New paper cover for first book and hardcover for second book  

Here's the Monstrumologist series by Rick Yancy.

Original hard cover for first book

New paper back cover first book and following books 

The Elixir series by (mostly) Hilary Duff.

 Original hard cover for first book

New paper back cover for first book and hardcover for second book

Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta.

 Original hard cover for first book

 New paper back cover for first book and hardcover for second book

I picked these examples because they're all hardbacks that I already own and now will have miss-matched covers for the rest of the series.  I'm sure there are more examples of this out there, has anyone else run into the same problem with other series?  Let me know in the comments!