Friday Face Off Cover Reveal: Ten

Friday Face Off is a meme hosted by one of my favorite book bloggers Misty over at The Book Rat.  Usually this meme focuses on different cover designs for the same book and decides which is better for the story.  I wanted to take this meme and add a little twist to it today by discussing a cover reveal!  

Gretchen McNeil's sophomore novel Ten has a cover!  I've been a huge fan of her writing since I read her debut, Possess, and I have to day that Ten sounds even better.  And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie has been one of my favorite books since middle school and I know that Gretchen will do a fantastic job with a modern interpretation.

I really like this cover, it reminds me of something that would be put on a Steven King novel, which is great for any horror writer.  I love the use of color and I think it puts off a very different feel than the cover for Possess.  While I expect the same humor I fell in love with in Possess, I think Ten will be a lot darker and scarier.  This is definitely one of my most anticipated books of the year!

March 2012 New Reads

Here are some of the YA books and debuts set for March of 2012.  This isn't a complete list, just some of the ones I'm interested in.  I hope you enjoy!

March 1st

Slide by Jill Hathaway (DAC)

Why I'm Excited:  Slide has such a cool concept for a murder mystery.  I'm totally intrigued and can't wait to see how this story is handled. 

Perception by Kim Harrington
#2 in the Clarity Series

Why I'm Excited:  I've heard awesome things about Clarity and I want to read this series soon.  Plus I love the ginger cover :)






March 6

Balthazar by Claudia Gray
Spinoff of Evernight Series

Why I'm Excited:  I've heard a lot of good things about the Evernight series, it's definitely one I'm going to start soon.

Illuminate by Aimee Agresti (DAC)
#1 in the Gilded Wings series

Why I'm Excited: The setting is an old hotel with secret passages!  I am a complete sucker for hidden rooms and treasure hunts.

Embrace  by Jessica Shirvington (DAC)
#1 in The Violet Eden Chapters

Why I'm Excited:  Violet sounds like a really kick ass main character.  I'm really hoping this doesn't turn into a paranormal romance love triangle!  The blurb makes it sound way cooler than that.

Where it Began by Ann Redisch Stampler (DAC)


Why I'm Excited:  I will admit I love makeover stories.  She's All That, Never Been Kissed, The House Bunny, doesn't matter.  (and yes I know it's wrong that a woman should have to change how she looks in order to make herself acceptable to society, but I just like makeovers, so sue me).  That coupled with some weird-o mystery makes Where it Began sound totally awesome.



March 13

 Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins
#3 in the Hex Hall Series

Why I'm Excited:  I have only heard good things about the Hex Hall series, so I know I'm going to be reading them soon.  I also love this cover, it's my favorite of the series.

Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta
#2 in the Lumatere Chronicles

Why I'm Excited:  Melina Marchetta may be one of the most under appreciated authors out there.  I've only ever head people freak out with love about her books.  I will be reading this series along with her other works very very soon.

Starters by Lissa Price (DAC)
#1 in the Starters series

Why I'm Excited:  Some of my friends have already read this book and they've all said that this book has some crazy twists, and I sure do love a good plot twits.  I'll admit I don't know much about this book, but the cover really drew me in.

The Savage Grace By Bree Despain
#3 in The Dark Divine series

Why I'm Excited:  It's not for the cover, I can tell you that much.  I really hate bare feet and no head covers.  BUT, I've heard really good things about this series, so I will be starting it soon.





March 27

 Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter
#2 in the Goddess Test series

Why I'm Excited:  This sounds like a stereotypical PR, but I like the underworld theme and I like the idea of Persephone being a bad guy.  I'm intrigued.  

Life is but a Dream by Brian James

Why I'm Excited:  I really like psychological thrillers and books that present the story in a way where you don't know if the MC is crazy or really in danger.  It sounds crazy...crazy good!

  A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont (DAC)
#1 in the Unbound series

Why I'm Excited:  I love the idea of a modern character being thrown into classic literature.  This is the first in a series that will also feature The Scarlet Letter and The Phantom of the Opera.  I'm really interested to see what this story is all about and how the classics will be woven into the story.

Forgiven by Jana Oliver
#3 in The Demon Trappers series

Why I'm Excited:  I've head really good things about The Demon Trappers Daughter and I'm really excited to try this series out (Even if the cover situations are confusing lol). 

Just After Sunset by Stephen King

Published in 2008 by Scribner
4 Stars

Goodreads Review
Stephen King -- who has written more than fifty books, dozens of number one New York Times bestsellers, and many unforgettable movies -- delivers an astonishing collection of short stories, his first sinceEverything's Eventual six years ago. As guest editor of the bestsellingBest American Short Stories 2007, King spent over a year reading hundreds of stories. His renewed passion for the form is evident on every page of Just After Sunset. The stories in this collection have appeared inThe New Yorker, Playboy, McSweeney's, The Paris Review, Esquire, and other publications.

Who but Stephen King would turn a Port-O-San into a slimy birth canal, or a roadside honky-tonk into a place for endless love? A book salesman with a grievance might pick up a mute hitchhiker, not knowing the silent man in the passenger seat listens altogether too well. Or an exercise routine on a stationary bicycle, begun to reduce bad cholesterol, might take its rider on a captivating -- and then terrifying -- journey. Set on a remote key in Florida, "The Gingerbread Girl" is a riveting tale featuring a young woman as vulnerable -- and resourceful -- as Audrey Hepburn's character in Wait Until Dark. In "Ayana," a blind girl works a miracle with a kiss and the touch of her hand. For King, the line between the living and the dead is often blurry, and the seams that hold our reality intact might tear apart at any moment. In one of the longer stories here, "N.," which recently broke new ground when it was adapted as a graphic digital entertainment, a psychiatric patient's irrational thinking might create an apocalyptic threat in the Maine countryside...or keep the world from falling victim to it.

Just After Sunset -- call it dusk, call it twilight, it's a time when human intercourse takes on an unnatural cast, when nothing is quite as it appears, when the imagination begins to reach for shadows as they dissipate to darkness and living daylight can be scared right out of you. It's the perfect time for Stephen King.

Review:  Stephen King is an excellent short story writer.  I've always been so-so about his novels, but I really enjoyed this anthology.  In particular I enjoyed the stories that were based on reality - serial killers, revenge stories, insanity.  I am not as big a fan when ghosts and other paranormal things are in the stories.  

My favorite stories were as follows.  The Gingerbread Girl, which is about a woman trying to out run a serial killer; The Things They Left Behind, a surprisingly poignant story about a man dealing with survivors guilt after the 9/11 attacks; The Cat From Hell, a very freaky story about a truly evil cat; The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates, a story about a woman talking to her dead husband as he is waiting in limbo; and A Very Tight Place, which in it's depravity and pure gross factor, may be the most horrific story of them all.   


I listened to the audio book and Stephen King actually reads the introduction and the notes at the end, which add a very interesting perspective to the collection.  He talks about when the stories were first published and what he was going through when he wrote each of the stories.  I highly recommend listening to this collection on audio, just don't do it as you drive home. at night. all alone.

Friday Face Off Cover Reveal: Embers and Echoes

Friday Face Off is a meme hosted by one of my favorite book bloggers Misty over at The Book Rat.  Usually this meme focuses on different cover designs for the same book and decides which is better for the story.  I wanted to take this meme and add a little twist to it today by discussing a cover reveal!  

 

Today we'll be talking about Karsten Knight's second book Embers and Echoes.  This is a sequel to his debut novel, Wildfire.

 

I love both of these covers and I think they fist the story, which is about a volcano goddess, very well.  I really like the use of tropical flowers amidst charred looking backgrounds.  My only complaint is that I wish the title fonts matched!  I like Embers and Echoes more, I wish they had thought of it earlier.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Published March 9, 2010 by Dial
4 Stars

Goodreads Review
Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life - and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide I world exploding.

This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie's struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable.

Review:  I read The Sky is Everywhere because my friend Gabrielle Carolina over at The Mod Podge Bookshelf really loves this book, and I can totally see why.  By far the best thing about The Sky is Everywhere is the writing.  WOW.  Nelson's writing style is one of the most compelling and unique of any that I've experienced in YA.  The story itself isn't uncommon, a girl loses her sister and is trying to put her life back together after her death, but it is the way in which this story is present that makes it so special.  I could completely relate to Lennie, even though I have never gone through the tragedy of losing a sibling and best friend, how Nelson writes Lennie's thoughts make her totally relatable, hilarious, and heart breaking. Also, I loved the note convention used at the beginning and end of the chapters.  I loved that the poems were printed on paper, cups, wrappers, trees, whatever was around.  I love visuals in books and these really lend to the story and make it way interesting. 


I also could totally understand why Lennie has feelings towards two different people.  With Toby she's looking for someone who can understand her pain and make it go away.  It's not so much that she actually loves Toby, quite the opposite she has tremendous feelings of guilt, but at the same time she is drawn to the person who can understand.

And then there's Joe.  Let me just say that a man who can play an instrument well is dead sexy.  He's the boy who can actually help heal her.  I think it's so important that he moved to town after Bailey's death.  He doesn't know pre-death Lennie, and loves her as she is now.  I loved how he helped draw the music out of her and healed her with his.  He helps her accept what happened and helps her see that life will go on and that she can go on, not forgetting her sister, but remembering all of the beautiful lessons she taught.  (My only criticism of Joe is that he fell in crazy love with Lennie a little too fast.  I would have liked to see the beginning stages a little more, so the healing love they experienced at the end would have been more supported).


Overall The Sky is Everywhere is a beautifully written book about losing a loved one and finding out that love can heal.  (Word to the wise, the UK hardcover edition has full colored photos of Lennie's poems.  I really wish I could get my hands on a copy, if anyone knows where I can buy it, please comment!)

Friday Face Off Cover Reveal: What's Left of Me

Friday Face Off is a meme hosted by one of my favorite book bloggers Misty over at The Book Rat.  Usually this meme focuses on different cover designs for the same book and decides which is better for the story.  I wanted to take this meme and add a little twist to it today by discussing a cover reveal!  

 

Today I want to talk about the cover for Kat Zhang's debut What's Left of Me.  It sounds like a totally awesome science fiction and the cover is fantastic!

 

So pretty!  I think it is perfect for the story.  I love the dual faces and the color scheme.  I am super excited for this book and can't wait for September!

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

Published in 2010 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

5 Stars

Goodreads Review

“I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the New York Timesbestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.

Review:  I love treasure hunt type stories.  Like, really really love them.  When I was a little kid I would make up treasure hunts for my younger siblings and I would spend HOURS drawing maps, hiding clues, and creating decorated boxes for the "treasure" (usually some apples or something, what I was only 6, don't judge).  I've always daydreamed about finding a hidden passage, a secret diary, and some sort of clue trail of my own.  I just LOVED the idea of finding a secret message tucked into the stacks of my favorite bookstore.  It is my ideal adventure.


I absolutely loved the two main characters, but I think I connected more to Lily.  I loved her kooky style and her brother and her dog and her freaking majorette boots.  I also loved how she was the one to initiate the journal.  She is more bold than me, because while I dream about finding a secret, she creates one and puts it out into the world.  


Overall Dash and Lily is an adorable romance.  It's an excellent tale about how the idea of a person may be different that who they really are, but that doesn't mean they still aren't right for you.  It has a great theme that fairy tale prince charmings and princesses are wonderful, but they're only fairy tales.  Real life relationships aren't as perfect, there are things that will frustrate and annoy you, but they're real and that is magic.