Friday Face Off on a Wednesday Cover Reveal: Velveteen

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!  

So anyone who watches my youtube channel knows I LOVE Danny Marks and have been chomping at the bit for his new book Velveteen set to come out this October.  Well today the cover was revealed!

I'm not exactly sure how I feel about it to be honest.  I LOVE the text, I think it's perfect.  But the models?  Not so much.  I think the girl looks a little too pointy, you know?  Like Kristen Stewart during the my-vampire-baby-is-killing-me scene of Breaking Dawn (scary).  And the boy model looks like a young Boy George.  So yeah, not really feeling it.  HOWEVER this does not diminish my EXTREME EXCITE for this book.  It's still my #1 most anticipated book for 2012 and I cannot wait for October!  Can we just release it today please!?

Also, there's a totally cool contest going on right now where you can win a super early ARC, so click on the links below!  There's also a chance to win a super secret grab bag, so you know I'll be shooting for that lol. 

The Mod Podge Bookshelf

A Good Addiction

Novel Thoughts

The Reader by Bernhard Schlick

Published in 1999 by Vintage
3 Stars

Goodreads Review
Oprah Book Club® Selection, February 1999: Originally published in Switzerland, and gracefully translated into English by Carol Brown Janeway, The Reader is a brief tale about sex, love, reading, and shame in postwar Germany. Michael Berg is 15 when he begins a long, obsessive affair with Hanna, an enigmatic older woman. He never learns very much about her, and when she disappears one day, he expects never to see her again. But, to his horror, he does. Hanna is a defendant in a trial related to Germany's Nazi past, and it soon becomes clear that she is guilty of an unspeakable crime. As Michael follows the trial, he struggles with an overwhelming question: What should his generation do with its knowledge of the Holocaust? "We should not believe we can comprehend the incomprehensible, we may not compare the incomparable.... Should we only fall silent in revulsion, shame, and guilt? To what purpose?"

Review:  I picked up a copy of The Reader after watching the beautiful movie version (in which Kate FINALLY got her Oscar.  About time!).  Sadly the book did not live up to the movie at all.  It read like a technical article.  It was cold, stiff, and unemotional.  The best part of the book was when Michael was a teenager, and even then I had  a very hard time connecting emotionally to the characters.  Once we move on to the trial the book completely lost me.


I think that this book is best for the people who lived during the time the book was published.  It is an interesting look at the group of people trying to come to term with the crimes of their parents generation.  There was so much opportunity with the idea of this book, but while the movie executes the themes in a way that will just crush your heart, the book falls far, far behind.  This is one of those rare moments where I would say skip the book and watch the movie.  Further, you MUST watch the movie, it is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen.

Friday Face Off Cover Reveal: Hidden

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!  

While I haven't read any of Sophie Jordan's Firelight series yet, I love the covers.  The third installment in the series, Hidden, is no exception.

My only complaint is that while it is beautiful on it's own, when put with the other books in the series it doesn't stand out.

The model is the same as Firelight and she's in practically the same position as Vanish.  I wish they had changed her position or made the coloring more unique to make this book more interesting.  With that said, it's still a beautiful cover to wrap up a series of beautiful covers. 

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Published in 2006 by Knopf

4 Stars

Goodreads Review

Ask any literary critic -- and most discerning readers -- to name the greatest living American novelist, and Cormac McCarthy is sure to surface as a major contender. Best known for his powerful regional fiction (Sutree, the Border Trilogy, Blood Meridian, et al), this dazzling prose stylist crafts tragic, unforgettable stories suffused with violence, alienation, and an undeniably apocalyptic vision. Now, in what we consider McCarthy's best novel to date, the apocalypse itself becomes a set piece. Unfolding in a terrifying future where Armageddon has been waged and lost, The Road traces the odyssey of a father and his young son through a desolate landscape of devastation and danger. Powerful, moving, and extraordinary by any standard, this is McCarthy at his greatest and gravest.

Review:  The Road is a REAL post apocalyptic story.  There is no technology, no government, no help.  This isn't like any other book I've ever read.  There is just a sense of pure desolation in this book, and everything about it lends to that sense.  The writing style, the imagery, and even the minimal cover all support this bleak feeling. But with the father's relentless need to preserve the innocence of his son and to give him as much safety and comfort as possible we gain a message of compassion and no matter how terrible your surroundings, there is some light on the horizon. 

There is a strong focus on little details, that some might call filler, but I think add to the overall emphasis on just how little the characters had.  Every meal, every piece of clothing, every possession, is meticulously described like rare treasures because they ARE rare treasures.  There's a scene where the father finds a can of coke and gives it to his son, who has no idea what it is.  While today people gulp down soda without even thinking about it, they treat this can of coke with reverence, because they know they will never find one ever again.  I think that shows just how bleak their world is, and how much the father loves his son.  He wanted to give his son that rare treat, that moment of pleasure that we take so much for granted. 

Overall The Road is a hopeful book where beauty can be found in the most horrific situations through love.  While I don't think The Road is for everyone, I encourage you to push yourself if you're having doubts because it is a fantastic book that will stay with you long after the last page. 

My Life Has Been Crazy!

 Hi guys, remember me!?  Sorry I've been gone so long, it's been over a three weeks!  I was super sick and decided to take a break then I found out my work was sending me to North Carolina for three weeks!  That's where I am now and will be until next weekend.  I am so busy I've had absolutely no time to blog and hardly any time to read.  I'm now officially 12 books behind in my reading challenge.  I will be back to blogging next weekend, but for now I've just been crazy busy with real life stuff.  I just wanted to give you all a quick update with where I was.  You'll be hearing from me soon!

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).