Saturday, October 31, 2009

This Week In Books Or Ooooh AM I EXCITED!


Monday: nothing

Tuesday:

Just Grace and the Snack Attack by Charise Mericle Harper


Amazon Vine! Looks extremely cute!

Wednesday: nothing

Thursday:

Nine Ways to Disappear by Lilli Carre
A Day at the Fire Station by Richard Scarry

Got these from Amazon! The Richard Scarry book because Kami Garcia told me there was a tapir in it!

Night World Number Two by L.J. Smith

Bookmooch!

The Vinyl Princess Zine Issue #1

My Wonderful World of Fashion by Nina Chakrabarti

Amazon Vine! This book is BEAUTIFUL!

Friday:

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

For review! I've heard this is beyond amazing!

Saturday: nothing

Friday, October 30, 2009

Lookalikes 73

Thanks to Ninja Fanpire for suggesting this lookalike!


Liar by Justine Larabalestier (ARC cover)

The Legend of Sorrow Creek dvd

Well, I'm not sure how scary The Legend of Sorrow Creek is after seeing that same photo on Liar. Definitely would have to go with Liar, the white and red is just weird and doesn't really do anything scary wise for me.

Which do you prefer?

Have you spotted a Lookalike you would like to contribute? Send me an email!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

BLOG TOUR: After the Moment by Garret Freymann-Weyr

Amazon.com:

A new novel by the Printz Honor author Garret Freymann-Weyr, about a boy who discovers what happens when love fails us—or we fail love.
Maia Morland is pretty, only not pretty-pretty. She’s smart. She’s brave. She’s also a self-proclaimed train wreck.

Leigh Hunter is smart, popular, and extremely polite. He’s also completely and forever in love with Maia Morland.

Their young love starts off like a romance novel—full of hope, strength, and passion. But life is not a romance novel and theirs will never become a true romance. For when Maia needs him the most, Leigh betrays both her trust and her love.


Told with compassion and true understanding, After the Moment is about what happens when a young man discovers that sometimes love fails us, and that, quite often, we fail love.


After the Moment is really hard to describe. In some ways I really really liked it and it shocked me and intrigued me but in a few other ways I'm not sure if I understood everything the author wanted me to.

Right off the bat we know that something has happened, happened between main character Leight (a male, as others have said sometimes his name made me have to remind myself he was a guy) and Maia his sister's friend that he has fallen for, extremely hard. That mystery definitely intrigued me and really drew me into the book.

I loved Leigh's character, an overall nice guy that looks out for his family and friends. I LOVED his relationship with his half-sister Millie (actually having two main female characters with M names sort of disrupted the flow of my reading from time to time to). He really looks out for Millie and she adores him. Through this relationship Leigh meets all of her other friends, including the sweet Franklin, the easy going Preston and Maia who has so many issues I couldn't remember them all.

My main issue with the book was Maia. While she openly admits to all of her problems, I just really didn't connect with her. Usually odd is awesome for me, but I just didn't understand her. Some things I did like, like her connection with her step-father from a marriage or two back but that was it really. I understand the idea of someone wanting to help her as Leigh does but I just didn't fully see why he would care for her so deeply in a romantic way. And also the way that the mystery unfolds was kind of odd.

What I did like, was what happens after the truth is out there in the open. At one point I had my hand to my mouth just shocked and wrapped up in what I was reading (page 267 if you are interested). So it's hard to really put my feelings into words for this book, some things I really really liked others I didn't really understand. Overall, I'd definitely be interested in reading another of the author's books and maybe that one would hit it exactly on the mark for me!

After the Moment was released May 18th.
Genre: Young Adult
3.5/5 Stars
Review copy provided by publisher for blog tour

TLC Book Tours

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

"Waiting On" Wednesday 54

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place
Book I: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood

Publishers Website:

Of especially naughty children, it is sometimes said: “They must have been raised by wolves.”

The Incorrigible Children actually were.

Found running wild in the forest of Ashton Place, the Incorrigibles are no ordinary children. Alexander, age ten or thereabouts, keeps his siblings in line with gentle nips; Cassiopeia, perhaps four or five, has a bark that is (usually) worse than her bite; and Beowulf, age somewhere-in-the-middle, is alarmingly adept at chasing squirrels.

Luckily, Miss Penelope Lumley is no ordinary governess. Only fifteen years old and a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, Penelope embraces the challenge of her new position. Though she is eager to instruct the children in Latin verbs and the proper use of globes, first she must help them eliminate their canine tendencies.

But mysteries abound at Ashton Place: Who are these three wild creatures, and how did they come to live in the forest? Why does Old Timothy, the coachman, lurk around every corner? Will Penelope be able to teach the Incorrigibles manners in time for the holiday ball? And what on earth is a schottische?

Penelope herself is no stranger to mystery, as her own origins are also cloaked in secrecy. But as Agatha Swanburne once said, “Things may happen for a reason, but that doesn’t mean we know what the reason is—at least, not yet.”

Released February 2nd 2010

This sounds hilarious, hopefully similar to the humor in
Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone: The Entomological Tales of Augustus T. Percival! And it's the beginning of a series!

What can't you wait for to be released?

"Waiting On" Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Hardcover vs. Paperback 52

Her Last Death

Hardcover

Paperback

Amazon.com:

Her Last Death begins as the phone rings early one morning in the Montana house where Susanna Sonnenberg lives with her husband and two young sons. Her aunt is calling to tell Susanna her mother is in a coma after a car accident. She might not live. Any daughter would rush the thousands of miles to her mother's bedside. But Susanna cannot bring herself to go. Her courageous memoir explains why.

Glamorous, charismatic and a compulsive liar, Susanna's mother seduced everyone who entered her orbit. With outrageous behavior and judgment tinged by drug use, she taught her child the art of sex and the benefits of lying. Susanna struggled to break out of this compelling world, determined, as many daughters are, not to become her mother.

Sonnenberg mines tender and startling memories as she writes of her fierce resolve to forge her independence, to become a woman capable of trust and to be a good mother to her own children. Her Last Death is riveting, disarming and searingly beautiful.

I like both the hardcover and the paperback. Maybe the hardcover slightly more because how simple it is without all the quotes and stuff like the paperback has. Those kinds of things are nice but sometimes they muck up the cover!

Hardcover or Paperback?

Have you spotted a Hardcover vs. Paperback you would like to contribute? Send me an email!

Monday, October 26, 2009

Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera by Ron Schick

Amazon.com:

Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera is the first book to explore the meticulously composed and richly detailed photographs that Norman Rockwell used to create his famous artworks. Working alongside skilled photographers, Rockwell acted as director, carefully orchestrating models, selecting props, and choosing locations for the photographs--works of art in their own right--that served as the basis of his iconic images. Readers will be surprised to find that many of his most memorable characters-the girl at the mirror, the young couple on prom night, the family on vacation-were friends and neighbors who served as his amateur models. In this groundbreaking book, author and historian Ron Schick delves into the archive of nearly 20,000 photographs housed at the Norman Rockwell Museum. Featuring reproductions of Rockwell's black-and-white photographs and related full-color artworks, along with an incisive narrative and quotes from Rockwell models and family members, this book will intrigue anyone interested in photography, art, and Americana.

I've always been a Norman Rockwell fan, I think it runs in my family on my mom's side! I remember back in high school going to an exhibit of nearly all of Rockwell's the Saturday Evening Post covers and just seeing the vast amount of work he's done and not being able to pick a favorite. Some artists create in such a way that is isolates the everyman from their work but Rockwell's work was very open to all. It touched on the high and low points of society at the time and it just makes you smile.

Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera was like a reintroduction to his work, seeing the photography that was used to create his paintings helps you see and appreciate it in a whole new light. I love the way the book is set up. The work is shown in chronological order showing the final painting along with up to several of the original photos and some information and quotes about the piece. More than I would have liked (especially in the Advertisements and Commercial Commissions section) only the photo is published and I would have liked the painting to be there as well, not sure why there was that change in format. It's easy to page through or read from cover to cover. The size of book (about 11.5 x 9.5 inches) allows some of the photography and paintings to be blown up quite large which is a must. One of my favorite spreads is for The Gossips which shows a chain of communication/gossip and on the second page all 30 photos are set up side by side as they are in the final painting.

While Rockwell was very hands out in setting up the photo shoots, he had photographers take the picture for him and never looked through the lens himself. He actually was a model for some of the photography along with people he hired or people he just knew. It's interesting to compare the photograph with the final painting side by side. To see what elements have been changed and what was painting exactly like pictured.

Overall a great book for any Norman Rockwell fan!


Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera was released October 22
Genre: Art & Photography
4/5 Stars
Review copy provided by publisher

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Winner of Hold Still!

Congratulations to Shadowofwonder47 who won the ARC of Hold Still! I have emailed you so please respond with your mailing address by this Wednesday the 28th!

Adventures of Meno: Book One Big Fun! by Tony & Angela DiTerlizzi

Amazon.com:

GREETINGS EARTHLINGS!

I AM MENO. ELF OF SPACE, HERE TO VISIT HUMAN RACE!

Tony DiTerlizzi is the #1 New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of the Spiderwick Chronicles, Kenny & the Dragon, and the 2003 Caldecott Honor Book The Spider and the Fly. He is also a #1 husband and father. Here he teams with wife and partner in publishing, Angela, to inject the standard sweetness of books for tots with a family-friendly dose of BIG FUN!


I will admit right off the bat that I was interested in the Meno series because of the illustration. It's beyond cute and I loved the retro feel to it, it stuck with me since I first laid eyes on the cover. The cover even brags that it is "Presented in vibrant Meno-Color!" and Meno is an "elf of space" really this cannot go wrong in my book.

What I wasn't expecting was a rather hilariously written story, while it has very few words or pages it sure is memorable. Though I don't think it would do much for children learning to read, it is bright and colorful and has a humor that I think kids and adults alike can enjoy. When we are introduced to Yamagoo, the other character in this first book in the Meno series I definitely laughed. Yamagoo could have been anyone or anything and he was the perfect companion for the silly Meno. The one thing I had hoped for was more, more illustrations, more pages, and more adventures. Luckily this is only the beginning of Meno's adventures!

Overall Big Fun! (Adventure of Meno), it was humorous, excellently drawn, and the start to a great children's book series! I will definitely be watching for the next several books in the series!

Adventures of Meno Book One Big Fun! was released on October 6th
Genre: Childrens
4/5 Stars
Review copy provided by Amazon Vine

Planet Meno Website (really cute and includes wallpapers and coloring pages!)

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Friday, October 23, 2009

Lookalikes 72

Footfree and Fancyloose by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain

Friend Me by Cathy Hopkins

I prefer Friend Me because the background of Footfree and Fancyloose kind of looks fake (photoshopped in) and because of that it makes the image look flat. I also like the softer colors in Friend Me!

Which do you prefer?

Have you spotted a Lookalike you would like to contribute? Send me an email!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

BLOG TOUR: Ice by Sarah Beth Durst

Welcome to another Traveling to Teens blog tour!

Amazon.com:

When Cassie was a little girl, her grandmother told her a fairy tale about her mother, who made a deal with the Polar Bear King and was swept away to the ends of the earth. Now that Cassie is older, she knows the story was a nice way of saying her mother had died. Cassie lives with her father at an Arctic research station, is determined to become a scientist, and has no time for make-believe.

Then, on her eighteenth birthday, Cassie comes face-to-face with a polar bear who speaks to her. He tells her that her mother is alive, imprisoned at the ends of the earth. And he can bring her back -- if Cassie will agree to be his bride.

That is the beginning of Cassie's own real-life fairy tale, one that sends her on an unbelievable journey across the brutal Arctic, through the Canadian boreal forest, and on the back of the North Wind to the land east of the sun and west of the moon. Before it is over, the world she knows will be swept away, and everything she holds dear will be taken from her -- until she discovers the true meaning of love and family in the magical realm of Ice.

Ice was an magical, adventurous, and lovely fairy tale. From Cassie's trek through the icy Arctic, to running through a magical forest where all the trees want to stop her from escaping, or a magical palace made of ice, Ice sure takes the reader on a whirlwind adventure. When I started the book I had assumed it would stay in the icy landscape but I'm glad it didn't, that probably would have started to get boring after awhile.

At first I loved Cassie as a character but once she encounters Father Forest, she starts to come off as extremely selfish with a one track mind, and pretty reckless as well. I mean yes, this is a book and a fairy tale but it was still painful to read. I did love the chemistry and devotion that Cassie and Bear felt for each other though. I totally bought it and loved their scenes together.

Adventure isn't my go-to genre but I had a great time reading about Cassie's adventure. I found all the magical elements of the story to be rather exciting. I especially liked the idea of the munaqsri (a soul giver and taker when someone or something is born or dies) and how each species had its own. Durst has created a rich world to draw from in Ice and I was definitely impressed!

Ice was released on October 6th
Genre: Young Adult
4/5 Stars
Review copy provided by publisher

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

"Waiting On" Wednesday 53

Love in Translation by Wendy Nelson Tokunaga

Amazon.com:

Stuck. That’s how 33-year-old aspiring singer Celeste Duncan feels, with her deadbeat boyfriend and static career. But then Celeste receives a puzzling phone call and a box full of mysterious family heirlooms which just might be the first real clue to the identity of the father she never knew. Impulsively, Celeste flies to Japan to search for a long-lost relative who could be able to explain. She stumbles head first into a weird, wonderful world where nothing is quite as it seems—a land with an inexplicable fascination with foreigners, karaoke boxes, and unbearably perky TV stars.


With little knowledge of Japanese, Celeste finds a friend in her English-speaking homestay brother, Takuya, and comes to depend on him for all variety of translation, travel and investigatory needs. As they cross the country following a trail after Celeste's family, she discovers she's developing "more-than-sisterly" feelings for him. But with a nosy homestay mom scheming to reunite Takuya with his old girlfriend, and her search growing dimmer, Celeste begins to wonder whether she's made a terrible mistake by coming to Japan. Can Celeste find her true self in this strange land, and discover that love can transcend culture?


Released November 24th 2009

I have the author's other book Midori By Moonlight but haven't had the chance to read it. This one also sounds fun. I love the idea of a solving a mystery to your past!

What can't you wait for to be released?

"Waiting On" Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Hardcover vs. Paperback 51

Twenty Fragments of A Ravenous Youth

Hardcover

Paperback

UK/AUS Edition among others

Amazon.com:

From the author of the 2007 Orange Prize finalist A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers comes a wholly original and thoroughly captivating coming-of-age story that follows a bright, impassioned young woman as she rushes headlong into the maelstrom of a rapidly changing Beijing to chase her dreams.

Twenty-one year old Fenfang Wang has traveled one thousand eight hundred miles to seek her fortune in contemporary urban Beijing, and has no desire to return to the drudgery of the sweet potato fields back home. However, Fenfang is ill-prepared for what greets her: a Communist regime that has outworn its welcome, a city under rampant destruction and slap-dash development, and a sexist attitude seemingly more in keeping with her peasant upbringing than the country’s progressive capital. Yet Fenfang is determined to live a modern life. With courage and purpose, she forges ahead, and soon lands a job as a film extra. While playing roles like woman-walking-over-the bridge and waitress-wiping-a-table help her eke out a meager living, Fenfang comes under the spell of two unsuitable young men, keeps her cupboard stocked with UFO noodles, and after mastering the fever and tumult of the city, ultimately finds her true independence in the one place she never expected.

At once wry and moving, Twenty Fragments of a Ravenous Youth gives us a clear-eyed glimpse into the precarious and fragile state of China’s new identity and asserts Xiaolu Guo as her generation’s voice of modern China.

I read the book as the hardcover edition and just find it BEAUTIFUL! But seeing the paperback makes me think that might fit better with the strange nature of the book. I like the flowers and branches on the UK/AUS version but overall not as much as the other two.

Hardcover or Paperback?

Have you spotted a Hardcover vs. Paperback you would like to contribute? Send me an email!

Monday, October 19, 2009

Model Life: The Journey of A Pint-Size Fashion Warrior by Isobella Jade and Illustrated by Jazmin Ruotolo


Amazon.com:
Isobella Jade, a student at the New York Institute of Technology, begins exploring the possibility of working as a lingerie model — despite her nontraditional height of 5'4”. A Google search leads her to ads posted on Craigslist, and soon Jade finds herself turning up at private apartments for model shoots that more often than not turn out to be seedy, disappointing, and sometimes downright dangerous. After she is sliced across the eyebrow in a fight with a sleazy so-called fashion photographer who will not respect her boundaries in a photo shoot, Jade decides that she's finished with answering ads on Craigslist. She’s determined to get professional, get an agent, and become a real model. Model Life reveals her glamorous and not-so-glamorous on-the-job experiences in New York City. From her first photo shoot and her close brushes with soft porn to her appearances in ad campaigns for national retailers and magazines, this height-challenged model shares her past in an edgy, illustrated exposé. The original story of the ultimate underdog, Model Life is a celebration of the self-discovery that comes with being self-made and the triumph of beating the odds.

Model Life is based on Isobella Jade's real life experiences with breaking into the modeling world. Though she is much shorter than the average model she is determined and finds that if she looks hard enough the work is out there for someone of her height. While trying to model she's also trying to balance college, friends and a boyfriend.

I thought the book was exciting, will this shoot turn into something huge for Isobella or will it be a dead end? Will she be able to balance school with modeling? I thought the illustrator easily got across scenes with so few frames. That's very important in graphic novels, to get across everything that is happening in one scene with just a few pictures.

I wish that the graphic novel was longer, I feel like it just brushed the surface of Isobella's journey and would have loved to have seen more examples of how she got from where she started in the beginning of the book to how it ended. I do love the way the graphic novel ended though, it got a big awwwww from me.

A few cosmetic things I noticed with the book, I found a few spelling errors (I was reading a final copy) and also noticed the contrast on some of the background photography to be almost non-existent so I had a hard time seeing in detail in the photography. Also the frame structure sometimes changed from page to page so I always had to pay close attention to which frame I was reading first. I loved the illustration style though, it really got Isobella's emotions across and had great movement on the page. And I also loved how some photography, handwritten journal entries and text messages were used to move the story forward.

While I wish the graphic novel explored more of Isobella's journey I thought it was a wonderful and can't wait to read her memoir, Almost 5'4" which I hope will expand on what I read in Model Life.

Model Life will be released on October 20th
Genre: Graphic Novel (Adult)
3.5/5 Stars
Review copy provided by publisher

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Inklings by Jeffrey Koterba

Amazon.com:

When Jeffrey Koterba was six, he started drawing his first cartoons, painstakingly copying from the Sunday Omaha World Herald’s funny papers and making up his own characters. With a pen and a sheet of white paper, he was able to escape into a world that was clean, expansive, and comfortable—a refuge from the pandemonium surrounding him.

The tiny house Koterba grew up in was full-to-bursting with garage-sale treasures and televisions his father Art repaired and sold for extra money. A hard-drinking one-time jazz drummer whose big dreams never seemed to come true, Art was subject to violent facial and vocal tics—symptoms of Tourette’s Syndrome, a condition Jeffrey inherited—as well as explosions of temper and eccentricity that kept the Koterba family teetering on the brink of disaster.

From the canyons of broken electronics, the lightning strikes, screaming matches, and discouragements great and small emerged a young man determined to follow his creative spirit to grand heights. And much to his surprise, he found himself on a journey back to his family and the father he once longed to escape. An exuberant, heart-felt memoir that calls to mind The Tender Bar and Fun Home, Inklings is infused with an irresistible optimism all its own.


Let me start off by telling you that Inklings is not a graphic novel memoir. I made the mistake of thinking it was due to something I read on an Amazon page, so don't make the same mistake. I think that disappointment might have soured my reading experience a bit.

Inklings is split up into three sections, Jeffrey's childhood, teen years, and adulthood. I could have done without 3/4 of the first section. For me the stories seemed rather repetitive in Jeffrey's childhood, almost always revolving around his father's antics. I really disliked his father until the last section of the book when he had mellowed out with age. He was just not easy to read about.

The book really gets going for me towards the end of the second section when Jeffrey is in college and his cartooning starts to become very important in his life. Don't get me wrong, from the very beginning we see Jeffrey drawing cartoons. But when he starts to pursue it professionally the book really takes off. I wish Jeffrey's cartooning was a larger focus in the book. I loved seeing him reach his dream, being a cartoonist at the newspaper he's read since he was a child. (Not a spoiler, it's in his bio!) It just felt really good to see him get something he worked so so hard for. I also liked reading about his family in the last part of the book. When they had all grown up and their parents had mellowed with age. They just all got along so much better.

Overall a slow start but with a satisfying ending.

Inklings will be released on November 3rd
Genre: Memoir
3/5 Stars
ARC provided by Amazon Vine

Saturday, October 17, 2009

This Week In Books Or...


Monday:

The Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz
Tangled by Carolyn Mackler

These came for review!

Tuesday:
Legacy by Thomas E. Sniegoski
Celebrate Green! by Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell

For review as well, Celebrate Green for a very special blog tour in November!

Wednesday:

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

The last month any time I got something in the mail, I was really hoping it would be Some Girls Are. So when it actually came I started jumping up and down screaming OMG OMG!

Thursday:

Bed Rest by Sarah Bilston
Fiendish Deeds (The Joy of Spooking Book One) by P.J. Bracegirdle
Time of the Witches by Anna Myers
Leap Days by Katherine Lanpher

The library had some good stuff this week. :D

So Not Happening by Jenny B. Jones
I'm So Sure by Jenny B. Jones
Beautiful by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma

For review!

Friday:

Candle Man Book One: The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance by Glenn Dakin

For review

Saturday: nothing

Friday, October 16, 2009

Lookalikes 71

The Artist, the Philosopher, and the Warrior by Paul Strathern

Brunelleschi's Dome by Ross King

At first glance I figured these were by the same author and when I realized they weren't figured same series? Nope... same publisher... nope! So many of the elements are the same it's kind of spooky! Same color palette, same type of image, similar font, similar frame around the images...

Which do you prefer?

Have you spotted a Lookalike you would like to contribute? Send me an email!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Guest Post from Dina Nayeri, co-author of Another Faust!

Today I'm pleased to welcome Dina Nayeri one of the co-authors of Another Faust. I'm so excited she talks about the second book in their series, Another Pan! Thank you for stopping by Dina!

Another Pan and Facebook Fraud
by Dina

As many of you know, we have just finished writing Another Pan, the second book in Another Series, which will be released by Candlewick Press in fall of 2010. Like every book in the series, Another Pan is a retelling of a classic tale, set in modern-day Marlowe, featuring the dark spirit that continues to haunt the school (namely: Madame Vileroy).

In Another Pan, we give Madame Vileroy a new body, a new identity (even creepier than the first), and best of all, we reveal much about her past and how she came to be who she is.

But despite all that, my favorite thing about the book is one of the new characters: John Darling. From the start, I felt a very personal connection and empathy with John. He is a 13-year-old nerd with a desperation to belong, and he is deluding himself into believing that he is actually the coolest thing on earth. Of course, deep down, he knows the truth, but he can't help doing truly tragic crap to boost his social status. And his weapon of choice? Facebook.

Did you ever know someone like this? A person who uses their status updates and pictures and wall posts like a marketing campaign to sell an image that everyone knows is untrue? Unfortunately, I know one too many of this Facebook type. Somehow, their updates are nothing but bad-ass parties and drinks with hotties, when in real life, every time you drop in on them they're playing the Wii and eating cereal on the couch. Not that there's anything wrong with the Wii and cereal. I just want to know how you get from that to "Need tips on how to get into Angie's party at Cannes, STAT. Also, this mojito sucks."

The above is a REAL status update that appeared in my Newsfeed last may (when the Cannes Film Festival was going on in the south of France). Now, let's analyze it, shall we?

1) If you want us to know you're in Cannes, you can just say so, buddy. Go ahead, tell us. It's cool.
2) Do you really need tips? Which of your 400 elementary school friends and office mates is going to have a way into Angelina Jolie's party?
3) Why are you in Cannes on a random night during the film festival without plans? Do you really expect sympathy?
4) If you didn't get IN a party, then where did you get a mojito?
5) I don't think "Angie" throws parties at Cannes.
6) Are you sure you aren't watching this on TV?
7) Are you sure that by "mojito" you don't mean mint tea with cookies?

Right.... Thought so...

Stay tuned for more John Darling in book 2 of Another Series!!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

"Waiting On" Wednesday 52

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean

A lady does not smoke cheroot. She does not ride astride. She does not fence or attend duels. She does not fire a pistol, and she never gambles at a gentlemen’s club.

Lady Calpurnia Hartwell has always followed the rules, rules that have left her unmarried--and more than a little unsatisfied. And so she’s vowed to break the rules and live the life of pleasure she’s been missing.

But, to dance every dance, to steal a midnight kiss—to do those things, Callie will need a willing partner. Someone who knows everything about rule-breaking. Someone like Gabriel St. John, the Marquess of Ralston--charming and devastatingly handsome, his wicked reputation matched only by his sinful smile.

If she's not careful, she’ll break the most important rule of all—the one that says that pleasure-seekers should never fall hopelessly, desperately in love . . .

Released March 30th 2009

YAY! Sarah's The Season is one of my favorites of 2009 so I'm excited to read another of her books. And it's exciting that it's an adult title and there are two more for Avon coming in the near future! Can't wait to buy it!

MacLeanSpace.com

What can't you wait for to be released?

"Waiting On" Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Hardcover vs. Paperback 50

Dairy Queen

Hardcover

Paperback

Amazon.com:

When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said.

Harsh words indeed, from Brian Nelson of all people. But, D. J. can’t help admitting, maybe he’s right.

When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said.

Stuff like why her best friend, Amber, isn’t so friendly anymore. Or why her little brother, Curtis, never opens his mouth. Why her mom has two jobs and a big secret. Why her college-football-star brothers won’t even call home. Why her dad would go ballistic if she tried out for the high school football team herself. And why Brian is so, so out of her league.

When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said.

Welcome to the summer that fifteen-year-old D. J. Schwenk of Red Bend, Wisconsin, learns to talk, and ends up having an awful lot of stuff to say.

I haven't read this book and personally from the blurb I don't see how the title even fits with the book, someone care to share? Anyhow, I prefer the paperback, the cow on the hardcover is a bit cheesy for my taste (but don't get me wrong, I love cows!) I think I just prefer the human element on the paperback.

Hardcover or Paperback?

Have you spotted a Hardcover vs. Paperback you would like to contribute? Send me an email!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Marni by Marni Bates

Amazon.com:

Marni pulls. Pulls her hair, that is.

Unable to deal with the mounting stress at home, in school, and with friends, Marni's compulsion to pluck out her eyebrows, eyelashes . . . even the hair from the top of her head, helped her to quiet her mind and escape the pressures of the world around her.

Marni first began pulling the summer just before entering high school, and she was immediately hooked. Unfortunately, by the time she discovered that her habit was an actual disorder—trichotillomania or "trich"—it was way too late. "When I stared at the mirror and tried to recognize the girl without eyebrows, eyelashes, and bangs as myself and failed, I knew something had gone horribly wrong."

Because Truth Is More Fascinating Than Fiction

I really liked Marni's voice, she is and writes in such a way that you are cheering for her, wanting her to succeed and get through the tough things in her life. From her troubles with her father and her sister and problems at school. She just seems like a nice person that doesn't deserve an ounce of the bad things that happen in her life. And really some of the things that she goes through with her father, sister, and a unbelievably rude debate coach almost seem like fiction. It's sure a lot for one girl to go through. But if you listen to Marni speak, which I had the privilege to listen in on online a few months back, she's a very cheery person, none of her past pain comes through her personality!

The way Marni describes her trich really makes sense. How it's a compulsive behavior and something you can't just stop, it's right there on your head and face asking you to pull. Her trich isn't as much as the main storyline as I had originally though. But it was ok, because Marni fills her memoir with a lot of other interesting things from her life. From homeschooling to her love of reading as a child to being a self proclaimed geek. I could definitely get along with Marni, I think we'd have a lot of things in common.

My main issue with the book was that I just wanted more. It seemed almost too short and almost truncated. The chapters are little glimpses into her life, but I felt like they kind of jumped around time-wise and it made it a little hard for me to get my bearings at times. Did this happen before that etc etc. So I think more pages would have allowed for smoother transitions between the different times in Marni's life that she talks about.

I've heard from Marni herself that she's working on some fiction and really hopes that comes to something because I definitely would love to read it!

Marni was released on August 3rd
Genre: Young Adult Memoir
3.5/5 Stars
Review copy provided by publisher

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Giveaway: Hold Still

Now that you've had a chance to see my thoughts on Hold Still I'd like to give you a chance to win your ARC of the book!

If you need a reminder here's the blurb:

Amazon.com:
An arresting story about starting over after a friend’s suicide, froma breakthrough new voice in YA fiction

dear caitlin, there are so many things that i want so badly to tell you but i just can’t.

Devastating, hopeful, hopeless, playful . . . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend’s suicide. With the help of family and newfound friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn’t die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid’s descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid—and Caitlin herself .

Check out this book trailer, the best I've ever seen!



Here's how to enter to win Hold Still!

Leave a comment letting me know what about this book makes you want to read it? Or if you have what you liked about it (no spoilers please!)

For 1 additional entry, blog (sidebar is fine) or tweet (@reply me @mint910) about this contest and leave a separate comment here linking to your post or tweet (only one additional entry total).

The giveaway is open to addresses within the U.S.

Please leave a way for me to contact you if you are the winner!

The giveaway will end October 25th at 6:59 pm Central Time.

Hold Still by Nina LaCour

Amazon.com:

An arresting story about starting over after a friend’s suicide, from a breakthrough new voice in YA fiction

dear caitlin, there are so many things that i want so badly to tell you but i just can’t.

Devastating, hopeful, hopeless, playful . . . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend’s suicide. With the help of family and newfound friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn’t die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid’s descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid—and Caitlin herself .

I was very interested in reading Hold Still when I read the premise, it's very hard to express feelings about suicide, at least I think so. So I wanted to see how LaCour handled it and how she put it into words. I was pretty impressed with how she portrayed Caitlin's grief, pain, regret and all the other feelings that someone feels when someone they know commits suicide.

I really liked how LaCour weaved all of these emotions into Caitlin's journey to heal herself and find herself a new place in her world. I mean what do you do when you best friend in the world is gone? I thought her journey was pretty believable. From Caitlin isolating herself, to trying to find someone to comfort her, to someone to befriend, to outlets to explore her feelings including art. It's a rather uplifting story especially for the subject matter.

Another part of the story I really liked was that Caitlin finds Ingrid's journal. Would she find the key to why Ingrid killed herself? hidden feelings? things her friend was thinking but not saying? It rips open the wound but also sort of heals it, having that closure. And what Caitlin decides to do with Ingrid's journal is just perfect. Especially the ending of the book, it had me in tears.

Hold Still will be released on October 20th
Genre: Young Adult
4.5/5 Stars
ARC provided by publisher

Check out this book trailer, the best I've ever seen!

Friday, October 09, 2009

Lookalikes 70

Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern

Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartery

So maybe not as lookalike-y as usual but I like comparing the two. I like them both but I think I prefer Into the Wild Nerd Yonder a bit more. They are both interesting though, I like the typefaces and the backgrounds of both.

Which do you prefer?

Have you spotted a Lookalike you would like to contribute? Send me an email!

Thursday, October 08, 2009

The Good Neighbors: Kin (Book One) by Holly Black & Ted Naifeh

Amazon.com:

Rue Silver's mother has disappeared . . . and her father has been arrested, suspected of killing her. But it's not as straightforward as that. Because Rue is a faerie, like her mother was. And her father didn't kill her mother -- instead, he broke a promise to Rue's faerie king grandfather, which caused Rue's mother to be flung back to the faerie world. Now Rue must go to save her -- and must also defeat a dark faerie that threatens our very mortal world.

The Good Neighbors: Kin (Book One) combines two of my current obsessions, young adult literature and graphic novels! I haven't read many if any fairy/faerie books so this was a nice introduction. While I didn't totally understand all the faerie lore hopefully understanding will come as the series progresses. Kin introduces several plot lines, from two possible murders, to a suspicious and probably dangerous grandfather to a boyfriend that may or may not have Rue's back.

I loved the gritty feel the book gave off from the story but also the illustration style. Most of the graphic novels I read have a beautiful but clean style to them so it was really interesting to see something different in the illustrations of The Good Neighbors. The illustration style used in this book is really dark and expressive because of the use of, what looks like charcoal. I think this style fits perfectly with the subject matter. In a way it can almost be ugly as well, not ugly ugly but kind of gritty, if that makes any sense. It was almost like a rougher version (in line quality) of Charles Burns Black Hole to me.

I love how the Rue's world slowly starts to blur with the world of the faeries. There is one beautiful full spread of a club that's absolutely breathtaking near the beginning of the book! I can't wait to find out what happened next in this story!

The Good Neighbors: Kin (Book One) came out in paperback October 1st
Genre: Young Adult Graphic Novel
3.5/5 Stars
Review copy provided by publisher

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Winner of The Everafter!

Holly is the winner of The Everafter contest. She's already responded with her address! Thanks Holly!

"Waiting On" Wednesday 51

A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents by Liza Palmer

Amazon.com:

Grace Hawkes has not spoken to her previously tight-knit family since her mother's sudden death five years ago. Well, most of the family was tight-knit-- her father walked out on them when she was 13 and she and her two brothers and sister bonded together even closer with their mother as a result.

She's been doing her best to live her new life apart from them, but when their estranged father has a stroke and summons them, Grace suddenly realizes she's done the same thing he had done...abandoned those who need her most.

And need her they do, for inside the hospital walls, a strange war is unfolding between the pseudo-kindly woman who is their father's second wife and the rest of the original Hawkes clan. Upon reconnecting with her brother and sisters, Grace will find a part of herself she thought was lost forever. As they unravel the manipulative deception of the second Mrs. Hawkes, Grace will finally be able to stand up for her family-- and to remember what a family is, even after all these years.

Released December 23rd 2009

I've always wanted to try a book by this author! Also I really like sibling stories and the imprint 5 Spot never really disappoints me!

What can't you wait for to be released?

"Waiting On" Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Hardcover vs. Paperback 49

Testimony by Anita Shreve

Hardcover

Paperback

UK Hardcover

UK Paperback

Amazon.com:

At a New England boarding school, a sex scandal is about to break. Even more shocking than the sexual acts themselves is the fact that they were caught on videotape. A Pandora's box of revelations, the tape triggers a chorus of voices--those of the men, women, teenagers, and parents involved in the scandal--that details the ways in which lives can be derailed or destroyed in one foolish moment.

Writing with a pace and intensity surpassing even her own greatest work, Anita Shreve delivers in TESTIMONY a gripping emotional drama with the impact of a thriller. No one more compellinglyexplores the dark impulses that sway the lives of seeming innocents, the needs and fears that drive ordinary men and women into intolerable dilemmas, and the ways in which our best intentions can lead to our worst transgressions.

I like how the US and UK editions overlap (US Paperback and UK Hardcover). My favorite is the UK Hardcover, I love that image and the way it's cropped in that edition. I also like the haunting feel from the US Hardcover. I think the UK Paperback is totally wrong, that girl looks much older than the girl in the book, unless that's someone else being portrayed and then that doesn't even make sense!

Hardcover or Paperback?

Have you spotted a Hardcover vs. Paperback you would like to contribute? Send me an email!

Monday, October 05, 2009

Winner of That Summertime Sound!

The winner of That Summertime Sound is renewedmommy!

Congratulations! I have emailed you, please respond with your mailing address by this Wednesday the 7th!

Bad Apple by Laura Ruby

Amazon.com:

"If I really wanted to open up, I'd confess that I really am the liar everyone believes I am."

High-school junior Tola Riley has green hair, a nose ring, an attitude problem, and a fondness for fairy tales, which are a great escape from real life. Everyone thinks she's crazy; everyone says so. Everyone except Mr. Mymer, her art teacher. He gets her paintings and lets her hang out in the art room during lonely lunch periods.

But then rumors start flying and Tola is suddenly the center of a scandal. The whole town is judging her—even her family. When Mr. Mymer is suspended for what everyone thinks is an affair, she has no choice but to break her silence. Fairy tales won't help her this time . . . so how can she tell the truth? And, more importantly, will anyone believe her?

Bad Apple has a perfectly weird sense of humor. For me it just worked. From Tola insisting on referring to her sister Tiffany as Madge to "Madge" being somewhat of a strange character herself. It really just worked for me, the author created a sassy, quirky, and awesome main character in Tola and a handful of other oddballs in the secondary characters.

I really liked the plot as well. Did something inappropriate happen between Tola and her art teacher or did someone lie or blow it out of proportion. What really happened? What is revealed is an intriguing web of gossip, mean girls, truth and lies, innocence and guilt. It sure gave me a lot to think about.

Another interesting thing about the book were quotes from characters after each chapter about stuff that had just been discussed in that chapter. It helped move along the story in an interesting way, how it was sort of outside of the actual story but at the same time not.

For me it's a rather detailed book with a lot of different layers! If you are looking for something bizarre and humorous Bad Apple might be a perfect fit for you!

Bad Apple will be released on October 6th
Genre: Young Adult
4.5/5 Stars
ARC provided by publisher

Sunday, October 04, 2009

Thanksgiving at the Inn by Tim Whitney

Amazon.com:

Ever since his mother left, life hasn't been easy for Heath Wellington III. Between his father's (Junior's) bouts with alcoholism and literary rejection, and Heath's own wrongful suspension from school, there hasn't been all that much to be thankful for.

But following the tragic death of estranged grandfather Senior, father and son alike stand to inherit a life-changing fortune . . . with one catch.

Heath and Junior must spend the next three months managing Senior's bed and breakfast, located in the same Massachusetts home Junior has spent the last eight years trying to escape.

Upended from his everyday life and relocated to a town where everyone knew and loved the grandfather he can't even remember, Heath finds an inn full of some of the strangest people he's ever met, such as:

* Winsted, the old, wise Jamaican man who used to lead the prayers in Senior s factory;

* Mrs. Farrel, an elderly woman giving away her late husband's fortune letter by letter;

* Mustang Sally, the muscle-bound, tattooed grease monkey who doubles as a children's author;

* And Carter, the silent TV news junkie and secret Harvard graduate.

And, at a nearby school is Savannah, Junior's first love, and her adorable, autistic daughter, Tori.

But most of all, there's Junior himself, vinegar to Heath's oil. As Heath adjusts to his new world, what he needs most is to start anew with his father, to understand that Junior, too, is dealing with loss, and to realize that, even in the most tragic of times, there's a lot in life to be thankful for.

Thanksgiving at the Inn is a beautiful story of family and forgiveness, and a sure holiday classic. Tim Whitney's fantastic, heartwarming debut is one you'll want to read with the whole family for years and years to come.

Thanksgiving at the Inn was definitely a feel good kind of book for me. Heath is having a tough time living with his dad who is not easy at all to be around and his mother is out of the picture. Because of him, he never really got to know his grandfather. So when the chance comes (through his grandfather's will) to learn more about his Grandfather, Heath is sort of interested in this opportunity but knows his dad sure isn't.

I love the cast of characters we meet at his grandfather's inn. Winsted who basically runs the inn and is friendly to all, Mrs Farrel a mysterious old woman, Mustang Sally, who is multi-talented, and Carter the reluctant Harvard graduate. They all bring something to the story and teach Heath about his family and how you don't have to be related to be a family. I personally loved Winsted and Mustang Sally, they both had hearts of gold!

The author really covers a lot of ground dealing with things such as grief, guilt, alcoholism, autism, and love among other things. I thought it was fitting to frame the story around the Thanksgiving season. The author really created a heartwarming story of redemption. Overall a heartwarming and hopeful story!

Thanksgiving at the Inn was released on October 1st
Genre: Middle Grade
3.5/5 Stars
Review copy provided by publisher
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