Should Be A Book Cover (5)

  I have been inspired by tons of photographs on Pinterest and so many of these pictures make me think "hey that would be an awesome book cover," hence the title of this post.  Tell me what you think of the pics below and let me know what your favorite is.

http://www.flickr.com/

http://worldofamici.blogspot.com/

http://www.beautifullife.info/

http://suchaprettyworld.tumblr.com/

http://beautiful-portals.tumblr.com/

#1 I love eiffel tower pics.  This makes me think of the Die for Me cover.

#2 I'm also a big fan of under water shots.  

#3 This would make a good contemporary cover.

#4 Haunting and beautiful.  My favorite this week.

#5 Would make a great fantasy cover.

Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone by. Leigh Bardugo

Published by Henry Holt and Co. (MacMillan)
June 5, 2012

ARC

This review is way past due. I guess it's taking me so long to write this because I don't know what to say that hasn't already been said. It was something truly different to read, which is always a fun adventure to go on as a reader.

What was one of my favorite aspects about this novel was that it had a folk lore feel to it from the very beginning.  When I started reading the prologue I felt like I was listening to a classic fairy tale being read out loud.  The writing was captivating and I quickly got lost in the pages.  I just wanted more and more with every turn of the page. The short story "The Witch of Duva" in the Fierce Reads Anthology also has this folk lore/Grimm fairy tale feel to is and is a must read whether you've read Shadow and Bone or not.

Alina really comes into her own and I always root for a strong female lead.  At times I became frustrated with her, but by the end of the novel I think she learned a lot about herself and will use her strengths in next book in the series.  Mal is the pretty boy that can kick some serious butt.  The Darkling is appealing like a flame, beautiful to watch, but you know is dangerous if you get too close.  Besides the main players I really enjoyed the character Genya.  

The world building was seemingly perfect.  There were no long sequences where you were filled in with tons of information. These little bits of information was flawlessly woven into the story.  I was really intrigued with the Leigh's Tsarists Russia influences and now I want to know more!  It really shows the mass amounts of work and research that went into writing this masterpiece.  

Final conclusions: What a crazy amazing debut!


Cover Comments: This one has been through the ringer with covers.  I was sent the ARC that has cover #1, but I was also sent the final book jacket (above).  During the Fierce Reads Tour stop I went to I talked to Leigh about the covers and she asked me what I thought of them.  I like the original, but she pointed out it's a bit vampirish/werewolfish, which doesn't fit the story at all.  I see that, and it looks like there are some Chinese dragons are on it too, which doesn't fit either.  The final cover does get closer with the dark and light swirls, but the building on the front reminds me of princess Jasmine's castle from Aladdin.  Plus, it doesn't look like a YA book.  It had to be really difficult to figure out a cover to represent this novel because it's so different and has so many levels to get across with one image.  I'm not really sure about the Indigo cover (#2) and why it has a different title, but that is not how I imagined what Alina looks like.  I actually really love the German cover (#3), because it represents a significant scene, but there's no representation of the dark aspect of the story.  I wonder if the pbk will change, or if they'll stick with the hardcover final cover.

#1

#2

#3

The chapter artwork is really cool:

http://leighbardugo.wordpress.com

I need to invest in a finished copy, so I can have this awesome map:

http://www.leighbardugo.com/ravkamap/

Teacher Notes: This is not a light/easy read.  There are unknown words/language, which aren't explained right away and there isn't a glossary in the back.  This would be a great novel to work with when having students use context clues to figure it out and make predictions.

Goodreads:

Alina Starkov doesn’t expect much from life. Orphaned by the Border Wars, the one thing she could rely on was her best friend and fellow refugee, Mal. And lately not even that seems certain. Drafted into the army of their war-torn homeland, they’re sent on a dangerous mission into the Fold, a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh.

When their convoy is attacked, all seems lost until Alina reveals a dormant power that not even she knew existed. Ripped from everything she knows, she is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. He believes she is the answer the people have been waiting for: the one person with the power to destroy the Fold.

Swept up in a world of luxury and illusion, envied as the Darkling’s favorite, Alina struggles to fit into her new life without Mal by her side. But as the threat to the kingdom mounts, Alina uncovers a secret that sets her on a collision course with the most powerful forces in the kingdom. Now only her past can save her . . . and only she can save the future.

Should Be A Book Cover (4)

  I have been inspired by tons of photographs on Pinterest and so many of these pictures make me think "hey that would be an awesome book cover," hence the title of this post.  Tell me what you think of the pics below and let me know what your favorite is.

http://www.etsy.com/

http://beautiful-portals.tumblr.com/

http://www.digart.pl/

http://loverforbooks.blogspot.com/

 readitlaterlist.com

#1 Mother Goose re-telling.

#2 Fantasy maybe?

#3 I love this one.  How cool would it be for a background story of Mary Poppins?

#4 This makes me think of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince for some reason.  It might be the colors and medium that was used.

#5 This one is really awesome.  I'm thinking dystopian for this one.

It was harder picking a favorite this week, but if I have to choose I'd probably say #3.

Review: A Long Way from You by Gwendolyn Heasley

A Long Way from You by. Gwendolyn Heasley

Published by HarperTeen
June 5, 2012

Pbk.



Even though this is a companion novel and it's not necessary to read Where I Belong first, I am glad I did because it made for an overall better reading experience.  I had enjoyed Kitsy's character even more than Corrinne and this gave me some background knowledge before I dove into the pages of A Long Way from You.

Due to the fact that I think Kitsy has had a more difficult life makes her more mature than Corrinne, and is probably why I liked her story of coming into her own better than Corrinne's.  I was a bit upset, but not really surprised by the fact that it seemed like Corrinne had regressed a bit to her original self (pre-Broken Spoke).  It was a good idea of Gwendolyn's to ship Corrinne off to horse camp so that Kitsy had to navigate New York and her journey on her own.

Kitsy's own family dynamics was interesting, and I liked how Gwendolyn handled the idea of physical and mental distance.  Some of the things like relationships and some personalities of characters seem to change suddenly; this is especially true with the characters you don't see for awhile (Amber, Corrinne's mom, and Corrinne).  It takes some adjusting to accept these changes and feels a bit unreal.  Kitsy's emotions feel real and as a reader you go through them with her, which makes for a strong 1st person POV.  One of my favorite things that Gwendolyn does is she makes the romance secondary and the MC's personal growth the center focus.

The ending was so open ended, which was frustrating not knowing, but if you think about it these YA characters are really just getting started with their journey to figuring out who they are and what they want for their adult lives.  I do like the idea of having life at your finger tips and having so many possibilities to choose from, which is the feeling Gwendolyn left me with.

I wonder if her next book will be related to these characters and if we'll find out more about the futures of Corrinne and Kitsy.  I'd kind of like to see Waverly (Corrinne's best friend) get a wake up call.


Cover Comments: I have to complement the people in charge of creating the covers for Gwendolyn's books because they always have models that are the epitome of what I imagine.  I don't like this one as much as I do Where I Belong, but I do love the emotion captured by the model who is supposed to be Kitsy.

Quotable Quotes: 

• "I think sometimes you've got to get out of a place to be able to take the whole thing in.  When you're in it, you only see what's in front of you." pg. 174
• "Photography makes us see the beauty in the ordinary." pg. 230
• "Happily ever after is not a place: It's a state of being, and you have to work at it every day." pg 260

Teacher Notes: Like it's predecessor this book also has a coming of age theme.

Goodreads::
For too long, Kitsy has had to satisfy her dreams of becoming a real artist by giving her friends makeovers before prom. So when her best friend Corrinne's family offers to sponsor her for a summer art course in New York City, Kitsy bids a temporary good-bye to Texas to say hello to the West Village.


Between navigating the subway and the New Yorkers--namely, the Art Boy who has a nice trick of getting under her skin--Kitsy knows that this summer is going to be about a "lot" more than figure drawing.

Review: Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley

Where I Belong by. Gwendolyn Heasley

Published by HarperTeen
February 8, 2011

Pbk.

+ .5

This was a fun read; think of Blair Waldoff making a guest appearance on Friday Night Lights.  There was a bit of humor thrown in and some funny scenes that had me giggling.  I'm glad that Gwendolyn added the letter from Corrinne in the beginning, because at first I really couldn't stand her as an MC/narrator.  She was just very unrelatable and angsty.

Corrinne definitely grew on me just like she did with the other characters in the book.  In fact, I really liked all the other characters, especially Kitsy and Corrinne's grandparents.  I would have liked a little more sophistication from the MC though.  Due to the characters and settings I could easily see this on ABC Family and being turned into either a TV show or movie.  The family dynamics makes this novel more relatable and an enjoyable read.  I'm glad that the family/friend relationships were more of a focus than the romance.

I had a little issue with the sterotypes being portrayed, but it was through the eyes of Corrinne and was part of her personality to stereotype.  It's kind of ironic, because the other characters at first view her as the stereotype of a spoiled Upper East sider.

I wasn't a fan of how it ended.  I just feel like Corrinne had made so much progress that I didn't see how that could continue due to her situation changing again.  It was kind of a "happily ever after" wrap up.

If you're looking for a light enjoyable read for the summer you might want to check this one out.

Cover Comments: Cute.  Fits the story, although it makes it seem like there will be more romance than there is.  It's nice and bright and makes you want to know what those two are talking about.

Quotable Quotes: 

• "It looks hot and dusty outside, and I worry that a cow might charge me.  With the way that people eat beef here the cattle must be plotting for revenge." pg. 94
• "The city looks like a jewel box that's all lit up.  Who knew that steel and electricity could be so beautiful?"  pg. 266

Teacher Notes: There was a coming of age theme and many instances to illustrate these changes in the MC.  I could see younger girl teens (9th) enjoying this, maybe even MG girls.

Barnes & Noble:

Meet Corrinne. She's living every girl's dream in New York City—shopping sprees at Barneys, open access to the best clubs and parties, and her own horse at the country club. Her perfect life is perfectly on track. At least it was. . . .


When Corrinne's father is laid off, her world suddenly falls apart. Instead of heading to boarding school, she's stripped of her credit cards and shipped off to the boonies of Texas to live with her grandparents. On her own in a big public school and forced to take a job shoveling manure, Corrinne is determined to get back to the life she's supposed to be living. She doesn't care who she stomps on in the process. But when Corrinne makes an unlikely friend and discovers a total hottie at work, she begins to wonder if her life B.R.—before the recession—was as perfect as it seemed.

Should Be a Book Cover (3)

  I have been inspired by tons of photographs on Pinterest and so many of these pictures make me think "hey that would be an awesome book cover," hence the title of this post.  Tell me what you think of the pics below and let me know what your favorite is.

http://pinterest.com/

http://www.emptykingdom.com/

http://browse.deviantart.com/

http://erikananette.tumblr.com/

http://fantasyorfiction.tumblr.com/

#1 contemporary for sure. 

#2 is odd, but I kind of like it.

#3 is really pretty and I love the colors.

#4 is my favorite.  I'm thinking fantasy or fairy tale re-telling.

#5 either fantasy or paranormal.  It kind of reminds me of a lighter/brighter version of Lauren Kate's Fallen series covers.

Dark Days, The King's English, and Meg Cabot!!!

Dark Days Tour: Salt Lake City, UT

Pitch Dark Books Facebook Page

While I was in Utah for my best friend's wedding I decided to reach out to fellow book blogger Emily @ Emily's Reading Room and find out what bookish things were going to be going on while I was there.  I was lucky enough that the Dark Days tour with Veronica Roth, Dan Wells, S.J. Kincaid, and Aprilynne Pike was making a stop at the SLC Public Library (amazing place if you ever get the chance to visit it!).  Emily also posted about the event and has a livestream video of the event here.

It started with the authors giving a brief description about who they are and what they wrote.  Then there was about 20 minutes of audience questions, followed by book signing.  Thanks to The Kings English Bookstore (see below) I was able to pick up a copy of Partials, Insignia, and Wings to have the authors sign; I already had Divergent and Insurgent.  Besides getting my books signed I was also able to get a little bit of swag from some of the authors.  Unfortunately, we were unable to take pictures with the authors, but I did get a few of the authors while they were talking to the audience.

• Veronica Roth: she is super super nice!  The thing that really stuck with me the most that she said is that you need to fall in love with the process of writing.  I love what she wrote in my books.  
• Dan Wells: this guy is hilarious.  He kept making reference to his kids who he brought along.  He made a great point about how it's not really about not having time to write, but more about what you value enough to make time for.  
• S.J. Kincaid: she is soooo pretty!  While getting my book signed she actually asked me a question about one of my favorite books I've read lately, and I gushed about In Honor by Jessi Kirby.  
• Aprilynne Pike: also very funny and great energy.  When talking about writing she said that if you loved it once, you should love it again (I think in reference to drafting). 

Had to show you the cool outside of Insignia.

The King's English Bookshop in SLC

http://www.kingsenglish.com/

Emily also told me that I needed to check out this indie bookshop while I was there.  I was very excited to find out that they had signed copies of books from author stops and Utah authors.  Thus, I had to find something from Shannon Hale; I wanted to find Midnight in Austenland, but ended up going with Book of a Thousand Days and this funny Mr. Darcy pin.  If you ever get a chance to be in the area, you should check it out.

Check out some other pictures I took in the bookshop:

Shakespeare spot

Meg Cabot in MI!

This is no joke.  Meg Cabot came to MI a day after I got back from SLC, while on tour for her latest installment of the Heather Wells series Size 12 and Ready to Rock.  I was so glad that I was able to make it back in time for this event.  I was addicted to The Princess Diaries series with all the angsty teenage love drama between Mia and Michael, and of course I wanted a cat like Fat Louie (I'd say I achieved that goal with Buddy).  I went with my fellow book blogger friend Kyle @ A Reader's Pensieve who also couldn't believe we were going to meet such royalty of YA.  

Wow that's a ton of books!

Meg started off by giving us a mini autobiography that went along with a slideshow.  She is a great public speaker (note: didn't stand behind podium and totally worked the crowd) and is just as hilarious in person as her characters are.  I learned some things I never knew about her before like that The Princess Diaries wasn't even published yet before the movie rights were sold, that she went into illustrating first, her mom got remarried her high school Algebra teacher (like Mia!), and she worked in a residence hall and had some hilarious stories, which inspired the Heather Wells series.  The books that I took with me to get signed is a hardcover and paperback (for the FCL) of The Princess Diaries, Abandon, and of course Size 12 and Ready to Rock.  I'm excited to start reading the Heather Wells series since I found out it has a mystery element.  Meg Cabot + Mystery...sounds like the perfect combo.  

Since I've Been Gone

Vacations can be great, but one without Internet can be kind of scary when you get back.  Does anyone know how long jet lag lasts for?  My email accounts are overflowing and Google Reader is up and over 1,000!  I'm so glad to be back and now I just have to plow through all of the things.

I didn't get as much reading done as I would have liked (weddings are just complete chaos people), but I did finish Divergent by Veronica Roth and Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley (review hopefully soon).  I went to some fun bookish things in the last couple of weeks and will post about that next, so stay tuned!