Cover Comparison Thursday: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Cover Comparison Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by me to showcase international covers of a certain book, and share our opinions on each.

<-- Catalan Edition

I LOVE the color scheme on this..! The dusty rose is really gorgeous, probably more so in person. It's nearly identical to the light blue US version, which I also love.

VERDICT: OF COURSE! Of course I would pick up this book, don't be silly ;)

SCORE: 10/10

Greek-->

I really like this cover. The design is really similar to the US version, but a little eerier. My only worry is that because there is so much black, it would really blend in to a darker bookshelf.

VERDICT: I would definitely pick up this book. I love this cover.

SCORE: 9/10

ETA: ooh i just noticed the heart shaped leaves!! i'm a big fan of those :)

<-- German

(title means After the Summer)

I love the girl giving her heart to the wolf, as well as the German title, "After the Summer," but not much else. The parchment-y look and the font makes the book look older and more geared towards adults. It's not really a teen-oriented cover.

VERDICT: I don't think I would pick up this book based on the cover.

SCORE: 4/10

Brazil -->

Again, this cover looks more like an adult novel. I do like it more than the German edition though. The wolf stalking through the forest is a nice touch. The color scheme is sort of bland, not really sure it would stick out on a shelf.

VERDICT: It's debatable whether I would pick this up. Probably depends on my mood.

SCORE: 6/10

So, I definitely like the Catalan edition, as well as the US edition. They're both stunning, like the words and the story inside the cover.

Which is your favorite?

*If you choose to participate in this meme, leave the link to your post in the comments and I'll be sure to comment!

Waiting on Wednesday (3): Girl Parts by John M. Cusick

Girl Parts by John M. Cusick

Release Date: August 10th, Candlewick Press

"Hello, David. My name is Rose. It’s a pleasure to meet you. We are now entering minute two of our friendship. According to my Intimacy Clock, a handshake is now appropriate…"

David and Charlie are opposites. David has a million friends, online and off. Charlie is a soulful outsider, off the grid completely. But neither feels close to anybody. When David’s parents present him with a hot Companion bot to encourage healthy bonds and treat "dissociative disorder," he can’t get enough of luscious red-headed Rose — and he can’t get it soon. Companions come with strict intimacy protocols, and whenever he tries anything, David gets an electric shock. Severed from the boy she was built to love, Rose turns to Charlie, who finds he can open up, knowing Rose isn’t real. With Charlie’s help, the ideal "companion" is about to become her own best friend.
In a stunning and hilarious debut, John Cusick takes rollicking aim at internet culture and our craving for meaningful connection in an uber-connected world.

Basically, this concept sounds both hilarious, genius, and plain old addicting.

Me want. Me want badly. Me haz become caveman. *grunts*

Review: A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker

Title: A Match Made in High School
Author: Kristin Walker
Release Date: February 4, 2010
Publisher: Penguin
Length: 278 pages

Source: Barnes and Noble
Format: Paperback

Summary:

When a mandatory course forces Fiona to "try the knot" with super-jock Todd Harding, she's convinced life couldn't get any worse. Until her crush is paired with her arch-enemy (otherwise known as Todd's obscenely hot, slightly sadistic girlfriend). But that's nothing compared to her best friend's fate -- a year with the very goofy, very big Johnny Mercer.

A series of hilarious pranks leaves Fiona wondering: Is there something her "best friend" hasn't told her? Could there be more to Johnny Mercer than an awesome music collection? And most intriguingly, could Todd Harding have a heart beneath his pretty-boy exterior?

Review:

This book was A Match Made in the Teen Section of Barnes and Noble. I fell in love with the very snarky, very clever, very teenager-ish Fiona Sheehan the moment I "met" her. Of all the books I've read in 2010, Fiona has the most personality and the most accurate YA voice. This book made me laugh out loud-- out loud, out loud. It was hi-freakin'-larious, as Fiona would say. I sat on my couch, giggling at the chemistry between the characters, at the pranks performed, at the witty banter, at EVERYTHING it seemed like.

Kristin Walker, you nailed it.

Examples of the awesomeness and rare form of beauty I call PERSONALITY (Fiona's, to be specific) :

Grading:

1. Characters: 20/20

2. Writing: 20/20

3. Plot: 20/20

4. Accurate YA: voice 20/20

5. Cover: 10/10

6. Title: 10/10

Overall Score: 100 or A+

Versatile Blogger Award

i was lucky enough to receive this lovely award from three even lovelier ladies: -k at the lovely critic's blog and cara at from my head reviews and bri at words and the world!

1) thank and link back to the person who gave you this award

2) share seven things about yourself

3) pass this along to fifteen bloggers... well i'm narrowing it down to five bloggers because there are a certain five blogs i especially want to put in the spotlight.

so without further ado, seven facts about myself:

1. i am really easy to get on a sugar high. donuts are the most dangerous for me-- when i get up at 4am for horse shows i always stop at krispy kreme and chow down on the sugary, flaky, doughy goodness, and within minutes i'm a giggly, hysterical mess.

2. cloudy/rainy days are my favorite kind of days. i can just curl up on the couch with a good book and a cozy blanket and read for hours.

3. i have insomnia. it started with my concussion. i went from being the deepest sleeper in my family (thunderstorms had no impact on my semi-coma) to about three hours of sleep. i have constant exhaustion, but still can't sleep. c'est la vie.

4. when i do sleep, i have the strangest dreams. seriously, they're insane. last night i had one i was pregnant and the hormones caused by the pregnancy caused me to scream at this girl i absolute hate in front of the entire school. by the way i'm 15, which makes the pregnancy even stranger.

5. i am guilty of being a knuckle-cracker. awful, unattractive habit. but it feels good on my joints.

6. my dream car is a small, light blue pick up truck. or a red truck. either/or.

7. at this very moment i am simultaneously watching so you think you can dance from wednesday night. billy just preformed.

i pass this award along to:

1. erinjade @ butters last meal

2. bee @ dreamcatchers lair

3. nomes @ inkcrush

4. rachele alpine @ frecklehead

5. meera @ meeroar

Cover Comparison Thursday: Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Thanks to everyone who gave their opinions yesterday!

Cover Comparison Thursday is a weekly meme (now!) hosted by me to showcase international covers of a certain book, and share our opinions on each.

Denmark -->

I like all of this, especially the two small hearts. But I do not like the image of Bella on the front... the cartoon picture just makes the book look childish.

VERDICT: It's debatable... I may or not pick it based on the cover. It probably depends on my mood.

SCORE: 6/10

<-- Japan

Not crazy about this cover at all. It looks more like a comic book than an actual novel. I assume the two characters on the cover are Bella and Edward, and if so, they're not accurately portrayed. For one, they have the same skin color on the cover, but seeing as only one is a vamp it doesn't really work. Also Edward is not a blonde. I do like the simple white background though.

VERDICT: Yeah not happening.. I wouldn't buy the book with this cover. Sorry.

SCORE: 2/10

Germany -->

I do like this cover. I love the contrast of the red lips and rosy cheeks to the porcelain skin, and because of these features it's not necessarily Bella. It focuses on beauty, which plays a large role in the Twilight saga. My only complaint is that it wouldn't really stand out amongst brighter covers in the YA section

VERDICT: I would definitely pick up this book. I am a fan, especially of how mature the cover seems.

SCORE: 8.5/10

<-- Thailand

I also love this cover, it's very similar to the German cover in that it revolves around beauty of the figure on front, who almost looks like a marble statue. However, the cover scheme-- the greens, yellows, and red-- don't really make sense to me, but I don't have much of a problem with them.

VERDICT: I would also pick this up because of the cover. It's lovely and elegant, regal almost.

SCORE: 9/10

Norway -->

Although I like this cover, I most definitely do not like it for this particular book. The candy hearts are more suited for a chick flick, not a paranormal mystery.

VERDICT: I would buy this book with this cover, as it in no way offends the story, but I do not support it. The mood it presents does not fit Twilight.

SCORE: 7/10

<-- Indonesia

All the hair is a turn off, though I do like how it forms a heart. I'm not sure who the woman is supposed to be... Rosalie, maybe? Perhaps the descriptions of the characters are different for each country, but this woman does seem like she belongs on the cover of Twilight. I also don't like the clash of the yellow of the hair against the red sky. I do like the red sky alone though.

VERDICT: I probably take a look at this book with the certain cover, though I might be a little hesitant, maybe because the woman is naked?? Not a bad cover though.

SCORE: 7/10

The Netherlands -->

LOVE this cover... love the black background against the pale arms, love the symbolism of the apple, love the heart shaped bite.

VERDICT: 100% buying this.

SCORE: 10/10

<-- Russia

Um, I don't know anyone in Twilight that has blue eyes... The person on the front does resemble Bella a lot, apart from the eyes, but it's not very appealing. I also hate the font and color of the title. Barf-ola. The trees in the background are fine.

VERDICT: Hmm... this depends. Probably not going to pick this one up and read the blurb. So I'd probably not buy it in the end.

SCORE: 5/10

I'd love to hear your opinions. My favorite is the Netherlands cover.

Thanks to everyone who participates and comments! If you do participate, click the Mr. Linky and leave your name and blog URL in it. I'll be sure to comment on everyones!

URGENT! I NEED YOUR OPINIONS!

I've been thinking...

... about starting a weekly meme...

... where we compare international covers of books...

... every Thursday.

I know many people do judge books by their cover, despite the saying. Myself included. *blushes*

I think a weekly comparison to see if we would buy a book based on their various covers would be extremely interesting, and I'd love to host it every Thursday. But I would need your help! I'd teach myself how to use Mr. Linky so everyone can comment on each others posts.

So what do you think? Just comment with your opinion, I'd love love love LOVE to hear it! I really value your ideas.

Review: The Mosts by Melissa Senate

Title: The Mosts
Author: Melissa Senate
Release Date: June 8, 2010
Publisher: Delacorte/Random House
Length: 225 pages

Source: Random House (publisher)
Format: ARC

Summary:

"Madeline finished freshman year at Freeport Academy just as invisible as when she started. But after a summer in Italy with her sophisticated aunt, she returned as a sophomore with cool clothes, European attitude, and a hot new boyfriend, Thom.

Maddie's part of the in crowd . . . the Mosts. Her best friend, Caro? Most Beautiful. Her other friends, Fergie, Annie, and Selena? Most Stylish, Most Hilarious, and Most Hot, respectively. And Madeline? Most Popular. Her life is great.

While it lasted.

Now Thom's moved to California—so Maddie's no longer the girlfriend of a popular guy. The guy Caro likes only has eyes for Madeline—can you say social suicide? And a group of misfits at school are begging Madeline to help make them over.

Madeline knows there's a fine line between being a Most . . . and being a Not. She doesn't want her status to change . . . but what if she doesn't have a choice?"

Review:

The Mosts is the Most Adorable book of the season! Hands down. It was a cute, breezy, fast summer read, following the events of Madeline after her boyfriend of two years moves away. She's in the popular crowd, until she's roped into helping give misfits a makeover. She, of course, has motivation for doing so: they are paying her $400, which is enough to afford a one-way ticket to California, where her boyfriend, Thom now lives.

One thing that Melissa Senate excelled at was character development. Madeline's attitude change throughout the book was so well thought-out and so well paced. Her reasons for changing were completely legit, and they happened at a realistic pace. Well done.

Unfortunately, the YA voice was not up to par. The characters were in their sophomore year of high school, but acted much younger. Maybe it was in part because Madeline and her four amigos were truly convinced that every girl in California wore bikinis to school, or how Madeline would freak if Thom didn't text her back, or the lack of swearing. Actually, there was no swearing. Which was weird. As much as adults deny it, teenagers have really foul mouths. The characters in this book would say "beyotch" (I'd spell it biotch, but that's not a big deal) instead of "bitch." So, the YA voice was not a true, realistic depiction.

Still, The Mosts was a tender and sweet tale of Madeline's high school drama. I recommend it to anyone in search of a quick, breezy, and delightful summer read.

Grading:

1. Characters: 18/20
2. Writing: 19/20
3. Plot: 20/20
4. Accurate YA: voice 16/20
5. Cover: 10/10
6. Title: 10/10

Overall Score: 93 or B+

In My Mailbox (5)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at the Story Siren

Nomansland by Lesley Hauge

June 22, 2010

Sometime in the future, after devastating wars and fires, a lonely, windswept island in the north is populated solely by women. Among these women is a group of teenaged Trackers—expert equestrians and archers—whose job is to protect their shores from the enemy. The enemy, they’ve been told, is men.

When these girls come upon a partially buried home from the distant past, they are fascinated by the strange objects—high-heeled shoes, teen magazines, make-up—found there. What are they to make of these mysterious things, which introduce a world they have never known? And what does it mean for their strict society where friendship is forbidden and rules must be obeyed—at all costs?

Reminiscent of The Giver but with a feminist twist, Nomansland is a powerful, shocking story that will challenge young readers’ perspectives and provoke much discussion over the timely and controversial issues presented.

What did you get this week?

Your Love Is My Drug

Kesha's (Ke$ha?) hit song (i don't like it but whatever) Your Love is My Drug reminds me of my WIP Damaged. It's been forever since I've written-- school has been hectic and exhausting and stupid-- but as of yesterday I am not longer a freshman, but a sophomore. School is out, and I have all summer to write. So I started up again today.

It's addicting.

The love of my WIP Damaged is my drug.

It's addicting, but really difficult. Much harder than Blue Abyss was to write. Blue Abyss taught me how to write a book, and now I'm applying that knowledge to Damaged but taking it a step further: I want to make Damaged powerful and gut wrenching. And I'm confident that I can do it. I am incorporating so much of my own emotion that it literally hurts for me to write, because it's forcing me to address a lot of things I've tried to forget about, namely pain.

I can't wait to see how this turns out. Like Kesha says, "I just can't get you off my mind." Damaged is with me to stay.

Here are the lyrics to "Your Love is My Drug." Completely accurate to my feelings about Damaged.

So. Do you have a WIP that could be applied to this song?

New Beautiful Darkness Cover

Heyyyy my favorite peeps! BREAKING NEWS: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl just announced on their bloggy that they have a new cover for Beautiful Darkness.

What's your opinion on new (left) vs. old (right)?

I'm honestly torn between the two.

I'm horrible at decisions.

I *think* I like the font color on the new one, but the gate and stars on the old one. I'm not sure about my favorite yet, but both are stunning.

Waiting on Wednesday (2): The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

Release Date: November 2, 2010 by Little, Brown

Some schools have honor codes.
Others have handbooks.
Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way--the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds--a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.

In this honest, page-turning account of a teen girl's struggle to stand up for herself, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that if you love something or someone--especially yourself--you fight for it.

Um I will kneel on a port-o-potty floor and beg/worship/kiss toes/serve wine a grapes to a fat hairy caveman to get this book. And port-o-potties and kissing hairy things makes me want to puuuke.

But I mean really: A secret society? At a boarding school? Based a bit off To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee?

GIMME GIMME.

Teehee.

I'm in love.

Review: Where the Truth Lies by Jessica Warman

Title: Where the Truth Lies
Author: Jessica Warman
Release Date: October 2010
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Length: 308 pages

Source: Jessica Warman (author)
Format: ARC

Summary (from Goodreads):

On the surface, Emily Meckler leads the perfect life. She has three best friends, two loving parents, and the ideal setup at the Connecticut prep school where her father is the headmaster. But Emily also suffers from devastating nightmares about fire and water, and nobody knows why. Then the enigmatic Del Sugar enters her life, and Emily is immediately swept away—but her passionate relationship with Del is just the first of many things that aren't quite what they seem in Emily's life. As the lies she's been told start to unravel, Emily must set out to discover the truth regarding her nightmare; on a journey that will lead her to question everything she thought she knew about love, family, and her own idyllic past.

This companion novel to Warman's critically acclaimed Breathless proves that sometimes the biggest lies are told to the people you love the most.

Review:

I wish I was lying when I said I have no idea how to grade this book. It had a lot of problems, but for some reason I couldn't put it down.

**MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!**

Such a WEAK main character.

*Emily Meckler is a goody two shoes who falls "in love" with the first guy to say that he loves her, gets pregnant in like October, survives the entire school year without anyone, including her parents (her dad is the headmaster of the school) noticing or suspecting she has little teensy human inside of her, goes to New York in the summer to stay with a celebrity and his daughter to have the baby, then loses all the weight within a month.

WHAT? Um, no. No no no no no. It was ridiculous. She was a weak character in the beginning, whining about how her friends call her father "Dad" without second thought, babied her roommates, claimed she was in love with Del, then Ethan.

Blah blah blah.

All the characters were weird. I didn't find anything realistic about them.

But despite me wanting to strangle every single character and just tell them to MOVE ON! and GET A LIFE! and GET OVER YOURSELF!, I ripped through this book. I enjoyed it. I have no idea why.

Maybe it's like a fast food cheeseburger. Yucky, greasy, makes you wanna barf, but you still enjoy them.

I am just confused. Can't ya tell?

Grading:

1. Characters: 15/20

2. Writing: 18/20
3. Plot: 16/20
4. Originality: 16/20
5. Cover 10/10
6. Title: 9/10

Overall Score: 84 or B-

p.s. Sorry for the craptastic photo of the cover, I couldn't find one online. So I took the picture on my couch. Where I'm sitting right now. Cuz I'm too stinkin lazy to get up and model it. Ciao.

Daily Dose (2) - Summer '10 Edition

Daily Dose is a meme hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly to showcase inspiring pictures.

SUMMER '10 EDITION!

In honor of my last five days of school before those magical three months called SUMMER