Why, Publishers, Why?! (Episode 5)

 

My biggest pet peeve is when beautiful HBs turn into lackluster PBs. I completely understand that publishers may choose to change the cover due to various reasons, low sales especially, but the thing for me is: I don't buy new hardcover books. Ever. I can't afford them and I just simply prefer soft covers. Trade PB has always, and will always, been my preferred format. So when I'm salivating over a HB cover only to have it change before it comes out into PB it makes me CRAZY. Publishers would probably make MORE money on PB sales if they kept the amazing HB covers!

So I stand by my title for this post:

Why, Publishers, Why?!

Today's Pick:

The Ruining

While I've never read this, I've always been intrigued by the HB cover of this book. I love the way the model's nose is barely above water, and that house in the background is gorgeous. I like the fairly simple font treatment of the original and the color scheme. 

I find the PB quite boring. While the cover model is pretty, especially her eye color, there is nothing special about the cover, and nothing about it makes me want to pick it up the way the HB does. 

Which one do you prefer? Do you like both or not like either? Sound off below!

Waiting on Wednesday (63) Denton Little's Deathdate

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. Click the link to see the original post plus a whole slew of links to other blogs. After you read this one, of course.

Denton Little's Deathdate
 
Author: Lance Rubin
Publisher: Knopf
Release Date: April 14, 2015

Link to Goodreads:

Fans of John Green and Matthew Quick: Get ready to die laughing.

Denton Little's Deathdate takes place in a world exactly like our own except that everyone knows the day they will die. For 17-year-old Denton Little, that's tomorrow, the day of his senior prom.

Despite his early deathdate, Denton has always wanted to live a normal life, but his final days are filled with dramatic firsts. First hangover. First sex. First love triangle (as the first sex seems to have happened not with his adoring girlfriend, but with his best friend's hostile sister. Though he's not totally sure. See: first hangover.) His anxiety builds when he discovers a strange purple rash making its way up his body. Is this what will kill him? And then a strange man shows up at his funeral, claiming to have known Denton's long-deceased mother, and warning him to beware of suspicious government characters…. Suddenly Denton's life is filled with mysterious questions and precious little time to find the answers.

Debut author Lance Rubin takes us on a fast, furious, and outrageously funny ride through the last hours of a teenager's life as he searches for love, meaning, answers, and (just maybe) a way to live on.

   
Why I'm Excited:

I don't know why really, but I always really enjoy stories where people know or can see when people are going to die. I know that's kind of weird. This sounds funny and original and interesting. Definitely looking out of this one. 

What are you waiting for on this Wednesday? Link me up! 

Hey lovely GFC and new followers, please follow me by Bloglovin as we all know Google Reader has gone/is going by the wayside. (I like to follow back, so please let me know if you're a new follower--and leave a link!) Thank you!!!

Why, Publishers, Why?! (Episode 4)

 

My biggest pet peeve is when beautiful HBs turn into lackluster PBs. I completely understand that publishers may choose to change the cover due to various reasons, low sales especially, but the thing for me is: I don't buy new hardcover books. Ever. I can't afford them and I just simply prefer soft covers. Trade PB has always, and will always, been my preferred format. So when I'm salivating over a HB cover only to have it change before it comes out into PB it makes me CRAZY. Publishers would probably make MORE money on PB sales if they kept the amazing HB covers!

So I stand by my title for this post:

Why, Publishers, Why?!

Today's Pick:

Lola and the Boy Next Door

 

My buddy Pam mentioned this series last week. This book was on my list of books for this feature, so I decided to showcase it this week. Ok, hear me out here. I don't hate the PB version of this book. I quite like the Golden Gate Bridge--I just GREATLY prefer the HB cover of this book. To begin with, it is just so charming. The color scheme is great, Lola and Cricket look like how I imagine their characters, the font has the perfect amount of whimsey, the houses in the background are exactly what I picture when I think of San Fransisco. In short, everything about the HB is perfect which makes me sad for the cover change. Again, I don't HATE the PB, but it is pretty boring when the story inside is so cute and charming. 

I imagine I'm going to be in the minority this week. I actually prefer the PB version of Anna, and I have the PBs of both books, and will definitely buy Isla when it comes out in PB next year sometime, but I really do prefer the HB of Lola.

Which one do you prefer? Do you like both or not like either? Sound off below!

Waiting on Wednesday (62) The Prom Goer's Interstellar Excursion

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. Click the link to see the original post plus a whole slew of links to other blogs. After you read this one, of course.

The Prom Goer's Interstellar Excursion
 
Author: Chris McCoy
Publisher: Knopf
Release Date: April 14, 2015

Link to Goodreads:

It's Superbad meets Spaceballs in this hilarious extraterrestrial road trip!

Just a few days before prom, Bennett pulls off something he never imagined possible: his dream girl, Sophie, agrees to be his date. Moments afterward, however, he watches Sophie get abducted by aliens in the middle of the New Mexico desert.

Faced with a dateless prom (and likely kidnapping charges), Bennett does the only thing he can think of: he catches a ride into outer space with a band of extraterrestrial musicians to bring her back.

Can he navigate alien concert venues, an extraterrestrial reality show, and the band's outlandish egos to rescue his date in time for the big dance? Fans of King Dork and Winger won't want to miss this!

   
Why I'm Excited:

Superbad meets Spaceballs! Sold. This sounds hilarious and fun. Sometimes you just need something silly, and this sounds like just the kind of light book I could use right now. Plus that cover is awesome. Definitely keeping my eyes open for this one.

What are you waiting for on this Wednesday? Link me up! 

Hey lovely GFC and new followers, please follow me by Bloglovin as we all know Google Reader has gone/is going by the wayside. (I like to follow back, so please let me know if you're a new follower--and leave a link!) Thank you!!!



Weekly Rewind 7.19.14

Weekly Rewind

The new books on my shelves and my week in a nutshell.

Since I started this blog I've participated in Stacking the Shelves, which is a weekly feature hosted by Tyngas Reviews, and I'm going to continue linking to that meme. Throughout my student teaching semester I was using my weekend post as a way to let people know what's going on in my life, so I've decided to rename my weekend post because this feature is more personal than just what books I've received. The Weekly Rewind will be about what's going on with me and my blog, as well as about the books I've added to my shelves.

My Life and Blog

Life: Not a whole lot to report. I'm down to two weeks before I need to hit the road for FL. It still hasn't really sunk in, if I'm honest. I really thought something was going to pop up here, but alas. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful that I found a teaching job pretty much right out of grad school--I know so many people who can't say that. I'm excited to get into my classroom and meet my students. I bought some posters off of Amazon a couple of days ago to put up in my room that are awesome. I found this set of 8 of literary genres that are so cool. I'm excited that I won't have to suffer through a winter for the first time in my life, but I'm scared and saddened to live so far from my husband. It makes me sad to think that I won't be able to sink into his arms after a bad day, or snuggle with my cats whenever I (they) want. So, good and bad. Again, for those following my saga, I will be living close to my family (which is why I applied there in the first place), so it's not like I will be all alone. 

I'm going through a HUGE book slump at the moment which isn't surprising due to my current state of upheaval. I've been buying more books lately, mostly because I'm not sure I'm going to get a FL license as my permanent address will still be in PA, so I don't know if I'll be able to get a library card. Thankfully, my Kindle is stocked full of arcs well into 2015. Honestly, I'm not sure how much reading I'm going to get done over the school year anyway. I have no idea what the curriculum is yet--although I do know I'll be teaching 5 classes in a combination of regular and honor English--so I haven't been able to do anything to get my ass ahead. I'm only driving my car down (I'm going to stay at my parent's for at least the first month while they are out-of-town...and maybe for the duration of the year if the commute isn't too bad and if my mom doesn't drive me bat shit crazy. I love her, but, you know, I'm a married adult and don't know if I can handle living with my parents again. I imagine the answer will be: I cannot), so I can't go crazy with too many books as there are other things I'll need to stuff in there.

Blog: Not too shabby this week. Mostly memes, but again, book slumping. 

• Tuesday: Top Ten Teen Movies.
• Wednesday: I'm waiting for Inherit Midnight which sounds like a fun race-around-the world adventure.
• Thursday: For my feature Why, Publishers, Why!? I featured All Our Yesterdays. I've been so excited for this book to come out in PB only to find out that they changed the cover to this monstrosity. 

New Books: I have some lovely titles to share with you this week, so without further adieu. I hope you are all having fabulous weekends! 

Review Books

Winterkill by Kate A Boorman
I'm beyond excited about this book--I'm so in love with that font treatment. The synopsis sounds like a cross between Little Red Riding Hood and the film The Village (a movie I quite liked--I know I'm in the minority on that one).
Oh Yeah, Audrey by Tucker Shaw
This novel about a girl who runs a blog dedicated to Audrey Hepburn looks adorable.

Magnolia by Kristi Cook
I've actually started this one, and am enjoying it so far. It is about two teens whose mothers have always been convinced will end up together...too bad they hate each other (although I'm pretty--ahem, completely--sure that isn't going to last).
Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid

This novel about four strangers who have a girl in common looks pretty cute.

No One Needs to Know by Amanda Grace

A girl falls for her twin brother's girlfriend.

The Angel of Losses by Stephanie Feldman

I don't really know what this is about, but isn't that cover lovely?

What I bought

The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan
I loved Commencement by this author and enjoyed Maine as well. The author is not at all afraid to write feminist novels, and I love her for it. I'm excited for this one.
Parallel by Lauren Miller
I read and enjoyed this book about a year ago as an arc, but was happy to find a copy during my latest HPB trip (what am I going to do without Half Price Books? *sobs*). This is an original twist on the multi-worlds novel.
Moonglass by Jessi Kirby
Found on the same HPB trip. I really enjoyed the author's book Golden, but that is the only one of hers I've read so far. I'm excited to read this book about a girl and her father who move back to the beach town where her parents fell in love.
Prom & Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg
This isn't the best retelling of P&P out there, but it's pretty cute and I couldn't resist it for $1.

What I snagged from the library

Perfect Ruin  by Lauren Destefano

I meant to read this when it first came out, but just never got to it. I've heard mixed things, but that is what the library is for.

Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian

I love The List and the Burn for Burn series she writes with Jenny Han, so I decided to give this one a try.

Upcoming Reviews

 I'm not even going to pretend to know. I'm reading a couple of books, but nothing is really keeping my interest. This, sadly, includes Landline which I was SO excited for. It is what it is. I have enough shit going on right now that I refuse to let this slump get to me. I'll snap out of it soon enough, I'm sure.

Well that's it for me this week. Feel free to leave a link to whatever weekend post you do (Stacking the Shelves, In My Mailbox, etc). I love to see what books people have recently snagged and especially enjoy hearing about my fellow bloggers' weeks. I hope you are all having a fabulous weekend!

Why, Publishers, why?! (Episode 3)

 

So a couple of weeks ago, I did a discussion post about horrible cover changes. I loved putting it together, so I've decided to just go ahead and make it a regular feature.

My biggest pet peeve is when beautiful HBs turn into lackluster PBs. I completely understand that publishers may choose to change the cover due to various reasons, low sales especially, but the thing for me is: I don't buy new hardcover books. Ever. I can't afford them and I just simply prefer soft covers. Trade PB has always, and will always, been my preferred format. So when I'm salivating over a HB cover only to have it change before it comes out into PB it makes me CRAZY. Publishers would probably make MORE money on PB sales if they kept the amazing HB covers!

So I stand by my title for this post:

Why, publishers, why?!

Today's pick:

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

I'm so upset about this one. I've seriously been waiting for this to come out in PB so I could buy it. Like, I for real looked up the PB release date so I could mark my calender to go buy a brand new book which I so very rarely do. Look at that beautiful HB cover! The bleak grey landscape, and the way the yellows and oranges of the clock pop. I just. What IS this new cover?! It's so horrible it makes me want to cry. I'd started to believe that Disney-Hyperion could do no wrong when it came to covers. Seriously, all their covers are gorgeous. But I hate this redesign. HATE IT! Grrr...

Which one do you prefer? Do you like both or not like either? Sound off below!

Waiting on Wednesday (61) Inherit Midnight

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. Click the link to see the original post plus a whole slew of links to other blogs. After you read this one, of course.

 Inherit Midnight
 
Author: Kate Kae Myers
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: February 10, 2015

Link to Goodreads:

Eight competitors, three continents, millions of dollars... and only one winner.

Avery is the black sheep of the wealthy VanDemere clan. The ostracized illegitimate daughter. But when her grandmother announces a competition to determine who will inherit her fortune, Avery sees a chance to prove herself to her family.

Teaming up with Riley, the handsome son of her grandmother’s lawyer, Avery sets out to win challenges that span from Venezuelan mines to Scottish castles. Throughout the game, Avery becomes more drawn to Riley—and more determined to win. But when the competition takes a treacherous turn, she wonders who she can truly trust . . . and whether winning is worth her life.

A breathless, high-stakes thriller sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats, this novel from Kate Kae Myers combines intricate family politics with the drama and adventure of The Amazing Race.

   
Why I'm Excited:

This sounds intriguing and fast-paced. I love the idea of a game taking the main character all over the world, and always love the "black sheep" character. I'm definitely keeping my eyes open for this one. It sounds really fun.

What are you waiting for on this Wednesday? Link me up! 

Hey lovely GFC and new followers, please follow me by Bloglovin as we all know Google Reader has gone/is going by the wayside. (I like to follow back, so please let me know if you're a new follower--and leave a link!) Thank you!!!



Top Ten Teen Films

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme/original feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Click the link to go to their site to see the original list for today plus links to a whole slew of other blogs. After you read mine, of course.





Today's topic is our choice in the world outside of books. In a nod to the movie side of my blog, I'm doing my favorite teen films.

Top Ten Teen Films

1. Sixteen Candles 

Two words: Jake Ryan. For you young 'uns out there who haven't seen this 80s gem, do yourself a favor and pick it up (do NOT watch it on TV--get the actual film). This movie follows a girl named Sam whose entire family forgets her birthday which has fallen on the eve of her sister's wedding. This film has everything from a school dance to a wild party to a foreign exchange student named Long Duck Dong. And it has Jake Ryan. John Hughes helped define the teen genre as we know it. This one is my favorite of his films, but they are all amazing.



2. Say Anything...

Lloyd Dobler and Diane Court are two people on opposite sides of the high school food chain. After their high school graduation, Lloyd takes the chance and asks Diane out for the graduation party. The movie follows them as they fall in love the summer before Diane is to leave for college. This movie gave me some serious delusions about how men behave. I can't even tell you how many times I watched this film in high school, but it's an insane amount.

 

 



3. Heathers





I was way too young the first time I saw this, but I immediately fell in love with both Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. Heathers is a pitch-black comedy about a girl named Veronica who hates her trio of friends--all named Heather. When she and new boy, JD, accidentally kill the queen bee, they cover it up by making it look like a suicide--and they don't stop there. This film is one of the first to really glorify the popular girl clique. 



 

4. Clueless

 

A remake of Jane Austen's Emma, this film follows Cher Horowitz as she tries to set up the new girl in school and then tries to find love herself. This film is the epitome of the 90s.



 

5. 10 Things I Hate About You



 

A remake of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, this films follows sisters Kat and Bianca. Cameron, new to the school and played by the adorable Joseph Gordon-Levitt, hires bad boy Patrick, played by the adorable Heath Ledger, to take out Kat, the school's "shrew". The gorgeous Bianca is only allowed to date if Kat does, and Kat has little interest in boys. This is one of my favorite casts of all time.

 

6. Superbad

 

 

Every time I see this film, I find something new that cracks me up. This film about two best friends at the end of their high school career who know they are going to be apart--probably for the rest of their lives--in just a few short months is hilarious and touching. Mostly hilarious.

 

7. Easy A

A nod to the Scarlett Letter, Easy A follows a girl named Olive who is both shocked and not surprised by the way she gets treated when she pretends to have sex with her gay friend to help him out. Emma Stone is perfection.

8. Mean Girls



The glorious Tina Fey wrote this movie based on the non-fiction book Queen Bees and Wannabees (which is an excellent book if you've never picked it up). Hilarious and insanely quotable, I love everything about this film. On Wednesdays we wear pink.

9. Ferris Bueller's Day Off



This movie is just pure fun. A young Matthew Broderick plays Ferris Bueller, a Peter Pan type who just wants to have one more truly memorial day with his best friend and girlfriend before the end of his high school career.



10. Election

 

Based on a novel by the same name by Tom Perrotta which is easily in my top 3 books of all time. This movie version is pretty spot on in completely awesome in its own right. Dark and funny and awesome. I cannot recommend the movie or the book enough.

Well that's all for me today. So hard to narrow it down to 10! What topic did you pick? I'm excited to see the different topics. Link me up!



Weekly Rewind 7.12.14

Weekly Rewind

The new books on my shelves and my week in a nutshell.

Since I started this blog I've participated in Stacking the Shelves, which is a weekly feature hosted by Tyngas Reviews, and I'm going to continue linking to that meme. Throughout my student teaching semester I was using my weekend post as a way to let people know what's going on in my life, so I've decided to rename my weekend post because this feature is more personal than just what books I've received. The Weekly Rewind will be about what's going on with me and my blog, as well as about the books I've added to my shelves.

My Life and Blog

Life: My husband and I have pretty much decided that I should take the job in FL. I seriously cried for, like, 4 solid hours on Thursday night as we discussed it, but I just cannot imagine a full year of subbing. It's seriously the worst. Plus, I'm already coming into teaching as a career-change. I don't have the time to mess around like I would if I was in my early 20s. I applied for literally every single job in my city, and even the state, sans Philly, and didn't even get a single interview, besides one for a long-term sub which would only be for 2 months (I'm actually still waiting to hear back about that job--and I may consider it if it's an option). I have a master's degree, I graduated with a 4.0, I rocked the PRAXIS (which is the subject-specific exam teachers have to take to get certified). What's holding me back is a lack of experience--and the fact that I don't have any real connections here since we are from WY. Connections seem to play a huge role in the education system in this state. While it will SUCK to be away from my husband for 10 months, where I'm moving is less than an hour from my parents and less than two hours from my sister and her family, so at least I won't be ALL alone. I should know for sure what I'm going to do next week.

As such, the next few weeks are going to be insane (probably) as I (most-likely) pack and figure things out. I know I haven't been posting much already with what has been a never-ending job search, but hopefully I'll be able to find the time to put a couple of posts together here and there. I haven't been reading much at all lately, and the books I have been picking up have mostly been comforting re-reads. I recently snagged a couple of books I'm excited to read, though, so hopefully I'm getting my mojo back.

Blog: Yeah, so this week wasn't great, but again: STRESSED OUT.

• Wednesday: I'm waiting on the creepily titled What Waits in the Woods.
• Thursday: I've decided to make my post Why, Publishers, Why?! a regular feature. This week's pick: Imaginary Girls.

New Books: I have a few books I'm super excited for this week, so without further adieu...I hope you are all having fantastic weekends!

Review Books

Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth

Those who read this blog know how excited I've been when I found out this book was finally getting a US release. I seriously almost fainted when I saw this pop up on NG (ok, that's hyperbole, but I was really excited). Thank you so much to the good people at Thomas Dunne Books for not making me wait more than a day to getting the approval. I only checked 50 times in those 24 hours. I'm showing this earlier than I normally would because I know I'm going to read it early.

Welcome to the Dark House by Laurie Faria Stolarz

I've been so excited for this book, too, and started reading it a couple of weeks ago, but the formatting on the e-arc is jacked. The book follows several characters, but the e-arc isn't formatted right, so the POV keeps changing without in any way signifying WHO it is currently focused on. I gave up around the 20% point because I was confused and felt just waiting for the finished book was in my best interest. I was bummed, but not too much longer now.

One Past Midnight by Jessica Shirvington

Another Aussie export I've been dying to get my hands on. I've featured the first 3 of these on WoW posts. Don't you love it when you get books you've featured?

Dissonance by Erica O'Rourke

I was so excited for this book when I first heard about it...a year ago. Since then, I've read a couple of multi-verse novels, so the premise isn't as exciting, and, frankly anything over 400 pages is just daunting to me in my current mind-set. That's not to say I'm not still stoked to read this--I am--but I may actually wait until it comes out in PB next summer (or whenever) to actually read it.

What I Bought

The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler
Despite having a couple of her books on my Kindle, and checking out some of her earlier books from the library, I've never actually read anything by this author. I'm excited to read this one. 
Nantucket Blue by Leila Howard
I read this last summer, but wanted to own a copy.
Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn
I've heard good things about this creepy story. I had the arc of this, but never got around to it. 
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
So this book totally brings out my inner snob (sorry, I know it's not a great trait). I read this when it first came out a couple of years ago. AND I totally figured out what was going on almost immediately. I love this book and even though I remember it clearly--which is saying something since it has been a couple of years--I want to re-read before the film.

What I snagged from the library

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

If you follow me on Instagram (@natflixandbooks), you know that I drove across town to snag this at a library that had a "no requests" copy even though I was pretty high up on the request list and probably wouldn't have had to wait very long. Whatever. I do what I want.

Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown

After enjoying similar "issue books" The Truth About Alice and Tease, I decided to give this book about a girl who gets caught sexting a try.

Upcoming Reviews

I am going to optimistically predict that I get a review for Landline up next week. I'm reading it now, so...

Well that's it for me this week. Feel free to leave a link to whatever weekend post you do (Stacking the Shelves, In My Mailbox, etc). I love to see what books people have recently snagged and especially enjoy hearing about my fellow bloggers' weeks. I hope you are all having a fabulous weekend!