The Forest of Hands and Teeth - Covers

US Hardback

This is creepy-ish and atmospheric. The hair is a bit dramatic, but the foggy tones mute the drama and leave everything feeling slightly wistful. The cool colours appeal to me.

US Paperback

I love this from a distance but up close the placement of that knob on the branch near her nostril just distracts me. Disturbs me, even, haha. Does anyone get what I mean? Anyway, I like her eye shadow and the font and the overall wash of warm colour - which is interesting as the hard cover is all about the cool colours...

UK/Australian

I've heard some people say they love this cover. Um...?

I own this and I am so clueless that I still can't figure out what the red thing is even in the flesh. 

I just don't get this cover.

What does it mean?

Thank God she has the coolest title because I would not pick up the book based on this cover.

German

Why call it just The Forest? I love the original title.

So, this looks slightly melodramatic (that hair!), but I say, bring it on!

I love the title text and the misty green feel about it.

And the ominous robe-y people looming in the background (the sisterhood?). 

Okay, maybe they're not ominous and I am just projecting that onto them, but I'm liking it

French

Ahh, I love French covers.

This appeals to me with that elusive expression on the models face.

And the forest feels post-apocalyptic - barren and desolate.

Plus, the red hood is nicely done, blurred, then focused.

That's it guys :)

Normally, I only show real editions

BUT

I found a fan-made Portuguese edition (the read Portuguese edition is a slightly bluer copy of the US hard cover) designed by Marina from Underworld and I just wanted to chuck it up here :) I think she did a fab job.

Also, 100% fake from Deviant Art I bring you:

Because I so can't wait for the movie.

And I'm liking this fan-made movie poster.

Anyway, back to covers. 

Which one's your fave?

I'm in the mood for drama and I'm liking the French and the German ones.

The US are fine too.

I do feel a bit ripped off with the Aussie edition

but the title makes up for it... kinda :)

Cover Comparison Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Bailey @ Abyss

My Name is Memory - Anne Brashares

Australian/UK

US

Daniel has spent centuries falling in love with the same girl. Life after life, crossing continents and dynasties, he and Sophia (despite her changing name and form) have been drawn together-and he remembers it all. Daniel has "the memory", the ability to recall past lives and recognize souls of those he's previously known. It is a gift and a curse. For all the times that he and Sophia have been drawn together throughout history, they have also been torn painfully, fatally, apart. A love always too short.  

Interwoven through Sophia and Daniel's unfolding present day relationship are glimpses of their expansive history together. From 552 Asia Minor to 1918 England and 1972 Virginia, the two souls share a long and sometimes torturous path of seeking each other time and time again. But just when young Sophia (now "Lucy" in the present) finally begins to awaken to the secret of their shared past, to understand the true reason for the strength of their attraction, the mysterious force that has always torn them apart reappears. Ultimately, they must come to understand what stands in the way of their love if they are ever to spend a lifetime together.  (from goodreads)

Thanks to that slightly epic synopsis, I can now move straight on to what I thought about the book ;)

At first I wasn't sure if I would read it all - the first chapter, while definitely compelling, is pretty intense with the depth of romance and the soul mate connection thing and I wasn't sure if it was a too hard-core love story for my taste...

However, it swiftly moves along in chapters that not only alternate in POV, but also in time periods including ancient settings and exotic and varied locations around the world. While a lot of these chapters recounted the love and history between Daniel and Sophie (Lucy) they were not so focused on the love, but on the tragedy.

Reading Daniel's chapters had the feel of reading a fable and stories of old, lyrical and sometimes powerful. The writing had a lovely lilting feel to it.

What I liked:

• The settings. Brashares really did an outstanding job of taking the story around the world and each time period felt authentic.
• I loved the little stories of past lives, people long gone, often having lived a haunting tale. There were some moving anecdotes and scenes hidden in there.
• The whole way she created her reincarnation-lore was pretty awesome and intriguing and it made a cool premise. Yeah, I think she pulled it off.
• It's impressive, all she fit in, from war to ancient times to college and the early 1900's Each time period felt authentic and fresh.

What I would have liked:

• Would it have been too much to add in a little humour of light-heartedness for some levity? After a while, I was all, 'this is so damn depressing'. Tragedy after haunted moment after fated circumstance and just-missed-it timing. 
• It's not a funny book. Okay, that's stating the obvious, but I seriously did not smile or laugh once. Okay, I may have smirked in a passionate moment, haha. What can I say, occasional melodrama amuses me. I always like to have a little smile every now and then while reading, just saying.
• Towards the end, I felt Daniel's lives were all a blur of depression, he felt soul-weary and I can't think of things he enjoyed in life apart from thinking about Sophie and pining for her. He felt like he was narrating the tragedy's of his life. Was their love really that strong that everything pales in comparison? Although, he did occasionally impress me with glimpses of talent and every now and then he surprised me with something resembling a personality. Haha.
• Why do hard-core romance books sometimes make me feel cynical? I should be ashamed of myself. (why is this a bullet point? *shrugs*)

Recommended: If you love romance and haunting stories of ancient lives, this is definitely for you. Seriously, I can think of people who would love this. It's got the potential to have girls swooning over the tortured soul who loves his girl with his whole being to die for her (I am not being cynical here, really). Also, it's got a fabulous premise and is well written :)

Okay, so I liked reading it and I'm going with three stars.

Suddenly I feel like my review turned a bit harsh?

Covers: It's fairly obvious to me that the Aussie/UK is the winner. I love the font and the purple and yellow. nice.

You don't agree? What is with the US one? I don't even know what that cover is trying to make me feel or why that would entice me to pick it up... Enlighten me.


And, yeah: in case you didn't realise, this is the same author of The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants. It's being marketed as a YA/Adult Fic crossover.

100 Followers Give-away

Open internationally
Two winners
Your choice of one book

 from some of my favourite reads this year:

My Reviews For:

Sweethearts, Handcuffs, Stolen, The Sky is Everywhere,

  The Sky Always hears Me and the Hills Don't mind

Winners chosen randomly

Comp closes Aug 22 Aussie time :)

And, yay for all my new Aussie and international mates who crush on books as hard as I do. 

Love you guys xx

Enter with the form below :)

Hi 5 - Crossover Couples

A meme hosted by Cara @Chasing Words, Anne @Potter, Percy and I and me...


This weeks topic: Take some of your favourite characters and hook them up with characters from different books. 


Here's some mix-ups I'd be into...


5. Patch (Hush, Hush) and Lilly Moscowitz (from The Princess Diaries). 

This match is for entertainment purposes.
Can you imagine Patch trying to seduce Lilly? 


Patch: (leaning in, lowering his voice): Shower. Naked. I know the drill.
Lilly: (disgustedly) Patch, grow up! And, must you constantly breathe on me?
Lilly would so stuff up Patch's plans... :) Bring it on!


4. Katsa (Graceling) and Alex Fuentes (Perfect Chemistry).


All right, I just want to see what would go down with Alex and the famously feminist Katsa.

Katsa: (offended) Perhaps I can stay by the fire and mend your socks and scream if I hear any strange noises.

Alex: Que mierdo!  (grinning) Mamachita, whatever gets you going.

3. To Peeta (The Hunger Games) I grant him his own love triangle to choose from:

• the ever-so-lovely Cassandra Mortmain (I Capture the Castle) who writes: "I shouldn't think even millionaires could eat anything nicer than new bread and real butter and honey for tea." See, so perfectly suited to Peeta. And both romantics. It's a sweet happily ever after...
• Or Miranda (Life As We Knew It) who so needs a little romance in her life. And Peeta would know just how to look after her and help her survive the apocalypse.

2. Patrick (Heath Ledger in 10 Things I hate About You) and Parker (Cracked Up To Be)

So, technically, Pat isn't from a book, but he is so awesome that I don't care about the rules :)


Patrick is the exact kind of Bad Boy idiot who is tough enough to put up with Parker, yet cool enough to help her see the lighter side of life.And Parker can give back as good as Patrick gives :) I'd love to see the two of them, sparks flying... I want to read that book. They even have the alliteration thing down.


1.  My favourite female of the year, Morgan (The Sky Always Hears Me and the Hills Don't Mind) and Santangelo (Jellicoe Road)
Morgan is the coolest of day-dreamy but kick-arse characters. And Santangelo is the definition of hot but with a soul. Perfection. I love both of these guys <3 


Link up below to your blog post about five characters you'd love to see paired up and we'll be by to check them out :)


Oh - and Peeta was hard? If he doesn't get Katniss, who would like to see him with?

Catching Fire - Covers

Cover Comparison Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Bailey @ Abyss

Here's Catching Fire, book #2 in Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy.

(I chucked up the #1 so you can see how they work togther (or, don't. Australia?)

US

I like this one - love the gradient of yellow to red and the continuity from #1. Also, it's simple but has cool little touches. Eg. the target on the mockingjay

UK/Australian

This one doesn't look any better in the flesh. What is with the purple and white? I don't get it, all foggy and symmetrical. Someone, enlighten me. I wish they'd had Jason Chan illustrate something for this that would go with #1.

Greece

I like the mockingjay bird, looks pretty funky up close and orange is vibrant and, ah, so orange. Way more appealing than their #1.

Germany

I heart this. Such a perfect match to #1. How cool are the jaggedy leaves and glistening rain drops?

Romania

So I loved #1, but I think I'd feel ripped of with them using the exact same illustration, and just tweaking the background and colours/shades. Plus the fire and smoke is distracting and randomly placed. Still cool, I guess - but I think #1 worked better as a whole...

Taiwan

Loking at this makes me feel like I'm panning in on an island from a copter.I like all the cracked lines on it and the blood leaf they stole from Germany :) At least they thought up something original - although I really loved the spooked silhouettes on their #1...

Denmark

The same image as the first one...

but, ah, it's in red. 

Ripped off.

Swedish

It's the Rubik's Cube Girl again...

No comment :)

I'm crushing on Germany's and Taiwan and I think the US has a good thing going down.

20 different covers of The Hunger Games

EDIT: Russian Cover

RTW - Best book of the month

Road Trip Wednesday is a blog carnival courtesy of YA Highway who post a writing- or reading-related prompt for all the YA bloggers to participate in.

The topic this week is:

What’s the best book you read in July?

Easily one of the best books I've read this year: Stolen by Lucy Christopher. Stunning and scary and beautiful with the most crush-worthy of writing it messed with my head and completely spun me out.

Told in a moving letter to her captor, sixteen-year-old Gemma relives her kidnapping from Bangkok airport. In a story of survival, passion and darkness, Gemma reveals how she had to deal with the nightmare or die trying to fight it. Sensitive, powerful and beautifully written. (from Coffs Harbour Library catalogue)

The synopsis? Basically, Ty kidnaps 16 year old UK girl Gemma from Thailand and takes her to his remote place in the Australian outback.

Goodreads blurb quote: Ty, her captor, is no stereotype. He is young, fit and completely gorgeous.


Um, agree :)


This book messed with my mind and made me question right and wrong and all the shades in between.


 The writing, holy guacamole, is so evocative that it seeps into you. So so much goodness to crush on. The setting was so rich: I felt the stifling heat and slipped right into the red earth with Gemma and Ty. 


The plot? It's psycholgical and twisty and I just had no idea what the ending would be or could be or even how I wanted it to end. I was so driven to see what would happen and it's been a long time since I've been so caught up in a story like that. 


The characters. Okay, hands down, Ty is a new fave literary guy for me. I cant even describe all the emotions he made me feel. Love , intrigue, pain, terror, sorrow, beauty and gratitude - he seriously is in a new dimension of his own reserved for the elitist of haunting and unique characters that make me ache in the most hard-core of ways.


The ending. Ooooh, the ending. It killed me and gripped me and lingered with me for days.


This book, is why I read.


And, it just intimidated me as a writer on a whole new level of whoah. 


Okay, so I feel like this response is a bit incoherent. Here's how John Marsden (legendary author of the Tomorrow series) figured out how to express all that I feel about Stolen:

"Stolen is a brilliant novel, which will pick up your world and shake it so hard that you can never be sure of anything again. Set in a landscape so exotic and powerful that it becomes one of the main characters in the book, this story of a boy and a girl delivers one compelling scene after another. Ty and Gem will be in your head a long time. If you were getting tired of reading, Stolen will turn you back into an addict."… John Marsden

Link to read the first chapter.


Obviously, 5 stars.  Couldn't put it down and can't get it out of my head.

And, totally rooting for it to win CBCA best book of the year. Winner announced in a few weeks :) Plus, it's nom'd for the Prime Minters Award (a prize including $100 000 cash). 

Jaclyn Moriarty's Next Book... and a sneak peak at her new covers for Celia

Will be released in 2011. Notice how calmly I am delivering that info?

Kingdom of Cello #1 (currently untitled...) The first in a new trilogy.

"A series set partly in a Kingdom, and partly in the real world. I want a character to walk out free and clear, I want him to be tossing a ball, a red ball, and his hat is woollen and dark grey, and he’s walking across snowy fields. Across white, white, white, white fields." -Jaclyn Moriarty

I can't wait to meet the boy who walks across the white, white, white, white fields.


You can mark it as to-read on goodreads.


Check out Jaclyn's trippy little website which features Cures For Writer's Block, and How To Write a Novel in 47 Easy Steps and some FAQ that are, frequently asked...  I think her website is the best writer's website I've seen because it is so Jaclyn Moriarty and it will make you feel happy just being there. 


Some of the frequently asked questions: 

• Why is everything so perfect today?
• Did you notice the way that guy was looking at you?
• Shall I put another log on the fire?
• Should we be afraid?
• What's with the attitude?

The way I feel about Jaclyn's books? It's like, you just had to be there. Once you read her, you'll know what I mean. 


Anyway, today, I kept thinking about Elizabeth Clarry (from feeling Sorry for Celia) and I realised just how real her characters feel.


Anyone else ever read about character that just feel real that you often find your mind wandering to them, as if thinking of an old friend and wondering how they are going?


Anyway, another new launch of her Ashbury/Brookfield High series is happening sometime, here Down Under. here's a sneak peak at her new covers... (because I can't help myself...)

Here's the new Aussie edition (not yet available)  v the original on the right

 

And the new UK v the original UK lemon one :)

And the US cover (hope you guys get a new one too :)

Is it just me, or does anyone else get tempted to buy their favourite books again when they are re-released with shiny new covers? I keep wanting to buy the new Aussie edition of Marchetta's On the Jellicoe Road.

And, thoughts on the cover of Celia?

Or anything at all you feel compelled to share with me today?

Comment :)