Waiting on Wednesday (#56)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Keep Holding On - Susane Colasanti
Published : 14th June 2012
Publisher : Viking Juvenile
I really like that the blurb is so short but enough to draw me in. I hate it when blurbs give away half of the book! 
I am really liking these sort of books and they offer so much more than I thought. It definitely sounds like this book deals with some difficult situations and decisions. 
I think books need to deal with bullying more and the books which do are very brave, I just hope that Susane has written about the bullying with care and emotion. 

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The Blurb :
Between Noelle’s difficult home life and the bullying she endures at school, all she wants is to get out of her small town. Noelle would give anything to be with Julian Porter. But staying with her emotionally distant boyfriend is safer. When things heat up between Noelle and Julian, she has to decide whether she can be her true self with him.

Paperback or Hardback? (#38)

  Shift - Em Bailey

>> Hardback 

Paperback  <3 >>

I don't really get why you would bother to release two different covers as they are basically representing the same thing. Anyway I prefer the PB just because it has her whole face in and more 'different parts' (e.g. nose, mouth and eyes)
I do prefer the font's and colours used in the HB though.

   Darkness Becomes Her - Kelly Keaton

 << Hardback 

Paperback <3 >>-

This is a really easy choice for me just because of how much the PB stands out compared to the HB. I love all the purple in the PB and also the effect of everything together - The hair, eyes and colour. It will definitely be one of the covers to stand out on a bookshelf. Love it!

  Promise - Kristie Cook

<< Paperback 1 </3

Paperback 2 >>

I am going to sound totally mean right now but PB 2 - WTF? It looks really unprofessional and totally random compared to PB 1? I love the simple but prettiness of the PB 1 and compared to PB 2 they look like they are for totally different books. I like the purple against the black in PB 1 =)

Please note, some covers l feature are also in other formats. For example a HB cover is usually also in PB and a PB cover is also sometimes on a HB etc.

Also sometimes the PB may be a UK one and the HB may be USA.

It's just a way to compare covers.

</3 - Meh
<3 - Like

<33 Love

Cover Crazy #57

Hosted by The Book Worms

Embrace - Jessica Shirvington
Well, as I am sure you all know, I love purple! So I am naturally drawn to this cover ;)

I love this cover because :

- Really like how the wings are made out of almost smoke?
- Simple cover which tells you what the book is about with just a quick glance. 

- I like how you can't see the girls face or her emotion so it makes her kind of mysterious.

- I always love taglines and although this one doesn't tell you much about the book I still feel it adds to the cover.

Dislike :

- I don't hate the font but feel maybe it could have been more of an interesting font as it does take up quite a bit of the cover. 

Nerve - Jeanne Ryan
 I really like covers that are in the same series and follow on from each other. The covers for Bumped and Thumped are examples of that!

I love this cover because :

- I really like how this cover has developed on from the cover of Bumped.

- I like the writing at the top to inform you that this is part of a series (More books need this!)

- It's really intrigued me to know what the next cover will be like.
- I love how there is a shadow of a whole egg under the broken one (Just noticed it!)

Dislike :
- I think you have to have seen the cover for 'Bumped' and know they are both part of the same series to like this cover. 

This Week's Round Up

Reviews

Posts

Cover Crazy

Waiting On Wednesday

The Time Will Come by Katie Dale

Upcoming Releases
A Year Gone By

A Year Gone By... (#44)

Delirium - Lauren Oliver

Released - 1st February 2011

Other Books by Lauren - Before I Fall, Liesel and Po

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Rating (By my goodread friends) 
There are so many reviews I am only counting half of them

Lets just say around 80% are 5 or 4 stars!

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Reviews

Wondrous Reads
The Overflowing Library

I absolutely loved this book! I was worried I wouldn't after so many people did, I thought I would be the one to not like it but I fell in love with the story. 

Angelfire - Courtney Allison Moulton
Released - 15th February 2011

Other Books by Courtney - Wings of The Wicked

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Rating (By my goodread friends) 

Twenty One 5*|Twenty One 4*|Thirteen 3*|Three 2*|Five 1*

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Reviews

Taming the Bookshelf
Girls in the Stacks
I B Book Blogging

This has really mixed reviews, it has always been one of those books I always mean't to read but haven't yet. I am unsure if I will ever get the chance!

A Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness

Released - 8th February 2011

Other Books by Deborah
Shadow of Night

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Rating (By my goodread friends) 

Seven 5*| Six 4*|Eight 3*| One 2*|One 1*

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Reviews

Rabid Reads
Confessions of a Bookaholic

Really unsure about this one, I am awake it could surprise me but it doesn't really interest me. 

Upcoming Releases - UK Publishers (#2)

This is a new post which I am very excited to be doing. 

Every Friday I will be highlighting different books which are being released that month by all the different UK publishers. Hope you enjoy! 

February Releases

Hodder

Advent - James Treadwell

Random House

The Wood Queen|Fallen In Love|Wyrmeweald|The Brides of Rollrock Island

Kiss, Date, Love, Hate|Desert Angel

Usbourne

The Other Life - Susanne Winnacker

My Thoughts

Random House = <3. I love them! And I am trusting you to know why when you see what they are releasing in just February! So many awesome books and some which they have been very kind to send to me. I will hopefully be able to put up a review of them all for you guys soon =)
The Other Life is definitely a book I want to read in the future and hope to loan it from my library. Advent is a book I am looking out for reviews off =)

The Time Will Come by Katie Dale (#56)

Please welcome Katie Dale to Books for Company. 
Katie is a debut author of 2012, her first book is Someone Else's Life. I have seen Someone Else's Life on numerous blogs with lots of bloggers saying how excited they are to read this book, me included!
Find Katie :
Website
Twitter
Goodreads
Amazon (UK/USA)
Book Depository 

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The Time Will Come - 

Every Thursday l am going to list a book which l really want to read/keep meaning to get to. These are mostly books which have been on my shelf for awhile now but don't have to be, maybe you got it two weeks ago and really want to read it! 

~

Want to join in?

- Pick a book you have been meaning to read

- Do a post telling us about the book 

- Link the post up in the linky

- Visit the other blogs!

15 Days Without A Head - Dave Cousins

I have been itching to read this book for AGES! It’s not my usual choice for a YA read – normally I favour older YA with teen girl protagonists (Sarah Dessen, Sharon Creech, Sarra Manning) but I first heard about FIFTEEN DAYS WITHOUT A HEAD way back when the opening chapter was selected as a winner of Undiscovered Voices 2010. As a fellow UV winner (The first chapter of SOMEONE ELSE’S LIFE was chosen for the 2008 anthology) I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the 2012 edition, with its sneak peeks of the next exciting generation of talented authors.

Since then, I’ve met and become friends with the very lovely Dave Cousins, and we’ve formed THE EDGE – a group of eight Edgy YA authors – and you’d think being friends with the author would get you an advance copy, but no! – demand has been so great that his publisher ran out of advance copies!

Consequently my anticipation has grown exponentially! Then came the explosion of rave reviews – The Sunday Times, The Bookseller, bloggers everywhere extolling the genius, the humour, the heart of this wonderful book. And I finally got my hands on a shiny red copy.

But still I haven’t started reading it. Why? Because just now I’m a bit of a headless (get it?) chicken rushing round organising book launches and writing lovely guest blogs and interviews and all the lovely things that surround the publication of your first book, and I know that when I read Dave’s book I want to be able to sit down and savour it, to take my time and enjoy every line.

This is going to be a read to remember.

Check the blurb out here
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 Chosen by 
Katie Dale, Author of Someone Else’s Life
Published by Simon & Schuster February 2012 

Waiting on Wednesday (#55)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Night She Disappeared - April Henry
Published : 10th April 2012
Publisher : Henry Holt
This blurb totally draws me in!! As soon as I read this blurb I straight away throught how engrossing and addictive this book could easily become. The storyline definitely has a lot of potential, I just hope it lives up to it! Also I am pretty sure this is a stand alone which will be refreshing to read as so many are series now. 
April seems like a really good author who deals with difficult subjects and story lines, I also really want to read her other book called Girl, Stolen! 

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The Blurb :
Gabie drives a Mini Cooper. She also works part time as a delivery girl at Pete’s Pizza. One night, Kayla—another delivery girl—goes missing. To her horror, Gabie learns that the supposed kidnapper had asked if the girl in the Mini Cooper was working that night. Gabie can’t move beyond the fact that Kayla’s fate was really meant for her, and she becomes obsessed with finding Kayla. She teams up with Drew, who also works at Pete’s. Together, they set out to prove that Kayla isn’t dead—and to find her before she is.

Cover Crazy (#56)

Hosted by The Book Worms

  Unrest - Michelle Harrison
Love how unique this one is! It really would stand out on a bookshelf.  

I love this cover because :

- It's one of the most unique covers I have seen in a while! 
- I love how it actual represents what the book is about.

- Love how the 'smoke' comes off the title and the colours, really striking. 

- I love the tagline, it definitely makes me want to read the blurb.
- It gives the book a mysterious feel.
- It's not too crowded but has enough to draw you in.

Dislike :

- The only thing I would change if I could is how big the authors name is and the font. 

Nerve - Jeanne Ryan
Another really unique cover!

I love this cover because :

- This cover really intrigues me

- Without even having read the blurb it feels like this cover represents the story and definitely gives off a vibe about what the book is about

- I like that this is mainly just two colours, black and blue. 
- The use of lines is so unique and gives me a feeling it has something to do with the book and title - Nerve.
- I like how the title goes smaller making it feel like its been shouted

Dislike :
- I don't love this cover but because of the colours and lines used it really does stand out. 

This Week's Round Up

Reviews

Posts

Cover Crazy

Guest Post with Allison Rusby

Paperback or Hardback

Waiting On Wednesday

The Time Will Come

Upcoming Releases

Upcoming Releases - UK Publishers

This is a new post which I am very excited to be doing. 

Every Friday I will be highlighting different books which are being released that month by all the different UK publishers. Hope you enjoy! 

February Releases

Penguin

Grave Dance - Kalayna Price|Sweet Little Lies - Alison Bond 
The Catastrophic History of You and Me|Legend

Chicken House

Shadow Runners - Daniel Blythe

Simon and Schuster

Shadow Fall|Black Heart Loa|Dead On The Delta|Everneath

The Straight Road to Kylie|Someone Else's Life A Beautiful Evil

My Thoughts

Pretty much all of these sound awesome! I have to admit I love Simon and Schuster, they are constantly releasing tons of awesome books! I have read A Beautiful Evil and Everneath and both were awesome =)

Chicken House are constantly growing and have released one of my favourite books - Stolen by Lucy Christopher

I have to admit I don't read a lot released by penguin but they do release so many awesome books and I have lots on my shelf which I have brought because they have sounded so good. 

The Time Will Come #55

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The Time Will Come - 

Every Thursday l am going to list a book which l really want to read/keep meaning to get to. These are mostly books which have been on my shelf for awhile now but don't have to be, maybe you got it two weeks ago and really want to read it! 

~

Want to join in?

- Pick a book you have been meaning to read

- Do a post telling us about the book 

- Link the post up in the linky

- Visit the other blogs!

Shadows on The Moon - Zoe Marriott
I wasn't really ever desperate or attracted to this book because of the cover but when I read the blurb I realised how good it sounded. I was lucky to win this one and I since have heard lots of good things about this book. 
Any way as it's not a book I have received for review so it sadly hasn't yet been even in my top 10 to read, it's quite big too which always sadly means it takes longer to get to. 
I definitely need to read over some reviews on goodreads to talk me into getting to this one sooner and making time for it.
The Time Will Come =)

The Blurb

"On my fourteenth birthday when the sakura was in full bloom, the men came to kill us. We saw them come, Aimi and me. We were excited, because we did not know how to be frightened. We had never seen soldiers before."
Suzume is a shadow-weaver. She can create mantles of darkness and light, walk unseen in the middle of the day, change her face. She can be anyone she wants to be. Except herself.
Suzume died officially the day the Prince's men accused her father of treason. Now even she is no longer sure of her true identity.
Is she the girl of noble birth living under the tyranny of her mother’s new husband, Lord Terayama? A lowly drudge scraping a living in the ashes of Terayama’s kitchens? Or Yue, the most beautiful courtesan in the Moonlit Lands?
Everyone knows Yue is destined to capture the heart of a prince. Only she knows that she is determined to use his power to destroy Terayama.
And nothing will stop her. Not even love.

Waiting on Wednesday (#54)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Perfect Escape - Jennifer Brown
Published : 10th July 2012
Publisher : Little Brown
Anything written by Jennifer Brown is pretty much a 100% read for me. I loved her book Bitter End and have Hate List on my bookcase waiting to be read. I love how Jennifer deals with tricky subjects in her books and doesn't hide from anything. 
I haven't read a book which focuses on sister and brother relationships for ages (don't know if I even have!) so this one will be an interesting read and I look forward to seeing how Jennifer portrays their relationship. 

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The Blurb :
Kendra has always felt overshadowed by her older brother, Grayson, whose OCD forces him to live a life of carefully coordinated routines. The only way Kendra can stand out next to Grayson is to be perfect, and she has perfection down to an art -- until a cheating scandal threatens her flawless reputation.
Behind the wheel of her car, with Grayson asleep beside her, Kendra decides to drive away from it all -- with enough distance, maybe she'll be able to figure everything out. But eventually, Kendra must stop running and come to terms with herself, her brother, and her past.
With undeniable grace and humor, acclaimed author Jennifer Brown explores OCD, the pressure for perfection, and the emotional highs and lows of a complex sibling relationship.

Paperback or Hardback? (#37)

Shift - Jeri Smith

>> Hardback 

Paperback  </3 >>

I haven't ever really liked the covers in this series, none have attractive covers which grab your attention. I do like the red bit which the title is in on the HB copy but that's about all. So if I had to choose it would the PB copy, I love the all the red and mystery feel. Also love that it has the guy in the cover.

     Queen of The Dead - Stacey Kade

 << Hardback </3

Paperback >>-

I only recently discovered how awesome this series sounds and that's because I haven't ever been interested in them due to the covers. The PB is just awful (sorry) and the HB is ok but not that's great. They both just feel a bit childish. Although the HB does follow the 'theme' of the book (with her being faded)

 The Hidden - Jessica Verday

<< Hardback </3

Paperback  >>

Another two covers which are both covers I don't love. I have never liked covers which have rings on, they just feel a bit boring to me and make me think historical and I don't like historical books. I do kind of like the HB though, the red ring against the red background is quite pretty and it does stand out. 

Please note, some covers l feature are also in other formats. For example a HB cover is usually also in PB and a PB cover is also sometimes on a HB etc.

Also sometimes the PB may be a UK one and the HB may be USA.

It's just a way to compare covers.

</3 - Meh
<3 - Like

<33 Love

Guest Post : Q&A With Allison Rushby

About Shooting Stars 

What's Shooting Stars about?
Shooting Stars centers on Jo, a sixteen-year-old paparazzo living in LA. Jo is all about getting the perfect shot and doesn't mind doing what it takes to get it, either. That is, until she's sent on an undercover assignment to shoot Ned Hartnett – teen superstar and the only celebrity who's ever been anything close to kind to her – at an exclusive rehab retreat in Boston. Taking, or not taking, the job is a huge decision for Jo. Taking it would mean finally having enough money to pay for her dream: real photography classes. But when she falls in love with Ned…? Suddenly everything in Jo's world isn't as black and white as it usually is.

Was there something in particular that inspired you to write this book?
The initial inspiration was reading an article about a real-life sixteen-year-old paparazzo. I found my eyes boggling as I read about how he got around LA either on his bicycle, or his dad drove him late at night. I couldn't imagine what this part-time job must be like (as I guessed it had to be extremely cut-throat, especially compared to working at McDonald's!), so I decided to imagine away and came up with Jo. I had an absolute ball researching this book, including reading trashy magazines and a lot of books written by, and about, the paparazzi (fellow Aussie Darryn Lyons's Mr Paparazzi is a fabulous one if you're looking). The things they had to say about celebrity – about the dark side of celebrity and fame – were truly revealing.

The love interest in Shooting Stars is a celebrity. Was it difficult writing about a celebrity and non-celebrity characters at the same time?
I think the most important thing here was removing Ned (and Jo) from the LA environment. In rehab, it doesn't matter who you are – everyone is on neutral ground (or so I hear!) and this is how things are for Ned and Jo. If I'd left them in LA I'm sure they would never have gotten together – their jobs were too much a part of what defined them as people. But in a neutral environment, their personalities are more important than their job definition, so they're able to get to know each other as real people.

About the author 

Do you have a favorite television show, or series?
Oh, that's easy. Downton Abbey, Downton Abbey, Downton Abbey (*shakes pompoms*)! I am completely in love with this series. So much so, I'm ashamed to admit I know they're starting filming again next week at Ealing Studios and will then move on to filming the scenes at Highclere Castle (one must refrain from stalking!). I've always been a huge fan of the 1920s and am very excited that this is where Downton is headed next. Of course, I'll have to wait for some time to watch the next series as we've seen all of season 2 in the UK, as well as the Christmas special. In the meantime, I'm having my own fun watching both seasons again on DVD.

Do you have any special talents (tying cherry stalks with your tongue etc.?!).
I think mine would have to be my secret bargain hunting habit. I am a slave to eBay and Gumtree. I love a bargain and am good at selling, too. It's the Taurean in me (I like to blame it on this or I just sound cheap!). I love giving things away on Freecycle too. I am crazy about de-cluttering.

What are you working on next?
I recently finished writing another YA novel tentatively titled Being Hartley. Since finishing that, I've moved on to writing something very different – a Downton Abbey-esque six episode e-serial for St Martin's Press, tentatively titled The Honourables, which will be published Summer 2012, with one episode being published per month. It's been a very steep learning curve learning all about writing serialized fiction, but I'm enjoying the writing very much, especially as the series is set in London in the 1920s.

What do you do when you're not writing?
I'm currently living in the UK for 18 months, so am trying to pack in a lot of travel throughout Europe in my free time. I've just got back from a long weekend in Dublin, the next trip is a week in Lapland and then I'm off for two weeks in Berlin, Prague and Vienna at Easter. On the way back home to Australia in August, I'm taking a 14 day cruise through Spain, France, Turkey, Italy and Greece, which I'm really looking forward to. I'm not sure I'll recognize the sun when I see it again.

What sort of books do you like to read?
Anything and everything! At the moment, I'm reading a lot of lovely fiction and non-fiction set in the 1920s, which has been great in helping to shape the dialogue in the historical e-serial I'm writing. A YA book I've read recently that I just adored was Stephanie Perkins's Anna and the French Kiss and I have Lola and the Boy Next Door all ready and waiting for me on my Kindle. I'm really looking forward to getting to it!

Do you have any pets?
I have a gorgeous Devon Rex cat, Violet, who is currently living with my parents in Australia while we're in the UK. I miss her sitting on my shoulders and keeping me warm while I'm writing! Devon Rex cats are very odd – rather like monkeys. They like to be up high, on top of bookcases (and shoulders!). After you've had a Devon Rex, you'll never go back to a normal cat! At one point we had three of them. Trust me, that's a lot of Devon Rex.

Thank you Allison! I really enjoyed your answers and can not wait to read Shooting Stars! I keep looking at it on my bookcase - I swear it's staring at me. I keep telling it the time will come very fast.

I hope your enjoying your time over here in the UK. Sounds like you are having lots of different experiences over here! (Oh and sorry about the lack of sun.. I hope you have enjoyed the snow though ;]) 

I will be looking out for Being Hartley.

Make sure you pick up your copy of Shooting Stars!

Find Allison

Website

Goodreads

Amazon (UK/USA)

Book Depository