Showing posts with label Nina LaCour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nina LaCour. Show all posts

Thursday, February 14, 2013

COVERS: Star-Swept Seas, Dream Thieves, and Tandem

I'm pretty much obsessed with book covers (especially reveals!), and these past couple weeks haven't disappointed with the reveals of so many new covers. Check out some below:

         ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA                            THE DREAM THIEVES                      
Like the first cover, and love the Stiefvater cover!! 

INFINITYGLASS                                                 TANDEM
That red pops! And I adore the cover for TANDEM! So simple yet intriguing. 

INHERITANCE                                                        ICONS
 
INHERITANCE looks okay (nice, but not eye-catching). ICONS is fascinating. 

          SNAKEROOT                                       THE DISENCHANTMENTS
 
I hate SNAKEROOT's cover. I adore the new one for LaCour's novel - it fits the story perfectly!

(Image from USA TODAY)
I have mixed thoughts (it looks great, but am I the only one who thinks Hagrid's head looks unnaturally small for his body? He just doesn't quite look right...I love all the details, though). I'm curious if the font will actually be white, or if they're using some sort of foil....

What new covers have you spotted? 

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Monday, April 23, 2012

The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour

February 16th, 2012
307 pages (hardcover)
Publisher - Dutton
Source - Purchased
Colby & Bev have a long-standing pact: Graduate, hit the road with Bev's band, and then spend the year wandering around Europe. But moments after the tour kicks off, Bev makes a shocking announcement: She's abandoning their plans – and Colby – to go her own way in the fall.

But the show must go on, and The Disenchantments weave through the Pacific Northwest, playing in small towns and dingy venues, while roadie Colby struggles to deal with Bev's already growing distance and the most important question of all: What's next?
"We all want to feel something..."*

Goodbye high school, hello road trip. Colby's excited about putting college on hold and going abroad for the year with his best friend, Bev. So, when Bev changes their plans with a surprising and blunt truth, Colby's stuck with three girls (one of which he is furious at), a VW bus named Melinda, and absolutely no clue where to go after the tour wraps up. Things are even more complicated, since Colby's torn between his anger and his deeper feelings for Bev. As the tensions rise and secrets spill, The Disenchantments takes the characters through the struggles that reside in friendship, individuality, and adulthood.

Nina LaCour's sophomore effort is excellent. Colby's voice strikes a note of authenticity and relatability from the beginning, and you can't help but to feel as angry as he is when Bev changes their plans with minimal notice. As for the Disenchantments, they may be a terrible band, but they're great characters - you've got Bev and her secrets, Meg and her positive attitude, and Alexa's utter sweetness. Colby's relaxed and giving personality melds perfectly with this trio, but it's his journey and his character growth that resonates the most in The Disenchantments.

Highlights: Not only is this story music-orientated, but it's deeper than the light, carefree cover suggests. There's a nice mix to the fun and the serious moments, and I loved every second it took reading this story. The art aspect to the story was great, and I love how the back jacket cover of the novel ties into some of that. Colby, a male main character, was a wonderful narrator1. Even side characters were pretty great, and each seem fully developed.

Lowlights: Maybe a bit more page-time with some side characters. 

Rating: 


* pg. 271
1 We definitely need more male MC's in YA lit


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Image + Summary from Goodreads


Sunday, April 22, 2012

In My Mailbox (75)

IMM is hosted by The Story Siren

(Last month or so of books)
 For Review (unsolicited)
Journey to the Fringe by Kelli Swofford Nielson
Eventide by Tracy and Laura Hickman

Purchased - Printed Books
(autographed & personalized to me) 
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Hold Still by Nina LaCour
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Purchased - Printed Books
Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard
Purchased - Kindle
The Assassin and the Desert by Sarah J. Maas
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling

Purchased - Audiobooks
Divergent by Veronica Roth
(narrated by Emma Galvin - and it's so, so good!)
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
(narrated by Jim Dale)

What did you get?



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Friday, April 20, 2012

Book Signing Recap + Giveaway

At the last moment, I dropped by the YA or Bust tour stop last night at Copperfield's Books (where Zoe of Zoe's Book Reviews was the very awesome question moderator). I failed at introducing myself properly1 due to all my hurrying, but I did manage to snag some goodies for a lucky reader. And, I learned quite a lot from these lovely authors!

Things I Learned From...

Nina LaCour
The Disenchantments was originally a terrible band made of four girls, instead of three. Hold Still had a somewhat difficult time finding the right title (I'm glad they picked HS!).

Gayle Forman
One of her favorite Where She Went scenes to write was the bridge scene, and she found Adam's voice fairly easy to write since she knew him so well from Mia's book.

Stephanie Perkins
There was something about learning how to hotwire a car for the original L&TBND ending....So yes, she's a criminal very cool person with an awesome hair color, too.

Jess Rothenberg 
The Catastrophic History of You and Me originally had some very angry letters from Brie to a possible man-stealing girl....Plus, her first chapter is very amusing :)

All in all, if you get the chance to meet these lovely ladies, take it. Check out Facebook for other YA or Bust tour stops.

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Giveaway2
Autographed ARC + SWAG!



US only. Ends May 3rd. Contest Policy. 



Extra 2 entries by answering the following question in the comments:

What author book signing do you wish you could attend?


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1 Plus, I forgot my camera. Total book blogger fail, I know. 
2 Sorry I didn't get everything signed. I had an early morning class the next day, so I was rushing through the signing :(


Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday (7)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Books I'm Excited To Read in 2012
 
1. Insurgent by Veronica Roth - Is it May yet??? *glares at calendar*

2. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore - I am so crazy excited for this book. I can't wait until a more detailed summary comes out. But, until then, I'll settle for the cool cover with those awesome keys. 

3. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver - No explanation necessary when it comes to a Lauren Oliver book. 

4. Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins - The ending to Demonglass still has me extremely curious to know what happens next for Sophie. Plus, this series is always fun to read. Awesome humor, great mystery. 
5. Enshadowed by Kelly Creagh - Edgar Allan Poe, mystery, intrigue...I'm hoping it's as good as the last book! 

6. The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour - The buzz has been insanely positive for this novel. Plus, it's supposed to be a great book for music fans :)

7. Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard - I've been stalking following Susan's blog for quite a long time, so I'm very excited for her debut! It sounds like it's going to be an exciting read. 
8. Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake - The first book rocked, so I'm curious to see if the sequel will be just as great. And how awesome is that cover?

9. Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler - Take Sarah Ockler's writing + hockey boys + romance + plenty of cupcakes. Sounds like a winning combination to me. 

10. The Selection by Kiera Cass - Yes, I picked this one mostly because the cover is so eye-catching. The plot is intriguing too... 

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