Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Teaser Tuesday- Blood Lite


TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us at least two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page
  • You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

BLOOD LITE-WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD BY SHERRILYN KENYON
Zeke tried to open the door, but before he could, it vanished. Anger and fear mixed inside him. "Yo, Hotel California, I want my door back."

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Cover Contemplation- Triple Cross

Triple Cross by Mark T. Sullivan
The US hardcover for Triple Cross isn’t very exciting nor does it give a hint about what the story is about except that it takes place somewhere cold (a Montana ski lodge matter of fact). The other US hardcover for Large Print I believe has a helicopter on it and its is even worse in my opinion even if there are significant scenes with those machines in them. Now if they had taken the helicopter, made it smaller and put it on the original cover I would have liked it better. However the helicopter and those triple X’s on the cover remind me of that Vin Diesel movie more than this book.
The mass market paperback that I think is supposed to be a Canadian or UK release (though it is available on the US Amazon too) is when the helicopter gets shot down. However, I’m not sure who the man in the suit is supposed to be since Mickey Hennessy is in club uniform and the bad guys in suits aren’t outside. It certainly evokes what this book is about better than the other two even if it’s not a scene from the book though. The German cover which was retitled as Limit is very simple and doesn’t really say anything about the book but I still find it appealing. I honestly don’t know if this was published in any other language except English and German but if you do, please let me know!

Friday, August 27, 2010

Cover Contemplation Time!

The Bachelor by Carly Phillips
Kisses! A rather generic cover for Carly Phillips’ US release of her book The Bachelor but I still think it’s rather cute. The Large Print cover is virtually the same but the font for the title is changed which is a real shame though I have to admit this one is slightly easier to read which is the point of the large print books.
The German title translates into The Last Kiss for some reason which I found extremely odd since the idea of the story is for Roman to settle down with someone. This sounds more like something you would find as a vampire story or something. The cover isn’t all that great either though the girl does kind of resemble Charlotte’s description. From what I can tell just browsing a lot of Ms. Phillips’ German covers look a lot like this one.
It took me a second to understand that it is the groom’s hands behind the back of the bride in handcuffs on the Spanish cover (which translates to Single... Without Commitment?) but once I did I thought it perfectly conveys what this book is about. None of the Chandler boys want to get married but their mother emotionally blackmails them into finding a wife. Unfortunatly, these seem to be the only languages this particular book has been translated into though a few of this author's other books have other foreign releases.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

BTT- Giving Up

If you’re not enjoying a book, will you stop mid-way? Or do you push through to the end? What makes you decide to stop?

Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!

If I absolutely can't tolerate anymore then yes I'll stop reading the book but if I'm just having trouble with it I usually push through. Especially if I get over halfway through the book, then I tend to finish it. The last two books I read I've had trouble with and though I liked the one I just finished, it was the one that I ended up disliking I actually thought was still well-written. I wouldn't have minded never reading it in the first place but it would have bothered me if I hadn't finished it.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Cover Contemplations

Let Me Call You Sweetheart by Mary Higgins Clark
Originally, a plain, vanilla colored cover with a single sweetheart rose below the title, Let Me Call You Sweetheart has gone through some major changes since its initial publication. The first mass market paperback in the US is the copy I have of this book. It is blue with a tiny space where a picture of Suzanne Reardon’s death scene is contained along with several other little things in the book such as a frame and jewelry that was stolen. I really don’t like that dot in the middle of the book advertising that Higgins is a bestselling author though. The UK paperback cover is more about the plastic surgery that was what made Kerry look into the murder in the first place. I don’t particularly like this one because besides the syringe and the scalpel it’s somewhat generic and even with them it could be about anything.


A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, correct? Well nearly all of the foreign covers for Let Me Call You Sweetheart were published under different names. The Spanish version of this book translates to I Can Not Forget Your Face and while I thought the one with the face is interesting because of the way it’s shaded, the red one just looks like a cheap knockoff of the US paperback. The Finnish cover (translates to Horror Around Town) reminds of me the US paperback with the style however I’m not sure what that particular scene is supposed to be. Maybe the doctor’s loft?


Translating to A Face so Beautiful and Cold, the German cover of the woman really portrays that and makes her seem like she’s made of marble. The blue one with half a face just looks odd to me but I like the roses in the trashcan. It’s not in the book, (the roses are scattered on Suzanne’s dead body) but it makes a powerful statement even if the actual photo looks a little flat and one-dimensional.

Of all the covers that feature a photo of Suzanne Reardon’s murder scene, only the Japanese version shows her face. It’s a great photo and looks somewhat like what I imagined her to look like. Supposedly she was horribly strangled in the book (I say supposedly because the murder took place years before the start of the book) and she merely looks as though she were sleeping here. I still really like this one though. The Italian version of Let Me Call You Sweetheart for some reason translates as A Blow to the Heart, which makes no sense in terms of the book’s story. The only good cover I found of this has a rose over the pond of blood, which is kind of gross to me. The Hungarian title of this book translates to Call Me Darling and is virtually the same as the US hardcover except it’s on a white background and the rose is larger.

Father’s Finest is what the Dutch called their edition of this mystery, which is a great name for the book in my opinion. I couldn’t find a bigger photo of the cover but from what I can see of this one it looks like this could be Kerry, the main character of the book (the briefcase in her hand because she’s a lawyer) and if it is, so far this is the only cover I’ve found which features her. Rosenmordet is the title of the Swedish cover and I can't find a decent translation so I don't know what it means. Something murder, maybe Rose Murder? Anyway I do like the cover of this one though the tiny picture of, I’m guessing Suzanne, appears to be nude. I found out that the Polish title translates to A Death Among the Roses but I couldn’t find a cover for it unfortunately. The French title Ce Que Vivent les Roses doesn’t translate too well to English (What Roses Live) exactly and the only original cover I found has those giant roses. I’m sure there are others out there but these are just ones I found. I had a blast looking up all of these and I hope you enjoyed reading this post too. Have you ever seen so many covers that feature roses?!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Teaser Tuesday- Over Sea, Under Stone


TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us at least two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page
  • You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

OVER SEA, UNDER STONE BY SUSAN COOPER
For half an hour they poked about in a happy dusty dream, through the junk and broken furniture and ornaments. It was like reading the story of somebody’s life, Jane thought, as she gazed at the tiny matchstick masts of the ship sailing motionless for ever in the green glass bottle. All these things had been used once, had been part of every day in the house below. Someone had slept in the bed, anxiously watched the minutes on the clock, pounced joyfully on each magazine as it arrived. But all those people were long dead, or gone away, and now the oddments of their lives were piled up here, forgotten. She found herself feeling rather sad.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Cover Contemplation

Soulless by Gail Carriger
To my knowledge there is only one cover for Soulless but what a cover! Not many debut authors get such cool ones right off the bat but Gail Carriger really lucked out. She’s another author who had some input on what her cover looked like. Orbit asked her for some pictures that looked kind of what she had in mind and she provided a picture of the cover model Donna Ricci (who the author is friends with on Facebook now) that she had found online among others. While I do love the model I don’t think she looks quite like Alexia to me but she’s really close and she’s still lovely.

It was actually the cover that first made me want this book but the story sounded incredibly unique and interesting too. As you can probably tell from my review, I adored it. The steampunk part of the book is represented well on the cover even though it’s slightly understated. However, how cool is that parasol? I want one! So far all of the covers in this series are awesome and I hope they continue to be too.

The Story of the Cover

Thursday, August 19, 2010

BTT- Book Meme


Deb got this from Lorette‘s blog and couldn’t resist adopting it for all of us. Play along!


1. Favorite childhood book?
The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper

2. What are you reading right now?
Blood Lite anthology, about to start Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper

3. What books do you have on request at the library?
Discord's Apple by Carrie Vaughn, First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost, and The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

4. Bad book habit?
Buying a book and not reading it for several months (or even years) later

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?
Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper, The Dean Koontz Companion edited by Martin H. Greenberg, Ed Gorman, and Bill Munster, Dean Koontz: A Writer's Biography by Katherine Ramsland, and Bullitt (1968)

6. Do you have an e-reader?
No

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
I’ll put down a book and read another one but I read one at a time for the most part

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
Yes

9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?)
Hideaway by Dean Koontz

10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?
Soulless by Gail Carriger

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Not too often but I have a big comfort zone…

12. What is your reading comfort zone?
YA, mystery, romance, urban fantasy, fantasy, some horror, paranormal anything, classics, etc.

13. Can you read on the bus?
I wish I could! Especially with those 6 hour car trips we take so often but I get carsick if I read

14. Favorite place to read?
Bed

15. What is your policy on book lending?
I only lend to people I trust and I write down what they’ve taken because I’ll go and get it back myself if I have to lol.

16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
No! The horror…

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
See above answer, aka heck no!

18. Not even with text books?
That’s different and since I have none, I don’t worry about it.

19. What is your favorite language to read in?
English

20. What makes you love a book?
The characters

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
If I loved it so much that I’ve re-read it or the characters are so interesting I’ve dreamed about them

22. Favorite genre?
Anything paranormal or fantasy

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)
Classics and award- winning fiction

24. Favorite biography?
Dr. Seuss & Mr. Geisel by Judith and Neil Morgan

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
I don’t think so…

26. Favorite cookbook?
They aren’t cookbooks but I love the recipes in Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swensen series

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
I haven’t really read one so far

28. Favorite reading snack?
Milk Chocolate Milano cookies

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
I tend to enjoy those books more often than not…

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
Maybe a tiny bit over half the time.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I don’t like doing it but I will, however I try to say something positive about it too

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
French

33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, that sucker is huge!

34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
I don’t know. War and Peace?

35. Favorite Poets?
Dr. Seuss, W. B. Yeats, Robert Frost, and Shel Silverstein

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
I try to stay under 20

37. How often have you returned book to the library unread?
Not too often unless they’re nonfiction and I picked them up just to glance through or for reference

38. Favorite fictional characters?
Eric Northman, Spike, Logan Echolls, Anita Blake, Merry Gentry, Rhys, Sookie Stackhouse, Kistin (Kim Harrison), Elena (Kelley Armstrong)

39. Favorite fictional villain?
Long John Silver!

40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
Whatever I’m currently reading or most likely to start

41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.
4 months

42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
Talking. I can listen to music but it can’t have vocals

44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
Any Alice in Wonderland

45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
Too many to count but I think the last one I saw was My Side of the Mountain (1969)

46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
$80

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
Never

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
Considering how much trouble I had with Hideaway by Dean Koontz recently, I’d say nothing

49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
Yes

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
I’m a book hoarder but I’ll occasionally give away if I don’t ever plan on re-reading them

51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
No, not really

52. Name a book that made you angry.
Honestly can’t think of one off the top of my head

53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
I don’t read them unless I’m reasonably certain I’ll like them

54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris and anything by Laurell K. Hamilton

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Has anyone watched Lie to Me? I just started watching it and I really love the show. This was on the last episode I watched:

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Cover Contemplation


Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Child

The original cover is on the left and the one that was published is on the right. The one on the right was changed quite a bit and for the better! In my opinion the original looks awful, almost like sticking marble underwater for a long period of time and what it would look like with algae growing on it or something. Even her lips look almost nonexistent. Tera Lynn Child had some input on what her cover looked like so she made some changes.

Now the published cover is definitely an improvement. It’s certainly a cover that would make me look twice if I saw it on a shelf at the bookstore or library! While you can’t tell automatically what the story is about, the blue/green eyeshadow and blue lipstick on the model does make you curious. However, no where in the book are the mermaids described to look like this. They do shimmer around their eyes when they cry but the characters in Forgive My Fins don’t look like this. Lily is in love with lipgloss however but she’s never worn it blue!

I do love how the pink of the title really pops surrounded by all those cooler colors and the design around the title is pretty as well. That little design is actually supposed to be the mermark that is on all of the merpeople. Something about the blue breath coming out of the mouth of the model reminds me of that scene in The Little Mermaid when Ursula takes Ariel’s voice though.

Here’s an interview the author did about the cover with fellow author Melissa Walker

Monday, August 16, 2010

Teaser Tuesday-Hideaway

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us at least two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page
  • You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!


  • HIDEAWAY BY DEAN KOONTZ
    Death, is just an ordinary pathological state, Jonas reminded himself. Pathological states can usually be reversed.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Cover Contemplation

Bullet by Laurell K. Hamilton


Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series covers have gone through many changes since the first book’s 1993 release and occasionally all of the books will be released with covers in the same vein. The latest overhaul of the look of the series happened in 2008 with Blood Noir but the Berkley Publishing company has gone back and released covers that compliment the new ones.

Personally, I find the new US covers ugly and they were a major reason I didn’t want to buy them when they first started coming out. I owned all but four books in the series at that point and for the most part they all looked similar with the different women on the covers in different poses (there were one or two that were older and different but not too different). While I’ll be the first to admit that the new covers for the Anita books stand out, in my opinion they don’t match the content of the books really well. They look like something you would find for the cover of a Stephen King novel or something and while Anita does have the highest kill count outside of a war novel, the books are more urban fantasy romance (sometimes bordering on erotica) than horror these days.

One more complaint is the title. Laurell K. Hamilton was consistent throughout the series of naming her books after buildings (mostly clubs) and in one occasion a person in the series and now she’s gone a completely different direction with the names. I’m not even sure where the name Bullet is supposed to come from this time! Anita usually kills with a gun anyway. Maybe the author just got tired of making up new names for buildings?

Now the UK covers for Bullet aren’t too bad though they remind me of a tattoo or stained glass. I wouldn’t say that they’re my favorite either but they are more interesting since there is more to look at. The simplicity of the US cover does make it eye-catching as well but something about the UK cover appeals to me slightly more.

Under the Covers:


*If you know of any covers from other countries, etc. Please send me links!

Anita Blake Series
1. Guilty Pleasures (1993)
2. The Laughing Corpse (1994)
3. Circus of the Damned (1995)
4. The Lunatic Café (1996)
5. Bloody Bones (1996)
6. The Killing Dance (1997)
7. Burnt Offerings (1998)
8. Blue Moon (1998)
9. Obsidian Butterfly (2000)
10. Narcissus in Chains (2001)
11. Cerulean Sins (2003)
12. Incubus Dreams (2004)
13. Micah (2006)
14. Danse Macabre (2006)
15. The Harlequin (2007)
16. Blood Noir (2008)
17. Skin Trade (2009)
18. Flirt (2010)
19. Bullet (2010)

Thursday, August 12, 2010

BTT- Changing Reading Tastes


Have your reading choices changed over the years? Or pretty much stayed the same? (And yes, from childhood to adulthood we usually read different things, but some people stick to basically the same kind of book their entire lives, so…)

Yes and no. I've always adored fantasy and fairy tales and that's still true but the older I've gotten the more varied my tastes have gotten. I was in my late teens before I voluntarily picked up a nonfiction book for example and while they aren't my absolute favorite, I do like to read them occasionally. However, I still prefer fantasy of almost any kind to anything else.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

BTT- First Book


What is the first book you remember reading? What about the first that made you really love reading?

Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!

I'm honestly not sure what the first book I ever read was. I've been reading since I was 3 years old and I don't remember much before I was four or five. I didn't grow up with many current books, mostly collections of stories that my grandma had picked up here and there so it was probably one of those. I do remember really loving to read and be read to out of a book that had Disney stories in it from Bambi, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan though.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Teaser Tuesday- Triple Cross


TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us at least two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page
  • You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

TRIPLE CROSS BY MARK T. SULLIVAN
Grant nodded. “Jack and I believe the world is on the verge of the greatest creative period in the history of man. Politics can’t get in the way.”

Monday, August 2, 2010

Skipping Musing Monday

I'm skipping the Musing Monday this week. Not because I don't like the question but because I'm feeling a little lazy and Baloo-ish after working on that Jungle Book review over on my other blog. So here's some songs that Disney made to kind of spoof The Jungle Book or just to remix it. Enjoy!



This was on the House of Mouse but I could only find the song not the actual video :(


Oh, and Louis Armstrong did a cover of The Bare Necessities too