Top Ten Tuesdays

Feature started by The Broke and the Bookish.com. Today’s Top Ten:

Top Ten Books I’m Excited to Read in 2012 (not necessarily released in 2012)

• Burnt Snow – Van Badham
  Australian author, vampires, amazingness. As soon as I can convince any Aussie friend to swap with me. *cheese*
• Silence -  Michelle Sagara
  Author I trust. Her worldbuilding is amazing so I have high expectations from this one.
• Seraphina – Rachel Hartman
  Fantasy. Dragons. Need I say more?
• Grave Mercy – Robin LaFevers
  Fantasy. Girl Assassin. Swoon.
• House of Shadows – Rachel Neumier
  Magic. Fantasy. Female protagonist. Win.

• Real World – Natsuo Kirino
  It sounds absolutely fantastic. Can’t wait to sink my teeth into this one.
• Enshadowed – Kelly Creagh
  One of the few sequels that I am looking forward to.
• The Traitor in the Tunnel – Y. S. Lee
  The conclusion to the Agency trilogy. Bound to be fantastic.
• The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern
  Have heard a lot about this one. A lot of good things, that is.
• Shadow and Bone – Leigh Bardugo
  The synopsis sounds fantastic. Fantasy, magic, all sorts of delicious stuff.

Aleeza’s Guest Post: Top Ten Underappreciated Books of 2011

Entertaining you today will be the brilliant Aleeza from Aleeza Reads and Writes. Enjoy her perceptiveness and amazing observations about books that really should have gotten more attention.

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All right, so first of all, I’m so excited to be blogging for Bibliophilic Monologues! Nafiza was the first bookish friend I made on Goodreads, and I’ve been following her lovely, deliciously bookish blog for ages now. But before this turns into a quasi-love letter, I’ll get on with the topic at hand.

You see, I’ve read lots of books this year. Lots as in, ‘more than the combined number of books I’ve read in the last five years.’ Some of them were hyped releases, some of them I just happened to stumble upon—and some of the latter I ended up REALLY liking. So I’m going to highlight the ones I read this year, which also released this year, that I feel should’ve gotten more buzz.

1—Split by Swati Avasthi: Reading about physical abuse is hard. Excruciating, actually, because I live in a place where it happens every day, all around me, even if I don’t see it happen—like my housemaid, for example, gets beaten by her husband even though she’s almost fifty, only because sometimes she gets home a few minutes late, whereas her husband sits home all days and lazes around doing nothing. This book, however, is about two brothers who’ve been broken apart because of their abusive father, and how they have to learn to live through the consequences. It made me cry my eyes out and made me want to hug every single person in this world who’s gone through similar experiences. And I am not a hugger by any stretch of the word, so you know I liked this book a LOT.

2—Ordinary Beauty by Laura Wiess: So like Split, this book also centers around how a girl’s life has been affected by a Horrible Parent ™. In this case, her mum’s a major druggie—by major I mean SHE’S NEVER, EVER, EVER SOBER—and reading about how she finally fights her way out of all that crap was tough but oh so worth it.

3—The Lost Crown by Sarah Miller: In the vein of tough but beautiful books, this one DEFINITELY deserves a mention. I mean, yeah, so maybe the first half is boring enough to make you almost cry, but once you get through that, you realize just how much of a gem this book, especially if you know of the horrible fate of the last Tsar and his family. (I didn’t. Hey, I never claimed to know much—or anything—about world history.)

4—Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez: Violins, cut-throat musical competitions, hot English competitors you’re not supposed to be attracted to but end up being so anyway, realistic and absorbing mother-daughter relationships…this book’s got it all. It’s short but GRIPPING and just…really grips you. Okay, okay, sorry about the lameness, but this book does just that—grabs you until you get totally sucked into it. Can’t believe it’s the author’s debut!

5—Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis: How can you a resist a book that has an amazeballs combination of the following: Spunky heroine, hilarious dialogue, lovable characters, a wonderfully well-executed plot AND set in Victorian England? Exactly—you can’t! I had no idea I would like this one so much and, can’t wait to reread it before the sequel comes out.

6) How to Save a Life: I don’t know a SINGLE person who’s read this book and not loved it. So I really wish more people would read it and fall in love with it. It’s about so many different things I can’t even begin to try to encapsulate it in a couple of lines—all I can say is that it’s heartbreaking and real and just so very lovely.

7—Ashfall by Mike Mullins: So yeah, a lot of people do in fact know about this book, but I’m including it anyway because LOADS more people should. As far as survival stories, this one’s top-notch.

8—Ultraviolet by R. J. Anderson: Let me just tell you right away: THIS BOOK WILL BLOW YOUR MIND AWAY. You probably have heard of it, but here’s me recommending anyway to go out and get a copy ASAP. It’s that brilliant.

9—Variant by Robinson Wells: So this may not be the best book I’ve ever read, but it’s just so intriguing and suspenseful and well-executed I’d never hesitate to recommend it. Believe me when I say that the twist in this book will leave you BREATHLESS.

10—Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt: So I’m including this book last because it was actually a NYT Bestseller. Despite that it seems to me that most people in the YA blogosphere haven’t really heard much of it. I can’t really even explain how much I love this book—it’s heartbreaking and just so goddarned beautiful. It’s a historical MG contemporary—I know I just majorly contradicted myself, but I hope you get what I mean—and it’s a must read for EVERYONE. I don’t even read much MG but this one made me realize how awesome it can be if it’s well done.

And because I can’t help it, here’s some other books I also liked that I felt should’ve received more attention:

Dreams of Significant Girls by Cristina Garcia: Three girls who meet in a Swiss boarding school, all from different cultures, and how their lives intertwine with each others.

Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal: A simple yet gorgeous story about a girl falling in love for the first time, and the devastation she goes through when it goes awry.

Past Perfect by Leila Sales: Cute, unique and full of heart.

Clean by Amy Reed: Teens in rehab and their painful pasts and how they learn to live with them.

Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts: Post-apocalyptic fiction at it’s best. Will most likely result in you hiding under a rock for the rest of your life in fear of earthquakes. Or not.

Always a Witch by Carolyn McCullough: Sequel to Once a Witch, which it improves upon by approximately 17 gajillion notches.

Witchlanders by Lena Coakley: An atmospheric and absorbing high fantasy with rich imagery and heartfelt characters—including one really hot one. (Sorry, couldn’t help myself, heh.)

Guest Post by Rida the Raindrop: Books of 2011 that Surprised Me

Today’s post is brought to you by Rida, a new blogger friend of mine whose blog will yield the full force of her enthusiasm and unquenchable thirst for life and books. Okay, Rida, take it away:

When Nafiza asked me to guest post, I was a little nervous, because have you seen this girl’s writing? (Thanks Rida, you are way too nice.)  And the vast amount of books she’s read? And me: I only started reading YA this year. But considering the fact that we’ve had some of the best books EVER come out (I’m looking at you, Chime) and, lucky me, the Twilight style tortured-rude-boy-meets-supposedly-plain-girl-forever-love-ensues-OMG type books are receding and there are actual, good paranormals coming out- I couldn’t be happier.

So I told myself I could do it. Nafiza is one of my favourite bloggers, and I really wanted to do this for her. Anyways, I managed to narrow my choices down to a top 5, from Surprising to, er, Most Surprising. I cheated a teeny tiny little bit, as in, there is ONE book that was released in 2010 but I HAD to include it, because dude, this post wouldn’t be a post without including that one book. (Have I created enough suspense? No?)

Okay. *clears throat* Here goes.

5. Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard

I can’t put my finger on what exactly it is I like about this book. The writing, lush and descriptive and engaging? The setting? The characters? Heck, the characters’ names? (I mean, come on. I’d name myself Mandarin if I wasn’t afraid I’d get an identity crisis.) But I can tell you exactly what surprised me: just how much I liked the book.

Like Mandarin is different. It’s unexpected. And it’s unlike anything I’ve read before (and after). I hadn’t expected so much from it.

4. Divergent by Veronica Roth

Yes, there are major plot holes in this one, but there was something about this book. The writing was clean and spare; the action was well-executed, and although I can see Nafiza shaking her head right now, I liked Four. Although I don’t like either of his names.

What surprised me? The honesty. Something about Veronica Roth’s writing voice is so honest that I felt that I just had to keep reading. I may be weird (for more proof, see my tweets. You’ll have enough weirdness to last a lifetime) but that’s the feeling I get whenever I think about Divergent. I didn’t LOVE LOVE LOVE it, but I didn’t hate it, either. I just really liked it, plot holes, weird names and all.

3. The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

See, I love Greek mythology. The gods are so twisted and not-innocent and the myths are so interesting that I was hoping that a YA book would have more room to talk about those grown-up things in a candid way. But what did I get from this book? A chicken-ified, CHASTE Hades named Henry. Hades is NOT innocent and nice, peeps. I mean, HELLO, he’s the god of the effing Underworld.

It wasn’t just Hades Henry that became an I-want-to-talk-about-my-feelings type guy, which I can tell you write now is not something Hades would ever be. ALL the other gods were like that. Thus, I didn’t get what I was looking for in The Goddess Test. Not at all. And well, that’s a surprise, no? I expected so much, and then we’re introduced to this Henry person I can’t even recognize, and my expectations deflate like a balloon. Dang.

2. Chime by Franny Billingsley

I was SO happy when Nafiza named this one the book of the year. Because honestly? It is. I truly believe it’s probably the best book of the year. The writing was so beautiful that I’d look up and be surprised to find myself sitting in my bed, in my world, instead of the one Franny Billinsgley so masterfully created. This is the book I’d push into people’s hands to show them the power of words.

And this is the book that surprised me the most this year, because I thought I was reading some book about witches or… something paranormal. Uh, no. That cover and that summary combined don’t do it justice. I doubt any book and any summary can, actually. Yes, it’s just that awesome.

1. Plain Kate by Erin Bow

You may have noticed that I already told you which book of 2011 surprised me most of all. And you might just be thinking: this Rida girl obviously doesn’t know how to count, because uh, the book that surprised her most of all has already been revealed. So why does this one get the #1 spot? Well, hold on to your horses (or keyboards, rather) you lovely people, because guess what? *jazz hands* This book was released in 2010! Gotcha!

Technically it doesn’t count then, but WHATEVER! Who needs technicalities? Not me! Nuh-uh! Moving on…

I loved everything about this book. Taggle the talking cat, the writing, the setting, the Roamers, the cover, Linay… just, everything. And what surprised me is that I, being ridiculously silly (that is, even sillier than usual) didn’t think I’d love this book. I went into it thinking, MEH. And then I got blown away.

Serves me right for judging a book by the title. Because peeps, this book is NOT plain at all.

So there you have it. A list! Now, please do run off and do some reading and then tell me what you think of these books!

2012 Reading Challenges and My Holiday Reading List

So three hours ago I finished my last final exam (it was very difficult, I am still in shock) and what better way to cheer myself up than indulge in what I love most (after reading, pineapple and my mother, not necessarily in that order, hur), yes! I’m talking about making lists. I love making lists, I have a weakness for them and you probably don’t really care that I do but just in case I am fighting you, all you need to do is mention lists and I will be distracted enough for you to beat me and win. I’m just saying. It’s nice to know stuff like this. Anyway. Reading challenges. I’m participating in four. And only one is the official kind with badges and everything.  You will be able to find all my challenges on the Challenges page which is called Challenges. Hur.

The Debut Author Challenge with emphasis on books being released by first time authors in the YA genre. I’ve read a couple of books already and let me tell you, they are fine. I think 2012 will be a much more rewarding year where debut authors are concerned. Not that I am diss…well okay, I am. I liked the books released this year, a selection of them but I can’t say I was bowled over by them all. Right now most of the 2012 debut novels I have read have been good so I’m hopeful.

The second challenge is the Literary Challenge which is a name I made up about five seconds ago. Do you ever feel that you read too much YA? Because I do. And there are other good books out there in the literary genre that I aim to read. Okay fine, there are only ten on my list so far but that’s a respectable number, right?

The third challenge is The Global Challenge. I love reading books by “foreign” authors. Or rather translated books. And I have read quite a few already but I came across some really promising ones so the challenge will give me the push I need to go and just read them.

The fourth one is an ongoing on. It’s my Haruki Murakami challenge. I aim to read all the books he has written. One day! I will do it!

You can see the titles on my reading challenge lists on the Challenges page. Do you have a book to suggest? Please do so.

Now, as I said I am officially on break and I aim to read, watch Asian dramas, sleep and then read some more. I might even watch Lord of the Rings (for the millionth time) or probably watch Shahrukh Khan become The Don (again, it’s a weakness, don’t hate me). My list of books to read these two weeks are:

Diamond Eyes – A. A. Bell
The synopsis of this made me swoon. And I book swapped with Glazer for it (it’s an Australian title) so it’s been on my shelf for a while now. But I can finally read it!

Cold Fire – Kate Elliott
Andevai is the boss. I think this is the first time I’ve ever liked a love interest as much as I like him. And the story is obviously out of this world. It leaves me a breathless, the worldbuilding. You forget what real fantasy is when you read the YA versions because while YA fantasy (not all, mind, I’m generalizing) (okay fine, let’s see Rae Carson’s novel would be a good example) is compelling, they lack the exquisite detail that is found in true high fantasy. You think I’m on crack, don’t you? You should just read Cold Magic and then we’ll see who’s laughing (Croggon’s Songs of Pellinor series and Goodman’s Eona duology are notable exceptions which have detailed worldbuilding and compelling heroines).

Cast in Ruins – Michelle Sagara
Sagara is a Japanese Canadian fantasy author who rocks my socks off with her Chronicles of Elantra series. She has this subtle romance thing going on and there’s this triangle which could go either way and you wouldn’t mind whichever way it goes… well, let’s just say that Chronicles of Elantra is awesomesauce and I’m going to have fun glomping it.

The Vanishing Game – Kate Kae Meyers
This is a Net Galley review copy that is being released in February and since January is going to be a crazy month for me, I figure I’ll get this read and the review written so, you know, I don’t feel too guilty.

Pure – Julianna Baggott
Also a Net Galley title that sounds awesome and I want to get read. Also being released in February.

All Men of Genius – Lev AC Rosen
I am SO excited to be reading this and I’d tell you more but my fingers are getting tired of typing so you’ll have to wait until I review it. Hopefully it doesn’t disappoint me.

Fever – Lauren DeStefano
Yes, well, it’s a review copy and I have to review this so…I’m reading it. Hopefully I will get through it.

Shatter Me – Tahereh Mafi
I’m about halfway through this and it’s taking every single atom in my being to continue reading this. I would have given up but Rida said I need to review this so I shall plod on. Sigh.

Alias Grace – Margaret Atwood
So I’m taking this English class next term. It’s about homicides in North America as portrayed by (in?) literature. And the prof “loudly encourages” us to have two books read before the term starts. So there you have it.

George and Rue – George Elliott Clarke
Oh hey, I didn’t know this was a Canadian lit class disguised as world prose. Hmm. Oh well anyway, this one is for the class as well. My library has it, thank goodness.

And this is about it for me, folks. I aim to read a lot of shoujo manga too cuz I’m girly like that. Did I  mention sleep and probably reading of books that are nowhere close to this list. Hur. What challenges are you doing? Anything interesting I should check out?

Books New On My To-Read List

So hello peoples. I am back. Still not fully because I have one more final left but I have *looks at date* yeah, seven more days before I have to go through that hell so…I shall blog! I thought it would be interesting to share some of the recent additions to my ever-growing to read list (745 and counting, eep!).

Silence – Michelle Sagara

Two things you need to know about M. Sagara: 1) She’s Canadian and 2) She’s an awesome writer. I love her Chronicles of Elantra series which has managed, so far, to achieve the perfect balance between romance and fantasy (some, maybe many, will disagree with me about the romance, it’s okay, I can live with it). Her world building is amazing and if this book is anything at all like The Chronicles of Elantra, I’m going to be a happy reader.

Burnt Snow – Van Badham

This one sounds amazing and because it’s Australian, I’m inclined to believe the raving reviews. However, because it’s Australian, it’s going to take me a while to get my hands on it but I will have it sooner or later. Hurhur. (Do I sound vaguely creepy to you cuz I do to me. :\)

The Sweetest Spell – Suzanne Selfors

I feel vaguely embarrassed by the fact that I have this book on my list simply because it’s so out there. So, it is being marketed as the retelling of The Ugly Duckling but I don’t know… the synopsis does not seem at all similar. Anyway, apparently the protagonist can turn milk into chocolate milk and that makes her really desirable… yeahhh….out there. We’ll see. It might be worth it for the potential lulz.

New Girl – Paige Harbison

So I hear tell that this is the retelling of Du Maurier’s Rebecca of which I am a big fan. So, I was in and lucky enough to grab a copy from Net Galley. I’ll let you know how it is.

And finally

A College of Magics – Caroline Stevermer

High fantasy for the win! Why didn’t I see this before? I can’t wait to get my hands on this.

Christmas Wish List

So it’s almost Christmas and while I don’t celebrate the holiday in the traditional sense of the word, there’s no harm in making wishlists, right? There is never harm in making wishlists! Ever! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! Anyway. I saw The Book Rat‘s Christmas Wishlist post and that’s what gave me the idea so the credit totally goes to her.

On My Wish List, this Christmas are the following books:

These look good, huh? Well, I think they do anyway. *beam* What’s on your list?

So You Want to Read Manga…

And are not quite sure which one to start with? Well, since I’m catering to my audience (and I feel the majority of them are girls), I’m going to recommend primary shoujo (girl) manga which, you know, is mainly about relationships. Not just romantic relationships but all types of relationships. Without further ado, here they are in no particular order of preference:

Title: Tears of the Lamb
Mangaka: Banri Hidaka
Japanese Title: Hitsuji no Namida
Volumes: 7
Released by: CMX

Why I Like it and Other Stuff:

There’s a certain sincerity in Banri Hidaka’s style of storytelling. While I have seen better art, her characterizations and the depths she goes to to tell her story is astounding. Hasumi Kei, the main character has just one wish: to get into the apartment of her neighbor (and classmate) so that she can look for something that she has misplaced. Though the premise is deceptively simple, the themes this manga engages in far more complex than many YA books (in prose, without pictures, you know?) bother to look at. This manga is about love but not just romantic love but platonic love, sibling love and it’s gorgeously told. I recommend it.

Title: Karakuri Odette
Mangaka: Suzuki Julietta
Japanese Title: Karakuri Odette
Volumes: 6
Released by: Tokyo Pop

Why I Like it and Other Stuff:

The synopsis of this would read somewhat as follows: A robot imbued with artificial intelligence seeks to turn human. Follow her trials, tribulations as she hilariously tries on humanity at a high school where the only one who knows that she is less than human is a boy. A handsome boy.

This is a fun, fun manga where things, if they can go wrong, usually do. Odette is a wonderful character who makes a girl feel good about being a girl and not a robot. This is not sad so rest your mind and put away your tissues.

Title: Skip Beat
Mangaka: Nakamura Yoshiki
Japanese Title: Skip Beat
Volumes: 28 volumes, ongoing
Released by: Viz

Why I Like it and Other Stuff:

This is awesome. No lie. Seriously. Girl gets dumped in the worst way by guy who has reached his dream of becoming a pop star. Girl vows to become a star in her own right and crush the boy under her heel. While on her journey, she meets this awesome actor who will become a lot more than just a friend – just as pop star boy realizes that “oops, I did it again.” But too little too late and this manga is one of my favourites.

Title: Reaching You/From Me to You
Mangaka: Shiina Karuho
Japanese Title: Kimi no Todoko
Volumes: 14, ongoing
Released by: Viz

Why I Like it and Other Stuff:

So Sawako has a gloomy exterior and her classmates take her exterior and her name, mix it together and come up with Sadako (as in, the scary woman from the grudge). Sawako can’t help being the way she is – even though she wants to be cheerful and inviting, people won’t get over their prejudices and let her. This is a manga about first love and friendships. It’s beautiful and heartwarming.

Title:Lovely  Complex
Mangaka: Aya Nakahara
Japanese Title: Lovely Complex
Volumes: 17
Released by:Viz

Why I Like it and Other Stuff:

So imagine you have a crush on a guy. But he’s shorter than you. Way shorter. Cuz you are sort of tall. Very tall. What happens next? Read this to find out.

Title: High School Debut
Mangaka: Kawahara Kazune
Japanese Title: Koukou Debut
Volumes: 14
Released by: Viz

Why I Like it and Other Stuff:

Haruna has spent the first sixteen years of her life boyfriendless. Now in her freshman year of high school, she is determined to snag herself one. The problem is, she has no idea how to go about getting one. And that’s where Yoh comes in. He’s going to teach her and guide her on her quest to get a bf. The only condition? She must never fall in love with him. Ever. And what does Haruna do? What do you think?

Title: Nodame Cantabile
Mangaka: Ninomiya Tomoko
Japanese Title: Nodame Contabile
Volumes: 25
Released by: Del Ray

Why I Like it and Other Stuff:

This might be my favourite manga ever. If you love classical music…well, even if you don’t, read this. Then watch the live action drama and watch the manga come to life. It’s amazing and the music is amazing. It introduced me to some intensely beautiful compositions.

That should be enough for now. Once you are done with those and need more recommendations, ask me again. :D

Lists: High Fantasy in the YA Genre

High fantasy or epic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is set in invented or parallel worlds. High fantasy was brought to fruition through the work of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, whose major fantasy works were published in the 1950s. (Thanks Wikipedia)

What with all the vampires and other beings of varying sparkliness running around, YA high fantasy tends to get a bit lost. So those of you wanting to sink your teeth into the genre, I have (out of the goodness of my heart, hur) compiled a list of the books I have read and liked.

• The Girl of Fire and Thorns – Rae Carson
  This is has all the ingredients necessary for a good high fantasy novel. Strong female heroine, actions, magic and romance. Sink your teeth into this.
• Burn Bright – Marianne de Pierres
  This one is almost a supernatural fantasy masquerading as a high fantasy novel but I feel that further into the series, we may see how exactly the world differs from ours…what I mean to say is, it’ll get more complex hopefully.
• Witchlanders – Lena Coakley
  A 2011 debut like the Rae Carson book, this one successfully combined fascinating characters with an equally compelling plot. I loved it.
• Blood Song – Rhiannon Hart
  This could also almost be a supernatural but it’s high fantasy. There are lighter elements and vampires but also some staples of high fantasy. I liked it.

 

• The False Princess – Eilis O’Neal
  Readers will recognize some elements of this as the retelling of Cinderella. I, for one, found it a fascinating, well told story about romance, greed, ambition and self-discovery. It was a remarkable debut.
• Brightly Woven – Alexandra Bracken
  This one has one of the most fascinating love interests ever. The hero, so to speak, is one of my favourites in literature.
• Plain Kate – Erin Bow
  If you haven’t heard about this one by now, you must have been living under a rock. A big rock. You need to get out and go get this book. Taggles is the Master.
• Star Crossed – Elizabeth C. Bunce
  This one is also a very engaging high fantasy with magic, kings, romance and mystery. Did I mention action? I loved it.

• Eon – Alison Goodman
  You didn’t think I could plug high fantasy novels without naming Eon, right? But I’ve already gabbed about it enough, you should read it already.
• The Naming – Alison Croggon
  This is for all those readers who like their high fantasies complex. This is an intricate and exquisite narration, similar to the epics such as Lord of the Rings. Obviously, it’s breadth is not that expansive but it is similar in feel and sobriety. I loved it. It is so gorgeously told, so involved and the world building, character development and the plot so…epic.
• Sabriel – Garth Nix
  I need to reread this series. It’s one of those that leaves you a bit wonderstruck at the end of each book.

Top Ten @ Bibliophilic Monologues

Okay, so usually I reserve Sundays for an IMM/Checked Out post but since I’ve cut back on spending on books and going to the library all that much, I suddenly have a day free. I could post a review but I seriously don’t have the energy to write one. So, it’ll be a top ten (whatever of my choice). It may or may not be book related but it will always be a top ten.

Nafiza’s Top Ten Contemporary Novels

These are my recent top ten contemporary YA novels. What are yours?

Cover Lurve

I love this cover. The colours, the composition, the texture, they all work together to create a cover that is overflowing with aesthetic appeal. The synopsis, too, is intriguing. Click the image to go to its Goodreads page.

 

How beautiful is this cover? It has a fairytale quality to it, sort of ephemeral and whimsical that is appealing. Also, the cover is apt for the story within its pages. This one is a retelling of The Snow Queen so if you love fairytales and their retellings, you’re sure to appreciate this one.

The colours! The pretty colours that lull you into a soft serenity! This cover doesn’t say much to me. It doesn’t tempt me to read the novel (the synopsis even less so) but the dreamy quality of the cover makes it one I’d like to look at on hot days just to remind myself that coolness awaits in the latter months of the year.

How lovely is this? The colours, the layering, the pretty girl sleeping in what is most likely an uncomfortable bed. I love the composition of this cover. Especially the vibrant colours. And guess what? This is another fairytale retelling. Sleeping Beauty this time.

I’m pretty certain you must have come across this particular cover in many other blogs around the blogosphere. There is something about it that reduces otherwise intelligent people into blubbering overemoting bibliophiles. It’s just so…pretty. If the model had been looking down or had her eyes closed, the effect would be much different. As it is, the flowers, the supine position, they all seem to suggest that the model is harmless and fragile. But the fact that she’s looking right into the camera seems to cast doubt on that assumption. Her stare says: Just try it. It’s a challenge. And who doesn’t love challenges and spunky heroines?