daydreaming about books
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where we list our top tens! This week’s topic is “top ten reasons I love being a blogger/reader.” Yeeeessss. I am finally participating in Top Ten because this one’s amazing, especially after Love-A-Thon over the weekend. I just want to sing praises about everybody and everything. I just have so much love for this community! <3 GROUP HUG? :D
The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen
February 16, 2012
Speak
Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
Pretty in Pink meets Anna and the French Kiss in this charming romantic comedy
Ella is nearly invisible at the Willing School, and that’s just fine by her. She’s got her friends – the fabulous Frankie and their sweet cohort Sadie. She’s got her art – and her idol, the unappreciated 19th-century painter Edward Willing. Still, it’s hard being a nobody and having a crush on the biggest somebody in the school: Alex Bainbridge. Especially when he is your French tutor, and lessons have started becoming, well, certainly more interesting than French ever has been before. But can the invisible girl actually end up with a happily ever after with the golden boy, when no one even knows they’re dating? And is Ella going to dare to be that girl?
First sentence: “Truth (according to Edward Willing): People who rely on first sight are either lazy or deluded.
Truth (according to Ella Marino): I fell in love with Edward Willing the first time I saw him.”
From those two lines, I was immediately intrigued because I am Edward Willing. (And I mean our views on first sight.) The Fine Art of Truth or Dare is a surprisingly cute story about a teenage girl who’s obsessed with a dead painter and yearns to know him better (as he fits her criteria of her prince charming), and all the while, is dealing with her insecurities and her feelings for the popular guy in school. We’ve all been there (the latter half of that summary), so maybe that’s the main reason why I enjoyed it? Because I can see my teen years flash before my eyes (albeit, I didn’t go to a school similar to Ella’s).
XOXO: Fangirling about Romances is a new feature where Kelly (at Effortlessly Reading) and I (at The Novel Hermit) discuss anything (and everything) about romance novels. It will occur twice a month and we will alternate posting it on our blogs. You see this post on my blog, you’ll see the next one on Kelly’s blog.
What is this feature? We are big fans of romance novels. We don’t get to talk about it as much on our blogs because they’re very geared toward YA books, so this feature is our way of fangirling over romance novels.
Kelly and I thought it was great idea to kick off this feature on Valentine’s Day! We had intended to talk about a particular romance book today, but unfortunately, things got in the way that prevented us from reading it and discussing it. Instead, we will just talk about why we read romance. Let me tell you, this conversation veers into a very…weird direction.
Inspired by Pure Imagination Blog and Stacked.
Let’s be honest, nobody follows the age-old cliché that tells us not to judge a book by its covers. If you say you do, I am side-eying you. Book covers are the first thing that attracts any of us readers to a book. Before you pick up a book, the cover can essentially make or break a book. If I don’t like a cover design, I won’t pick it up. Lucky for us, publishing companies publish different cover designs, especially when a paperback book comes out. Sometimes we like it, sometimes we don’t. Let’s discuss these cover changes, shall we?
Today, we look at the cover of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas!
This is a no-brainer. The paperback has the superior cover. Hands down! Just look at it!
SO BADASS.
I just love everything about it — the detail in her outfit (so frickin’ awesome and gorgeous); her hair whipping to the side; her armor, her belts, her weapon holders; the way she’s wielding her swords; and the way she looks like she’s stalking out from a fog, ready to kick ass! AHHHH. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. Seriously, she is armed to the T. I don’t know why, but her bare feet makes her even more awesome. That stealth. I would not want to cross her path.
Whereas, the hardcover fails to leave an impression on me. Sure, the dagger attached to her biceps is kind of cool and all, but that’s about it. The way she’s positioned with her head turned towards the reader and her hand tightened into a fist is really awkward. It just look like she’s flexing her muscles. Like what even? Does she want an arm wrestle or something?
The paperback is a major upgrade. You better agree with me or we will have words. ;)
Which cover design do you prefer? Is there anything you would change in the covers?
Waiting On is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.
Tsarina by J. Nelle Patrick
February 27, 2014
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Pre-order: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
Natalya knows a secret.
A magical Faberge egg glows within the walls of Russia’s Winter Palace.
It holds a power rooted in the land and stolen from the mystics.
A power that promises a life of love for her and Alexei Romanov.
Power, that, in the right hands, can save her way of life.But it’s in the wrong hands.
Why I’m waiting?
It’s set in Russia and it’s about history (that’s rewritten)! I haven’t read a lot of books set there, so I’m pretty excited to see how the author portrays the world, especially since Russia is just so rich with culture. I’ve always been fascinated by the Romanovs. Let me just ask: who wouldn’t want to read a book about the them (even if it’s fictional)?
What books are you waiting for?
I love fonts. You can say I’m obsessed with collecting them all. It’s no secret to those who know me. You’re Just My Type is a new feature where I showcase the fonts I absolutely adore and use. And hopefully, you will love the fonts I pick.
Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us, and in honor of it, I decided to showcase Valentine Day-esque fonts because that is what you do.
Designed by Misti Fonts.
Love & Trust is two things you need from the people you love and adore.
With this font, you get two different types: one with the hearts and one without. The one with the hearts work well when it’s huge. You want to be able to see the hearts. :) I love the little hearts on each of the letters. It almost looks like little butterflies. Plus, I love the way certain letters (like ‘L’ and ‘T’) extend under or above the other letters.