Archives for January 2014

YOU’RE JUST MY TYPE | Debut {1}

January 14, 2014 Comments : 20

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.

Designed by Vernon Adams of New Typography.

Amatic is my obsession. I have a tight leash around it because I love it and I don’t want my love to go away!

I don’t if you have noticed, but I use it on every banner and card I’ve made since I found the font back in November. (Friends can vouch for this.) Something about this font does it for me. I can’t pinpoint the reason why and I can’t even describe it. All I am able to say is I love it just because. That’s it. Do I need any more reason than that? Nope. I love what I love.

Designed by Claude.

I want a crown made of flowers because of Fleurs de Liane! I shall wear it and declare myself Queen of the Flower Fonts! Flower petals will fall from the heavens and I will laugh in delight!

Isn’t it gorgeous? I didn’t discover this font until this post, but what a find! Look at it! It’s so pretty! I love the way the flowers wrap around to shape the words. When I look at this font, I wish I had flower petals so I can toss them around. (I secretly wish I was a flower girl.) It makes me happy because floweeerrrsss.

Designed by Jenna Sue.

Jenna Sue is everything I wish my handwriting to be. It’s pretty and cute. I am quite envious of it because my handwriting is sloppy compared to this. Sometimes, when I’m writing, I have the urge to scold my handwriting, “why can’t you look like that?” while I gesture to Jenna Sue. C’mon, look at those flawless loops.

This font is absolutely perfect for any personal projects you have or to trick your friends thinking this is your handwriting when you actually have a non-readable one. (If you do the latter, my mouth is zipped. ;D)

Designed by Josip Kelava.

Metropolis comes from the industrial movement of the 1920′s where skyscrapers where born. “Using a double line technique, I wanted to create my own Art Deco style font that represented this era. The result is a bold, bumptious typeface with a stolidly calm disposition.”¹

When you look at this font, tell me you thought of The Great Gatsby too. It’s that art deco influence, ya’ll! Every time I look at it, I can’t help but sing “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got)” by Fergie. (Out of all the songs, that one is stuck in my head. *shakes head*) Can you just imagine the 1920s parties? Flapper dresses, the short bobs, the music, and the dancing. I have a soft spot for the 1920s because it was all so glamorous (and a bit depressing). And Metropolis exudes that 1920s feel.

This font isn’t the best for typing up sentences, but it’s perfect for titles. You can use it to get that 1920s vintage art deco feel on posters.

Designed by Tension Type.

Haven’t you ever dreamt of owning a typewriter? I know I did! (I had one, but I’m pretty sure it broke or it got too expensive to upkeep. :( ) My Underwood is so great. You can pretend you’re in the 1940s, hunched over your typewriter, trying to complete a newspaper article while your boss is yelling across the room for you to finish and your co-workers are smoking cigars and not answering the ringing telephones. I’d want to write an epic murder story with this font while I fast-talk like people did back then. (I dare you to not read this entire thing like those fast-talkers. ;D)

Unfortunately, you don’t get the clickety clack typewriter sound with this font, but never fear! I’m sure you can imagine it (and I’m pretty sure there’s a website for the sound).

What do you think of this new feature? Do you like the commentary?

I’m pretty content on how this post is structured. However, everything can change because it isn’t set in stone. I know I should have a theme, but I hate doing theme-type things. If I put similar looking fonts together, it all begins to all look the same, and I want to give you variety! I want to do posts where I showcase a paid font and the free alternatives, but I am totally not great at finding those. :P

If you have suggestions of how I should structure them or any constructive feedback, please tell me. I am open to all ideas! Please give me feedback over on this form. :)

Reviews

REVIEW | I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter

January 13, 2014 Comments : 5

Ally Carter - GG1 I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You (Gallagher Girls #1)

by Ally Carter
May 1, 2006
Disney Hyperion
Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school-that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it’s really a school for spies. Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she’s an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real “pavement artist”-but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her?

Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she’s on her most dangerous mission-falling in love.

First sentence: “I suppose a lot of teenage girls feel invisible sometimes, like they just disappear.”

I have Shelly of Readiculous Reads (isn’t that name just pun-tastic?!) with me to discuss and review I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You, the first Gallagher Girls book.

Letters

SINCERELY, CEE | A letter from yours truly to One Day by David Nicholls

January 10, 2014 Comments : 10

sincerelycee-oneday

Dear One Day,

Hey, remember that time I read you and I wailed at the injustice that happened to your characters? You are a pretty big asshole, you know that? No? You don’t remember? I’m sure. (Can you hear the sarcasm in my voice?)

I shouldn’t like you and your cliché romance, but I CAN’T HELP IT. (You can say I read you for purely shallow reasons. I wanted a romance book that I can breeze through fairly quickly.)

I’m a big romantic at heart. I love a good romance that utterly wrenches my heart, and Dexter and Emma kind of have that? (Y’know if you excuse their stereotypical characteristics and stuff, which I can do sometimes when I’m not looking for any “deep” content.) They’ve been friends since the day they graduated college. They can’t help but rely on each other. I like that a lot. I really enjoy the slow-build of their relationship and their bantering. Long-term friends becoming more always do weird things to my heart. (It’s like a fish got stuck in my heart and is flopping around because there’s no water for it to swim in.)

You do not know how many times I squealed whenever Dexter would think of Emma. Every time he did something extremely asshole-ish/douche-y, I wanted to yell at him. “Don’t be stupid, Dexter. Just tell her!” He’s not my favorite leading man because he’s not the greatest person, but I guess that gives him a sort of realism, right? Despite that, my heart does a weird flop when I read about his dependence on Emma. She’s his rock. I like that he needs her. He’s a better person when she’s around, and yes, I’m pretty sure I’m quoting you, but it’s true!

At the same time, I think Emma could do better. I’m pretty sure if she and Dexter had never met, she would’ve been fine without him. (That’s an absolute fact.) And she did, for a certain time. She excelled while Dexter declined. I feel conflicted because I like them together and the whole “the love of my life was already by my side all along and I just never realized it until now,” but they are really polar opposites, which is why it works for me? They provide things to each other that the other doesn’t have.

I love that we, the readers, get to peer into a single day of their lives. I like seeing their growth (both individually and together) and not knowing what happens in their lives prior and after July 15th. It works.

But you know what didn’t work? The ending. It was such a cop-out and totally unbelievable. Sure, it wasn’t an entirely cliche ending because it wasn’t a happily ever after, but it became unnecessarily dramatic. It was very much a Nicholas Spark move by throwing this twist, and I, for one, did not care for that at all. The ending might have pulled at my heartstrings a bit, but that didn’t mean anything. If I could, I would show you the utter look of disgust on my face when I read it. Just what the fuck.

One Day, you were good. You could’ve been great though. I still think you are. I would’ve thought you were fucking awesome if there was more to the characters and if the ending wasn’t a pile of shit. I know we can’t always have a happily ever after, but goddamn it.

Sincerely,

cee

Discussion

THE THREE C’S: CANDID CONVERSATIONS WITH CEE | How Do You Audiobook?

January 9, 2014 Comments : 18

three c's

Audiobooks are great. It’s a different way of experiencing a book. You don’t get as intimidate by the block of texts in the book. You get to listen to how the narrator portrays the scene. They are extremely convenient when you are doing something that requires both your hands. You can play it when you’re:

in the car, running errands or going on a road trip to visit your parents who live three states away from where you’re living.
doing household chores. (You can get your laundry done and read a book at the same time! You’re getting rid of two birds with one stone.)
making dinner. (Sometimes, it’s boring between you and the food. It can’t talk back when you speak to it. I know. I tried. ;D)
taking a bath. (You don’t have to worry about your book getting wet. You just listen to the narrator and their voice will soothe you into relaxation.)
waiting. (Like during jury duty when there’s absolutely nothing to do.)

I find that a lot of people listen to an audiobook while they multi-task and they are fine.

I don’t do that? I don’t think I listen to audiobooks the way it’s intended to be listened to. I’m sitting here going, “No, that isn’t me. Wait, do people listen to audiobooks the way I do? Do they read along with the book? Or is that a weird thing I’m doing? How am I supposed to audiobook????”

For me, it isn’t as simple as just playing the audiobook and listening to it. There’s another step that is required for me to actually enjoy and help me focus on the words being read to me.

How I listen to audiobooks (in steps!):

I open iTunes and find the Ready Player One audiobook.
I grab my book and open it up to the first chapter (or whatever page I was at last time I read it).
I start the audio.
I listen to the narrator as I follow along with the book.

Apparently, that’s not way people listen to audiobooks? (At least the people I come across.)

I usually listen to my audiobooks like that. Sometimes, that isn’t the case. I remember a couple of times in high school or college, I didn’t read along with a book because I had forgotten it or the teacher asked that we close our eyes and just listen. Other than that, I must have a book in my hand. It’s absolutely necessary.

Why do I have to follow along with a book?

Say I decide to listen to Ready Player One while I’m trying to organize my room, and then an hour later when I’m all done, I realize I don’t remember anything that happened. I think, “shit.” I totally zoned out and missed an entire chapter because I hadn’t been paying attention. Why the fuck did I decide to listen to the audiobook if this is what happens? That is the absolute worst and it’s a waste of my time. I’ll have to restart it again and guess what? Zoning out will happen again. It’s never not gonna happen. It’s a frustrating cycle that won’t stop until I decide to not listen to the audiobook. In the end, I learn from my mistakes.

I need to be able to see the words because if I do not, well, bye bye to my attention span. I find it harder to focus on the content that is being narrated. I get easily distracted and I tend to zone out A LOT. (I’ve said this a bazillion times and I’ll continue to say it some more.) It all becomes background noise to me. I can listen well when somebody talks to me, but if I’m listening to someone read a book or paper out loud, yeah, I’m not great at listening to that. (I guess I have to train my ears for that, which means practice. *deep sigh*)

I feel like when I have the audiobook playing and the book in front of me, there’s a better chance of me retaining the story in my memory. Even more so when the narrator’s voice is absolutely perfect.

Why don’t I listen to audiobooks often?

Sometimes I don’t have the book. (And you already read how important it is that I have it in my hand when I listen to an audiobook.)
I don’t have access to it. (Either it’s too expensive or the library doesn’t have it.)
The narrator’s voice is extremely grating or they don’t do a good job of portraying the characters. (ie. Jesse Eisenberg narrating White Cat killed me. It was hoorrribbbleeee. Ughhhh.)
The slow reading pace of the narrator can irritate me because my eyes tend to speed through the sentence when I read. (I feel like I’m just waiting for the narrator to catch up. I just want to move on. Can we do that, slow-speaking narrator?)
I forget they exist. (Yes. This does happen sometime because I don’t realize that certain books have it.)
They aren’t convenient for me.

If you’re looking for a recommendation, I would highly advised you Ready Player One read by Wil Wheaton. His voice is a perfect fit for that world. (And if you know anything about him, then you will know the other reasons.)

Tell me if you do this so I don’t feel like I’m the special sunflower. Do you listen to audiobooks like I do (following along with the book)? Or can you listen to them when you multi-task? What do you like about them? What are some of your favorite audiobooks? Which ones do you not like?

Waiting on Wednesday

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY | The Unbound by Victoria Schwab

January 8, 2014 Comments : 3

wowfestivo

Waiting On is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

The Unbound by Victoria Schwab
January 28, 2014
Hyperion
Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Pre-order: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books. Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Last summer, Mackenzie Bishop, a Keeper tasked with stopping violent Histories from escaping the Archive, almost lost her life to one. Now, as she starts her junior year at Hyde School, she’s struggling to get her life back. But moving on isn’t easy — not when her dreams are haunted by what happened. She knows the past is past, knows it cannot hurt her, but it feels so real, and when her nightmares begin to creep into her waking hours, she starts to wonder if she’s really safe.

Meanwhile, people are vanishing without a trace, and the only thing they seem to have in common is Mackenzie. She’s sure the Archive knows more than they are letting on, but before she can prove it, she becomes the prime suspect. And unless Mac can track down the real culprit, she’ll lose everything, not only her role as Keeper, but her memories, and even her life. Can Mackenzie untangle the mystery before she herself unravels?

With stunning prose and a captivating mixture of action, romance, and horror, The Unbound delves into a richly imagined world where no choice is easy and love and loss feel like two sides of the same coin.

Why I’m waiting?

SO PUMPED FOR THIS BOOK.

After I finished The Unarchived, I was left wanting more of the prose, the story, the world, and (last but not least) Wesley. And then boom, we get this synopsis and I’m trying not to squeal (because if I start, I won’t stop). We have a totally different setting and a new mystery that threatens Mackenzie’s life. I can’t wait to see how Mackenzie has changed after her summer at the Coronado and what that means for her relationship with the Archive. AHHHHH. I JUST HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS, SO PLEASE ANSWER THEM, THE UNBOUND.

What books are you waiting for?

Holy Mother Cover

JUDG(ING) A BOOK BY ITS COVER | The case of Just One Day by Gayle Forman

January 7, 2014 Comments : 9

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 Just One Day by Gayle Forman!

I’m kind of indifferent to both covers. They’re okay, but not the absolute greatest. However, if I am forced to pick (like if you ask me in caps-lock), I’d most likely say the hardcover one is the best one.

The main thing I love about the hardcover design is the scene it portrays. In it, we see the cover model, posing as the main character of the book, waiting. It’s a very good interpretation of what happens in Just One Day because it emphasizes on time. We see a watch on the cover (which my eyes is instantly drawn to). It’s an extremely important item for Allyson — both physically and mentally. Time is something that is emphasized throughout the story, especially during the scenes with her and Willem. We know that [spoiler]Allyson received a watch as a graduation present from her mother, and Willem takes it away from her so she’d enjoy herself better without a constant reminder that time is passing and that moments like the ones they’re experiencing are extremely fleeting.[/spoiler] Allyson seems to be forever stuck, waiting for Willem. I just love that.

Also, I loved that we’re seeing her through glass. There’s a barrier between her and the rest of the world, as if she’s in a bubble that’s preventing her from knowing why Willem disappeared. It’s great!

The paperback cover makes me cringe a bit because the color tone of it is a bit washed out. Whoever developed this picture used too much cyan in the dark room. The blue and the teal font color do not work either. It just makes the book even more…blue. I do like that the two characters are walking, hand in hand, since it happened in the book, and that there’s a camera glare right on Willem, blinding us from properly seeing his full form (y’know, almost like a symbol of how he suddenly disappears without a trace and how we and Allyson have no idea who he is and what happens). It’s fitting.

Okay, so it turns out I like the hardcover design a lot more than I expected after I typed this post? Huh.

Which cover design do you prefer? Is there anything you would change in it? How do you feel about the color tone of the paperback cover?

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