HOLY, MOTHER COVER | Trend: Cassette Tapes » The Novel Hermit

HOLY, MOTHER COVER | Trend: Cassette Tapes

July 9, 2015 Comments : 10

holymothercover

Inspired by What She Reads, Pure Imagination Blog, and Stacked.

I admit I’m a book cover snob. Who isn’t though?

Book covers are the first thing that attracts readers to a book. A good cover can draw someone is, just as a bad cover can easily draw someone away. It can essentially make or break a book. Holy, Mother Cover! is where I showcase the book covers that stand out (or make me cringe) and discuss cover changes.

(A big special thanks to Georgie at What She Reads for bestowing me this fabulous name and to Charlotte at The Simple Tales for creating the beautiful feature banner you see before you.)

Remember when cassette tapes were popular?

Be prepared to get kind of nostalgic about cassette tapes (but not really). It was a big part of my childhood like most people born pre-2000s. I remember going on family roadtrips and listening to old cassette tapes my parents were force us to listen to; pulling the magnetic tape from its case just because; and watching the spools go round and round.

Thinking about cassette tapes made me wonder if it would be a popular cover trend. And voilà! These are my favorite from the small batch I could find.

TREND: Cassette Tapes

Reviews

(DNF) REVIEW | Between the Notes by Sharon Huss Roat

July 7, 2015 Comments : 2

Between the Notes by Sharon Huss Roat
June 16, 2015
HarperTeen
Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
* E-ARC courtesy of Edelweiss + HarperCollins

When Ivy Emerson’s family loses their house—complete with her beloved piano—the fear of what’s to come seizes her like a bad case of stage fright. Only this isn’t one of her single, terrifying performances. It’s her life.

And it isn’t pretty.

Ivy is forced to move with her family out of their affluent neighborhood to Lakeside, also known as “the wrong side of the tracks.” Hiding the truth from her friends—and the cute new guy in school, who may have secrets of his own—seems like a good idea at first. But when a bad boy next door threatens to ruin everything, Ivy’s carefully crafted lies begin to unravel . . . and there is no way to stop them.

As things get to the breaking point, Ivy turns to her music, some unlikely new friends, and the trusting heart of her disabled little brother. She may be surprised that not everyone is who she thought they were . . . including herself.

Debut author Sharon Huss Roat crafts a charming and timely story of what happens when life as you know it flips completely upside down.

myreview

[note note_color=”#BFD1D1″ text_color=”#ffffff”]I received this book for free from Edelweiss + HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.[/note]

First sentence: “I came home from school on a Thursday in early September to find my parents sitting on the couch in the front room, waiting for me. “

DNF-ed at 11% (but also read last three chapters)

First impression: Boring. Forgettable.

Typography

YOU’RE JUST MY TYPE | {29}

July 6, 2015 Comments : 3

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. Add all of them to your font collection! Let it grow!

Monday fun day! I’m kicking off the week after July 4th with awesome new fonts you need in your life!

Go forth and add these fonts to your font book!

(Remember, when you download the fonts, look at the license to see what you can and cannot do with it. Majority of these will have Dropbox download links, so if it doesn’t download at first click, click it again.)

JOHANNA

Johanna is designed by Adrià Gómez.

Reviews

(DNF) REVIEW | Why Proof of Forever by Lexa Hillyer Did Not Work For Me

July 3, 2015 Comments : 2

Proof of Forever by Lexa Hillyer
June 2, 2015
HarperTeen
Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
* E-ARC courtesy of Edelweiss + HarperCollins

Before: It was the perfect summer of first kisses, skinny-dipping, and bonfires by the lake. Joy, Tali, Luce, and Zoe knew their final summer at Camp Okahatchee would come to an end, but they swore they’d stay friends.

After: Now, two years later, their bond has faded along with those memories.

Then: That is, until the fateful flash of a photo booth camera transports the four of them back in time, to the summer they were fifteen—the summer everything changed.

Now: The girls must recreate the past in order to return to the present. As they live through their second-chance summer, the mystery behind their lost friendship unravels, and a dark secret threatens to tear the girls apart all over again.

Always: Summers end. But this one will change them forever.

myreview

First sentence: “Just do it. Now, now, now, Zoe thinks as she blows loose strands of her blond hair off her sweaty forehead.”

DNF-ed at 25%

Proof of Forever is pretty unremarkable, and that’s very disappointing.

Four girls—Joy, Tali, Luce, and Zoe—used to be the best of friends, but in their final summer at Camp Okahatchee, something happens, forcing them apart. A couple of years later, the girls meet up again and are somehow transported back in time to the summer that changed everything via a photo booth. This is like their re-do of their actions when they were fifteen. Will they make it back to the present?
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Monthly Recap

MONTHLY RECAP | June 2015 – ALA AWESOMENESS!

June 30, 2015 Comments : 6

june

OKAY, JUNE MAY BE IN THE RUNNING FOR THE BEST MONTH OF THE YEAR, BECAUSE OH MY GOD, IT SERIOUSLY IS, MAINLY FOR ONE REASON: ALA + MEETING FRIENDS! <3

WHAT’S UP?

KELLY CAME TO CALIFORNIAAAAAA.

YES. SHE DID. JUST IN TIME FOR ALA.

Her decision to accompany me to ALA was pretty late in the game, but whatever because she came! I was very happy because she was the first person in the book blogosphere I became friends with and the first book blogging person I met in person. Yeeeeeee. I had a blast showing her around (but oh my god, my feeeeettttt!).

ALA was the best event in the world!

SERIOUSLY THE BEST.

Book conventions are events that every reader and book lover should attend at least once in their life. It’s pure heaven!

I won’t bore you with the details (since I’m planning to write recap posts about it), but here are the awesome things that happened: I got awesome books that I’m really excited about; met Kelly, Nikki, Angie, Katie, Sydney, Vanessa, Anya, and Tabitha; took a selfie with my favorite author Patrick Ness; talked with publishers + librarians about books; attended the DC Comics panel; had an amazing conversation with Brenden Fletcher (writer of Batgirl, Gotham Academy, + Black Canary); and many more!

Comics

FROM PANEL TO PANEL | Guest Post: God Bless America Chavez!

June 30, 2015 Comments : 6

from panel to panel

I love comics and graphic novels, so what do I do with that love? Well, I turn it into a new feature!

From Panel to Panel is a new feature where I talk about the awesome (and perhaps not-so awesome) comic books and graphic novels I’ve read. Basically, this will be me pushing them onto your laps. You’re welcome.

Since I’ve been busy and tired because of ALA, I have a special From Panel to Panel for you guys today!

Do you love wallpapers? Do you love awesome female characters? Well, the amazing Charlotte has created something awesome!

guestpostfestivo

[quote cite=”Charlotte” url=”http://thesimpletales.com”]When Cee heavily hinted about me doing a guest post for her just a day earlier, my mind went blank until I remembered I could make a wallpaper. Then it was just the problem of who to feature? The solution? AMERICA CHAVEZ aka MISS AMERICA.

America is one of the Young Avengers and a kickass Latina who identifies as a lesbian. She’s got superhuman strength, can fly, has invulnerable strength, and can create portals to travel between realities. How amazing is she?!? The comic series, A-Force, just came out with its first issue where I first came across America in the Marvel comics, and I just LOVE HER already. I made three (yes three and it wasn’t even intentional) wallpapers celebrating her awesome and this fantastic line which instantly made me fall in love with her. (Also if you haven’t noticed yet, Cee’s twitter profile pic is of America!) Enjoy![/quote]