Bringing YA to You: Promotion and Giveaway!

Have you ever wished that a big YA book tour would make a stop in your hometown? Well, here's your chance for that wish to come true! YA2U is a program that features five award-winning and best-selling authors who are holding a contest to see what city they should visit in an exclusive tour stop!

The authors are collecting votes from January 1 to February 15, and any city in the continental US or any Canadian city that has an international airport can win an exclusive visit from all five authors, including an author panel and book signing! Entering is super easy--and if you help spread the word about the contest, you can also enter win a signed copy of all of their books (TEN signed books in total!)--and the book contest is open internationally!


The authors in the program are:

• Marie Lu, the New York Times best-selling author of Legend and the upcoming Prodigy
• Marissa Meyer, the New York Times best-selling author of Cinder and the upcoming Scarlet
• Beth Revis, the New York Times best-selling author of Across the Universe, A Million Suns, and the upcoming Shades of Earth
• Victoria Schwab, author of The Near Witch and the highly-anticipated upcoming The Archived
• Megan Shepherd, author of the debut novel The Madman's Daughter

And they want to have an event in your home town! To participate, just got to the YA2U website and let them know what city you want them to come to. And while you're there, help spread the word about the contest and you can be entered to win all of their books--TEN signed books in total! 

Why should the YA2U Team come to your hometown? Why not join in the fun today and share with others about this program and your hometown. The more votes your town gets, the closer you are to having your very own personal tour stop! Vote for YOUR town here!

And if you help spread the word, you can also participate in the book giveaway. Tell them that you learned about YA2U from me and we both get extra entries in the contest! 

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Waiting on Wednesday: Scarlet

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I am eagerly waiting on...

Scarlet, by Marissa Meyer

Summary (from Goodreads):
Cinder returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.

As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Scarlet will be released February 5th 2013 by Feiwel and Friends.

What are you guys waiting for this week? Leave thoughts and links in the comments!

P.S. Signups for the Graphic Novel Readathon are still going on! Join in the fun January 3-6! Click here to sign up.

Best 12 of '12

As the year comes to a close, it is a time for reflection on the past twelve months. 2012 was a great year, filled with many wonderful reads. Here are my 12 favorites, in the order that I read them. Not all of these books were published in 2012, but I read them first this year.

1. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
My favorite fairy tale retelling of the year. The original setting, the well-developed characters, and an incredibly engaging writing style made Cinder an overall great read and left me wanting more! I can't wait for Scarlet to come out in just a few short weeks. 

2. Well Witched by Frances Hardinge
I adore Frances Hardinge's writing. Well Witched was deliciously creepy and still scares me a bit. Although it is a relatively older book, I only discovered it this year, and am so glad I did. 

3. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
An amazingly crafted fantasy - and in my opinion, the best book of Cashore's trilogy. This carefully woven tale absolutely won its place on this list with characters I fell in love with, a complex and fascinating story, and amazing writing. Absolutely superb.

4. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
This weighty historical fantasy absolutely captured me with its amazing characters and  multiple (captivating) storylines. The complex politics of the court and the amazing development of the already awesome character of Ismae kept me glued to the pages. 

5. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Ah, The Night Circus. This beautiful book was absolutely breathtaking. It's beautiful writing and story was perfectly crafted and masterfully woven together. I've read it twice so far, and it only gets better upon rereading. 

6. The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom was probably the most fun book I've read this year, although technically I listened to it rather than reading it. I laughed more times than I can count when I was listening to this book, and I've listened to it three times this summer alone. An excellent, excellent middle grade.

7. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
The Princess Bride is such a classic, I can't believe I hadn't read it until this year. I grew up with the movie, which my family quotes extensively, and my dad had read the "good parts version" to my brother and me (which, looking back, is somewhat ironic as the whole book is supposed to be the good parts version) so I never felt I needed to read it until this year. Well, I was missing out. I loved it!

8. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Although I preferred Divergent, Insurgent definitely earned its place among my favorites of 2012. I read it when it came out in the spring and also listened to it as an audiobook this summer. I can't wait to see what happens in the series' conclusion.

9. The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
The twists and turns of this excellent MG enthralled me, and the fantastic main character became a favorite of mine. I love Sage, and I cannot wait to read The Runaway King, the next volume in this wonderful trilogy.

10. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Shadow and Bone was absolutely one of my favorite fantasies of the year. I couldn't get through it fast enough. It had such great characters and compelling plot that I did not want to put it down.

11. Reached by Ally Condie
I loved Matched, and although I was not quite as enamored of Crossed, finishing the series with Reached made me love the entire trilogy more than ever. Ally Condie brilliantly wrapped up the Matched trilogy in the perfect way, keeping true to the characters and the story. The writing was so beautiful and the way that the poetry, art, and songs were woven in enriched the story and made it stand out from all the other dystopians I've read.

12. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
I almost never read contemporary fiction, but I had heard so much about The Fault in Our Stars that I knew I had to pick it up. And even though I don't generally like contemporary books much, I loved TFioS. It took a lot to keep me from shoving it into the hands of everyone I knew, although I suspect I will end up giving it to many of my friends as birthday presents this year. Very highly recommended.

So there you have it: my 12 favorite books of 2012.  What were your favorite reads?

Happy Holidays!

Cover Reveal for Scarlet

What timing! Just after I posted my Judge a Book by Its Cover for Cinder, marveling over the great aspects of Marissa Meyer's first book in The Lunar Chronicles, the cover is revealed for the next installment: Scarlet.

So far I have only been able to find a small picture, but the cover looks great! I can't wait to continue reading this series.

I love that it keeps the same color palette and style as the first book, and, like Cinder, it features an iconic image from the story on which it is based without revealing too much about the contents of the book and certainly not turning into the so-oft-used "pretty girl cover."

Here is the summary (from Goodreads).
This isn't the official summary, but it is what is up for now:

Book two [of the Lunar Chronicles], Scarlet, is based on Little Red Riding Hood. It continues Cinder’s story as she attempts to escape Queen Levana’s vengeance and learn more about her past. The story also introduces readers to Scarlet, a girl living in southern France whose grandmother has mysteriously disappeared. In order to find her, Scarlet seeks the help of Wolf, a street fighter with more than a few mysteries of his own.

Are you excited for Scarlet?

Share your thoughts in the comments!

Judge a Book by Its Cover – Cinder

In Judge a Book by Its Cover posts, I compare different covers for the same book, and judge which cover, in my opinion, best fits the book, either because it is the cover I'd be most likely to pick off the shelf or because it fits the style, mood, or plot of the book. I'd love to hear your opinions on these covers.

In this edition of Judge a Book by Its Cover, I decided to judge the different covers for Cinder by Marissa Meyer. The covers are all very different, but I like them all, and they each bring out a different aspect of the story.

As always, click on any cover for a larger image.

Cover No. 1

US/UK

Cover No. 2

France

Cover No. 3

Italy

Cover No. 4

Spain

Cover No. 1: This the the US cover I know and love, and (partially because it is the one I am most familiar with), I'd say it is my favorite of the bunch. I really like the contrast of the red shoe against everything else on the cover, and how the cover designer managed to show the mechanics inside her leg in a way that worked with the roundness of the foot and shoe, one of my favorite aspects. On the ARC cover (shown right, courtesy of Small Review), the emphasis is much more on the mechanical-ness, and the entire effect was not nearly as nice. I really like the font used for Marissa Meyer's name, and the title font works well with the the rest of the cover (although that bit coming down from the C bothers me a bit).

Cover No. 2: This cover screams "Disney's Cinderella" at me, even though the mechanics in her leg are still visible. I think it's the color of the shoe. The main thing I notice is the shoe - which, as this is a Cinderella retelling, may not be a bad thing. I like the light reflecting of the surface of the show, and the shadow under the title. I also like the subtitle "the Lunar Chronicles" (but in French) as it fits well with the rest of the title and it will provide a common line between all of the books in the quartet. I do wish Marissa Meyer's name was in the name font as on the US/UK cover (and as the subtitle), but I can see why the font they chose works better for the cover. Also, in this cover, you can see more of the springs and gears in her leg, since the top is not in shadow like in the US cover. I'm not sure whether I like or dislike that aspect, but I thought it was worth noting.

Cover No. 3: Of all the covers, this is the most fantasy-esque. I like the way that the illustrator chose to show the android elements in her arm but I don't really like her hair, which is the first thing I notice in the cover. This couldn't be Queen Levana, could it? Then I would understand. But for Cinder, this girl isn't it for me. First, though, the things I do like: The repeated circles in her hair, on her necklace, her glove, and her skirt are a nice touch, and I really like the way the title is presented, and especially the tagline, "In the future, stories begin with Once Upon a Time..." If I remember correctly, that was also the tagline for the US edition, but it wasn't on the cover. I also like the coloring for the entire cover, and the way the moon is right behind Cinder in the background. I also love that this is an illustrated cover. Illustrated covers always get bonus points. Yet (as always), there are also a bunch of things I don't really like. First and foremost, the hair. I already mentioned this in the beginning of my thoughts on this cover. Okay, it's futuristic and cool. But it's also medusa-y and odd and so not Cinder. Also, for some reason it really bothers me that she is so skinny. This at least makes some sense, but I really don't like it. Finally, her eyes. I don't know why, but the brown looks very strange for some reason. Maybe this is on purpose, but I don't like it. Despite these complaints, I do like the cover overall.

Cover No. 4: I don't have as much to say about this cover. I really like the idea, and although the picture turned out very well, I don't think it is the best image for the book. I do like that she has one mechanical leg and one non-mechanical leg, and I like the bits of red sprinkled throughout the cover: on her nails, the bow on the dress, Marissa Meyer's name, etc. My favorite part of this cover, however, is that the C in Cinder is a moon. That is so cool, and it works so well with the book. I also like how the cover is so simple, yet there is still so much to look at.

My Favorite: I have to choose the US/UK cover, but I can easily see why someone else might choose another cover. The French cover is a close runner-up, and I really like the Spanish cover although it doesn't fit this particular book as well.

Which is your favorite? Judge this book by its cover!

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