The winner of last week's giveaway of Alive and Well in Prague, New York by Daphne Grab is... Chelley! Send me your address, C.
This week, I'm giving away a copy of Miles from Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams. I read this book in two days, and I was seriously nervous the whole time. It definitely keeps you worrying and guessing, and I love emotional involvement.
So, to enter to win a copy of this book, tell me the last time you felt really scared by a book or a movie or whatever. For me, it was with this book!
Good luck--I'll choose a random winner next week.
Win-It Wednesday
Win-It Wednesday: Alive and Well in Prague, New York by Daphne Grab
Last week's winner of two great Alyson Noel books is... Jamad! Send me your address, J!
This week, I'm giving away an oldie-but-goodie. Alive and Well in Prague, New York by Daphne Grab is the story of city-girl Matisse who finds herself in rural upstate New York after her dad gets sick. She has to adjust to hayrides, cheerleaders and small-town gossip, all while she deals with her father's illness.
It's a lovely book that I recently picked up again, and I thought it would make a great Win-It Wednesday!
To enter, leave a comment answering these Qs: Did you ever have to move while you were in school? What was the new place like for you? How did it change you?
I moved for 4th and 5th grade--from Chapel Hill, NC to Philadelphia, PA to help my grandparents when they were sick--and then we went right back to Chapel Hill (same house even!). I hated it at the time, but I think it made me a more adventurous person on the whole. That's my experience. What's yours?
I'll choose a winner at random next Wednesday.
PS-Trailer!
Win-It Wednesday: Two Alyson Noel Books!
Before Alyson Noel wrote the bestselling Immortals series, she had a few other fantastic titles under her belt, and today I'm giving away two of them (sorry Win-It Wednesday has been on hiatus for a couple of weeks!).Two of Alyson's books have been given new covers and re-released, so here are the original and new covers of Faking 19 for your enjoyment:
And here are the two versions of Saving Zoe, original and new:
For the record, the winner will receive these lovely paperbacks with the new covers. I like how there's a move away from the broken up photos with background/banner stuff. A full bleed photo feels more now, right? Thoughts?
One commenter who weighs in on the covers or just names their favorite Alyson Noel book (if you've read one) will win both of these novels. I'll choose a winner next week, when Alyson will share the Cover Story for her last Immortals novel, Everlasting. Good luck!
PS-Read the stories behind the covers of Alyson's Cruel Summer, Evermore, Blue Moon and Dark Flame.
Oops! Winner!
Sorry I missed Win-It Wednesday yesterday! The winner of Michael Northrop's Trapped is... LiLi! Send me your address, L.I'm not sure if LiLi's living in Florida will make the book seem more like a fantasy novel than a contemporary one, but I sure wish I were in the Sunshine State. (And I'm going there next week--yay!)
And, that said, I'm buried under work! Book stuff! So Win-It Wednesday is on pause until next week. Besides, it's Thursday anyway and I like the "W" thing of Win-It Wednesday so it just wouldn't work today. I'm justifying.
Side note: Don't you love those old-timey post cards? Divine.
PS-If you're in a win-it mood and I've disappointed, I direct you to readergirlz, where Megan Whalen Turner is giving away *twenty* copies of her awesome book The Thief. Go, go!
Cover Stories: The Space Between Trees by Katie Williams
Katie Williams has one of the most jump-out-at-you covers I've seen in a while. It's got three dimensional cut-outs. Seriously! It's hard to do the cover of The Space Between Trees justice in this 2D format, but hopefully you've seen the book in person (if you haven't, definitely seek it out).
Here's Katie with the Cover Story:
"I'm superstitious, so as I'm writing something, I try hard not to think about the will it? or won't it? of publication, and that includes dreaming up cover designs. I must be very strict with myself! In fact, I try to pretend that I have the demon hand from the Evil Dead movies; my left hand may be sending out stuff to editors or my agent, but the rest of me is writing away in an oblivious, artistic bubble.
"Once I found out that The Space Between Trees was accepted for publication, I suppose I may have entertained a cover daydream or two. I probably imagined we'd end up with the body part of a girl--so popular these days--but I never imagined anything as cool as what Chronicle did.
"Chronicle is so good to their authors! My editor asked my for input on the design. She had the idea of the cut-out branches and negative space, which came from the title (also, her idea). I suggested that the tree branches might form the outline of a girl's face, and the art team even mocked that up for us (right). In the end, though, it was too subtle an image for someone glancing at a bookshelf packed with enticing covers.
"The cover of the ARC (advanced reader's copy, above) used a red, gray, and black color scheme and no girl outline. (It also has a typo; see if you can spot it!) But even though the novel isn't girlie, the two main characters are girls, and so Chronicle quite rightly wanted to appeal to that readership. To do this better, the designers added the girl outline and changed the color scheme to a very sharp metallic lavender, below:
"Okay, I'm not lying here. When I first saw my cover, I genuinely thought, I hope readers judge my book by its cover. I couldn't believe how different it was, how gorgeous, how evocative.
"The cover design--tree branches with the title and image peeking through between them--comes from the title, which is, in turn, taken from a sentence toward the end of the novel. One of the themes explored in The Space Between Trees is that what is not there--a memory, an idea of someone, a lie--can sometimes have more power than what is present and true. The spaces between the trees can be more powerful than the trees themselves. The cut-out cover, which one can open and peer through, expresses this idea better than any flat image could. It truly is the perfect cover for my book."
Ahh. It's gorgeous and unique. Thanks, Katie! I can honestly say that I see hundreds of covers and this one is just, like, BAM!
Have you guys seen it in person? Let me know what you think.
PS-I just had to ask Katie where the typo was, and it's indeed on one of the covers shown here. Ack! So mad I didn't see it. Can you find it? I'll send a mystery gift package to the first person who comments with its location (click to enlarge the covers for a closer look).
Win-It Wednesday: Trapped by Michael Northrop
Last week's winner of Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers is... Travis! Send me your address, T.
This week, I'm giving away an ARC of Trapped by Michael Northrop. I've joked with Michael that these massive snowstorms are probably the best promotional efforts by an author that I've ever seen. I'm only half kidding.
I've raved about this book in other spots (like on The Contemps this week), so here, I'll just tell you that it's un-put-downable. For real. To enter to win, how about you just tell me where you are and what the weather's like there. It's all we New Yorkers can talk about: "Snow! Ice! Brrrrr!"
So, what is the weather like? I'll chose a winner next week.
PS-Here's Michael being hilarious as usual, just for fun:
Win-It Wednesday: Fall For Anything by Courtney Summers
The winner of last week's contest for Melissa Kantor's The Darlings Are Forever is... Kayte J, who loves Dum Dums! Send me your address, KJ.
This week, I'm giving away a copy of Fall For Anything by Courtney Summers. You've likely heard about this incredible book (if not, here's My Friend Amy's great review), and it lives up to all the stars and swoons. Courtney Summers gets it so right every time. Love her.
To enter to win, tell me what your fictional obsession is. Brittany and Allie have a new blog category about their fictional obsessions (the first one is talking owls, which inspired B's owl collection). So be it from a book, movie, TV show, whatever--as long as you're obsessed, and the object of said obsession is fictional, it counts.
Mine? His initials are T.R. and he is often found in dusky Texas sunlight, squinting, smiling ever so slightly and perhaps holding a beer.
Sigh.
Win-It Wednesday: The Darlings Are Forever by Melissa Kantor
Last week's winner of Across the Universe by Beth Revis is... Avery! Send me your address, A.
You saw the Cover Story for this book on Monday, yes? Well, now you have a chance to win a copy!
To enter to win, just tell me your... um... favorite snack! Yes, your favorite snack. Those Darling girls are picnicking, and that makes me think of... snacks. Mine, currently, is string cheese. Delicious and oh-so-portable. Your turn.
I'll choose a winner at random next week! Good luck.
Win-It Wednesday: Across the Universe by Beth Revis
So, Across the Universe by Beth Revis has one of the best first chapters ever. Totally. Riveting. I got a PDF of said chapter in an email from Penguin; if you haven't seen it yet, say so in the comments and I'll email it to you.And to enter to win the ARC, tell me one thing that made you happy today. I'm in the mood for cheery comments. For me, it was this: The new book I'm writing? I started editing it and it's not as horrible as I imagined it was. I mean, it's not perfect--it needs work--but it's not, like, kitty litter liner.
Your turn!
PS-Oops! Forgot to name a winner for last week's Win-It Wednesday. The winner of Dana Reinhardt's The Things a Brother Knows (which was just named an ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults top 10 winner!) is... shabbygeek! Send me your address, S.
Win-It Wednesday: The Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt
The winner of last week's contest for Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick is... Mary Ellen! Send me your address, ME.
This week, I'm giving away Dana Reinhardt's The Things a Brother Knows. This book knocked me out and made a sob bubble up in my throat near the end. I wrote an email to Dana right after I finished reading it and said, "SUCH an amazing book! An incredible journey. Entertaining and real characters and a non-message message on a really tough subject." So, you know, there's my vague review. Here's Gayle Forman's more eloquent one, which was on NPR (the other books she mentions are awesome too, of course).
Anyway, here's your chance to win the hardcover of this incredible book. Just tell me what your favorite holiday gift was, if you celebrated... I'm nosy and curious, and I hope it was a book (but I won't hold my breath). I think mine was the leopard-print Snuggie my brother got me. Um, I'm serious. And no, I won't be showing a photo. But I will say it's great for reading in the winter--my old apartment gets drafty and it keeps me warm and hands-free!
I'll pick a winner next week. Good luck!