Cover Wars [11]: Holly Black's TITHE

Okay, this Cover Wars is going to be a little different - I have lots of covers, but not really sure what country they go to! The only thing I can think of is that the majority of these are US prints, and there are just many editions of this book out there.

This is the cover I have:

This is the UK cover (according to Amazon UK):

I believe this is the original cover:

and here are some paperbacks:

#1: #2:

Personally, I like my copy best. Didn't like the book, though, but at least the cover is pretty to look at! Which do you prefer?

Last call on DYSTOPIAN literature: the best of

For this week's Suggestion Box, recommend your favorite dystopian and/or post-apocalyptic novels...preferably YA

Here are some books that come to mind when I think dystopian, and they're not YA :



Also, what kinds of characteristics make up post-apocalyptic/dystopian novels? Is there anything specific you look for or expect to have included in these types of books?

Review - EYES LIKE STARS

Eyes Like Stars - Lisa Mantchev (Theatre Iluminata, #1)
Genre: YA "Speculative" Fiction (maybe fantasy?)
# of pages: 352 (hb)
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends, Macmillan
Amelia's Age Level Recommendation: 13/4+ (8th grade and up, I'd say - perfect for the high school and above crowd)
Quick Take:While reading Eyes Like Stars, here are some words that kept coming to mind:"Creative!" "Fun!" "Original!" "Whimsical!" "Hysterical!" but most importantly: "CLEVER." The world of the Theatre that Mantchev has created is utterly and deliciously clever. Everything about the book was enjoyable for me. I was a little skeptical of the book's premise that all theater characters - not just the Shakespearean ones - live in the same magical theater, but Mantchev handled it superbly.

In regards to the MC, Bertie, I was pleasantly surprised to discover how much I liked her, from page 1 until the very end of the story. She has an excellent, wry sense of humor that I found very refreshing. She was a little on the bossy side, but her good humor and her spirit of determination proved stronger traits. Bertie's four fairy friends - Cobweb, Moth, Mustardseed, and Peaseblossom - were adorable all throughout the story, and I loved them all! I wish I had little fairy sidekicks! And this is almost unprecedented, but as to the two "leading men" characters, Ariel from The Tempest and Nate, a pirate from The Little Mermaid, I love both of them. Equally. Well, maybe I like Ariel just a little more. That's so weird. I am notoriously grouchy when it comes to love-triangles, but in ELS, it totally worked. Maybe it's because Lisa Mantchev doesn't beat you over the head with over-the-top drama and forced feelings, and also she doesn't put a lot of focus on this aspect of the story. It just came together very nicely.

One more thing: I really want to mention Lisa Mantchev's writing style a little bit, because in all honesty I think this is a part of storytelling that doesn't get as much recognition as it should. Her writing style is absolutely 100% G/T clever. A lot of times authors can get by on just entertainment alone, and so you have books (and sorry to say, I think this happens in YA way more than adult fiction) that are entertaining and present an interesting/engaging story, but the writing isn't exactly memorable. The narrative voice, the VOCABULARY, the tone...everything was just beautiful and superb. If you haven't read Eyes Like Stars yet, but plan on it in the future, I really want you to pay attention to the quality of Mantchev's writing. You'll be hard-pressed to find anything more exemplary.

Final Rating:Highest rating, highest regards!

Teaser Tuesday: BRIGHTLY WOVEN

As always, Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB @ Should be Reading.Here's how it works: Grab the current book you're reading- Open up to a random page- share a little "teaser" from somewhere on that page.***Make sure your section is spoiler free!!

I just started Brightly Woven last night and am slowly making progress through it. So without further ado, here is my teaser:

"You interrupt my business?" he sputtered. "Do you know what this wench just accused me of being?"
"A filthy pig," North said good-naturedly. "But there's only one filthy pig allowed in her life, and the position's been filled."
- Brightly Woven, pg 44

started a writing blog

This is a really random announcement and I'll probably delete it, but I do have a sister site now, totally devoted to writing!

It's called In Pursuit of Windmills (Man of La Mancha reference!) and it's fairly new, so there are only 2 posts. I'm not going to post my WIPs or anything...I'm notoriously paranoid...but I do plan to blog about the writing process, inspirations, and other fun stuff! Maybe you'll stop by some time :)

DID YOU KNOW?! CONTINUED!

Here we go --- more fun facts!


Charles Dickens

• Dickens' first novel, The Pickwick Papers, was published when he was just 24; after that, he was financially set for life. Lucky.
• He had a little bit of OCD going on: the objects on his desk had to be in exactly the same position each day before he could begin writing. He also touched objects 3 times for luck and liked attending seances.
• He was pretty much the Stephen King of his day: adored by legions of loyal friends, but unloved by critics (and foppish wits like Oscar Wilde)
• Oh, how sweet! Dickens' pet names for his second wife, actress Catherine Hogarth, included "Dearest Pig" and "Donkey"
• Oliver Twist was the first book in the English language with a child as its hero. Huh!

Charlotte & Emily Bronte

• Little geniuses: As children, Charlotte and Emily created an imaginary world called "Glass Town" which they populated with the "descendants" of their brother Branwell's wooden soldiers. Hey, I created a world populated by my Playmobiles!
  
• A lot of death ran in the family: the girls' mother died when they were small children; their older sisters died at boarding school (Jane Eyre inspiration, probably); their brother Branwell got alcohol poisoning and died a while later; at his funeral, Emily caught a cold and never recovered; and Anne died of tuberculosis. Charlotte outlived all her siblings, dying at 38 also of tuberculosis
• Emily based the brooding character Heathcliff on her own brother, Branwell, an alcoholic and womanizer
  

Emily Dickinson

• Emily was never a social butterfly. She once described the dictionary as her "only companion" and books as "the strongest friend."
• In the 55 years she was alive, Emily left her home of Amherst no more than a dozen times
• Emily was so reclusive, she forced doctors to "examine" her from behind a closed door
• Popular legend has it that you can sing almost any Emily Dickinson poem to the tune of "The Yellow Rose of Texas," "Amazing Grace," or the theme from Gilligan's Island. Seriously, try it! It's because she wrote in iambic tetrameter, the same rhythm used in such songs

Louisa May Alcott

• By Louisa's own words, the Alcott family was "as poor as rats." When they had money, they ate vegetables - otherwise, meals generally consisted of apples and bread.
  
• Louisa was a very daring and spirited individual and she was known for taking dares, like rubbing red peppers into her eyes or jumping off the barn.
  
• Alcott never married, but she did have crushes on nearby literary notables Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Being single didn't bother her, though: "I would rather be a free spinster and paddle my own canoe," she once said.
  
• She died two days after the death of her father - they had a joint funeral.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens ---- err, Mark Twain

• He was a trickster as a child, and notably put snakes in his aunt's sewing basket, hid bats in his pockets for his mother to find, and faked his own death to get out of going to school. Sounds pretty Tom Sawyer-y, doesn't it!
• "Mark Twain" means "safe water--twelve feet deep" and by age 28, he was using this phrase as a pen-name. However, his first appearance in a magazine was as Mike Swain, because the editor couldn't read his handwriting!
  
• As much money as Twain made from his literary career, he would often lose it by investing in the wrong gadgets: he once lost $200,000 on a failed typesetting machine (and that was in the 19th century!)
  
• Twain was a cat-lover and gave his feline friends names like Lazy, Satan, Sin, Cleveland, Pestilence, and Famine

In My Mailbox [10] & Reading Itinerary

Only 1 book this week, and it came from Borders

Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

I think I'm going to start this one today. Has anyone read this book?






Up next...
Wildwood Dancing, Juliet Marillier