"Waiting On" Wednesday 95

Arranged by Catherine McKenzie

GoodReads.com:

Anne Blythe is lucky. She's got a brand new book contract, a great newspaper job and a steadfast best friend, and she can land just about any man she sets her sights on - and the ones that appeal are typically tall, dark and handsome.
Problem is, the men she chooses never last. Shortly after yet another relationship goes down in flames, Anne comes across a card for what she believes is a dating service, and pockets it just in case. If she's so unlucky in love, maybe she could use a little assistance. Then her best friend announces she's engaged, and envy gets the better of Anne. Now's the time, she decides, to give the service a try - and she is shocked to discover that what the company specializes in are exclusive, and pricey, arranged marriages. After learning of the company's success rate, however, she overcomes her reluctance and signs on. After all, arranged marriages are the norm for millions of women around the world, and she's not done so well selecting a mate on her own. So why not use a professional service that claims it can produce the perfect match?
Some time later, Anne is travelling to a Mexican resort, where in one short weekend she will meet and marry Jack, the man they have chosen for her. And against all odds, it seems to be working out, until Anne learns that Jack and the company who arranged their marriage are not what they seem at all.

Released January 2011

The idea of arranged marries have always intrigued me and what an interesting twist on that this seems to bring. And then another twist on top of that? SOLD!

What can't you wait for to be released?

"Waiting On" Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!

Hardcover vs Paperback 93

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Hardcover

Paperback

UK Hardcover

UK Paperback

Amazon.com:

Julia and Valentina Poole are twenty-year-old sisters with an intense attachment to each other. One morning the mailman delivers a thick envelope to their house in the suburbs of Chicago. Their English aunt Elspeth Noblin has died of cancer and left them her London apartment. There are two conditions for this inheritance: that they live in the flat for a year before they sell it and that their parents not enter it. Julia and Valentina are twins. So were the girls’ aunt Elspeth and their mother, Edie.

The girls move to Elspeth’s flat, which borders the vast Highgate Cemetery, where Christina Rossetti, George Eliot, Stella Gibbons, and other luminaries are buried. Julia and Valentina become involved with their living neighbors: Martin, a composer of crossword puzzles who suffers from crippling OCD, and Robert, Elspeth’s elusive lover, a scholar of the cemetery. They also discover that much is still alive in Highgate, including—perhaps—their aunt.

I have to bring the UK covers into this one because I saw the UK Hardcover first and it's always been my favorite, how glorious! I like the UK Paperback too but it's too busy (I don't like the sticker they put on both versions). The US Paperback is nice as well but it's sort of forgettable for me, US Hardcover no thanks!

Hardcover or Paperback?

Thanks to Kelly who pointed out the US Paperback!

Have you spotted a Hardcover vs. Paperback you would like to contribute? Send me an email!

"This Beauty Doesn't Need A Beast."

This week we are discussing episodes 8 and 9 of Pretty Little Liars (Please Do Talk About Me When I'm Gone and The Perfect Storm.) Make sure to visit Carol and Khy for the rest of the chat!

Make sure to tune in tomorrow for the Summer Finale, boy that snuck up on us quick!

**WARNING SPOILERS**


BEST/WORST LINES:

Khyrinthia: I find that anything Lucas says is humorous.

Alea: I liked when Mona said to Lucas "This Beauty Doesn't Need A Beast."

Carol: The lines where Hannah told Mona to back off! Any snarky line from Ali.

Alea: I think Spencer said something like "It must have been affirmative action for goths and emos" I think I cringed during that one.

Khyrinthia: Spencer is an odd one.

Carol: She is.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Khyrinthia: I can't wait for the finale! Lucas is awesome, Hanna is my favorite, and they need a musical episode just because. xD

Alea: I had no idea it was finale time, I'm really excited! Excited for Book 3 stuff!

Carol: The last two episodes haven't been too boring and I like the new scenes they've added.

Khyrinthia: Me too! The SAT thing was so fun.

Alea: It's getting better as they go, I'm happy about that!

Khyrinthia: Me too! Unlike some other teen shows that turn to garbage after a while.

Photo credit of ABCFamily.com

Blog Tour: Three Nights with a Scoundrel by Tessa Dare

Amazon.com:

In Tessa Dare’s dazzling new trilogy, the men of the Stud Club live and play by their own rules—until passion changes the game.

The bastard son of a nobleman, Julian Bellamy is now polished to perfection, enthralling the ton with wit and charm while clandestinely plotting to ruin the lords, ravish the ladies, and have the last laugh on a society that once spurned him. But after meeting Leo Chatwick, a decent man and founder of an elite gentlemen’s club, and Lily, Leo’s enchanting sister, Julian reconsiders his wild ways. And when Leo’s tragic murder demands that Julian hunt for justice, he vows to see the woman he secretly loves married to a man of her own class.

Lily, however, has a very different husband in mind. She’s loved Julian forever, adores the man beneath the rakish façade, and wants to savor the delicious attraction they share—as his wife. His insistence on marrying her off only reinforces her intent to prove that he is the only man for her. Obsessed with catching a killer, Julian sinks back to the gutters of his youth, forcing Lily to reach out with a sweet, reckless passion Julian can’t resist. Can her desire for a scoundrel save them both—or will dangerous secrets threaten more than their tender love?

Three Nights with a Scoundrel is the last of the Stud Club Trilogy. The book sees to the end of the mysterious death of founder Leo, who's sister, Lily finds love in this book with friend Julian. Throughout the other two books Julian came off as an ass and just rather unlikable but in this book you really get to know him, and for me I think he ended up as my favorite of the three male leads in the books.

I liked the premise of this book, friends that become more and that carried me for awhile but by the middle I was ready to just be done. Luckily I really enjoyed the ending, the mystery to Leo's death was pretty interesting, and there was a nice conclusion for the whole series, so luckily that saved the book for me.

In Book One, One Dance with a Duke, we learn that Lily is deaf but it's not mentioned for the first 25 pages of this book, which is thought was really bizarre. If you were new to this trilogy you would really have no idea. The believability that she was deaf sort of came and went for me.

Overall, a nice conclusion to the series.

Three Nights with a Scoundrel was released on July 27th 2010
Genre: Historical Romance
3.5/5 Stars
Review copy provided by publisher

Wanted (Pretty Little Liars #8)

**WARNING SPOILERS FROM PREVIOUS BOOKS**

Amazon.com:

In Rosewood, majestic estates sprawl for acres, and Tiffany toggle bracelets dangle from every girl's wrist. But not all that glitters is gold, and the town harbors secrets darker than anyone could imagine—like the truth about what really happened the night Alison DiLaurentis went missing. . . .

Back in middle school, Ali plucked Emily, Hanna, Aria, and Spencer from obscurity and turned them into the beautiful, popular girls everyone wanted to be. Ali was the best friend they ever had. But she also made them do terrible things and taunted them with their worst secrets. Now, three years later, all their questions about Ali have finally been answered and they can put this awful chapter of their lives behind them. Or so they think.

Not every story has a happy ending, especially when four pretty little liars have done so many wicked things. In the dramatic conclusion of Sara Shepard's bestselling Pretty Little Liars series, Emily, Hanna, Aria, and Spencer could get everything they've ever wanted—unless A has one more horrifying twist in store.

By the time you close this book for the final time, you will know all, well all the author wanted you to know. It starts with a shocking revelation and that carries through the rest of the book. I sort of wish this would have happened in the previous book or closer to the end of this book because it basically takes over the entire book.

By the time of the big reveal, of who A is and who Ali’s killer is I didn’t really see any suspects left except for one, and oh guess what, it was them! So while it wasn’t so shocking by the outcome there was a little twist in there I hadn’t expected at all that put a whole new perspective on the series! I really liked that!

Overall reading this series has been one of the best reading experiences I've had in a long while, I don’t remember being so addicted to a series, I think I read them in about 2 weeks. Great stuff!

Wanted was released on June 8th 2010
Genre: Young Adult
4/5 Stars
Purchased at Borders

This Week In Books Or Umm It Looked Like Less When They Weren't Piled Together Like That!

This is from the last two weeks, so days are out the window!

A Field Guide for Heartbreakers by Kristen Tracy (Accepted for Review)
The Half-Life of Planets by Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin (Accepted for Review)
Jack Blank by Matt Myklusch (Just Showed Up Review Copy)
Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford (Just Showed Up Review Copy)
Love Sucks! by Melissa Francis (Just Showed Up Review Copy)
The Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard (Amazon Vine)
Me, Myself and Why? by Mary Janice Davidson (Amazon Vine)
Beautiful Malice by Rebecca James (Accepted Review Copy Via Pitch)


Kisses Don't Lie by Alexa Darin (From Bookfairy D!)
When She's Bad by LeAnne Banks (From Bookfairy D!)
Speed Knitting by Kris Percival (Present from my Aunt)
Knitting Pretty by Kris Percival (Present from my Aunt)

Skintight by Susan Andersen (GoodReads Swap)
You'll Never Blue Ball in This Town Again (GoodReads Swap)

Were My Grandma's:
To Pleasure A Prince by Sabrina Jeffries
Bring the Ring by Janet Dailey
A Reckless Beauty by Kasey Michaels
Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
Minx by Julia Quinn
Secrets of a Proper Lady by Victoria Alexander
Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

Got at a Borders Closing Sale for 40% off:
A Little Bit Wild by Victoria Dahl
Glee: The Beginning by Sophia Lowell
It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
Obsessive Consumption by Kate Bingaman-Burt
Fire Me by Libby Malin
Instant Gratification by Jill Shalvis
Rumor Has It by Jill Mansell

Palm-Size Softies by Various (Bought at Borders)
Tempted by Lori Foster (Bought at Used Bookstore)
Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts (Bought at Used Bookstore)
The Insiders by J. Minter (Bought at Used Bookstore)

From Thrift Stores:
Texas Chase! by Sandra Brown
Bikini Season by Sheila Roberts
Thanks for the Memories by Cecelia Ahern (Free!)
The True Love Quilting Club by Lori Wilde
The Reluctant Cavalier by Karen Harbaugh

Lookalikes 113

For Keeps by Natasha Friend (arc cover)

The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti (paperback)

For Keeps by Natasha Friend (final cover)

This is the other lookalike I was talking about on Tuesday. Man, I kinda feel like they shouldn't have changed the cover, the final cover of For Keeps has probably the most staged pose I have ever seen. The original photo I like a lot more, it seems more natural and less awkward to me.

Thanks to Kristi, Callie, Laina, and Emilee who also noticed this lookalike!

Have you spotted a Lookalike you would like to contribute? Send me an email!

Fortune by Megan Cole

Amazon.co.uk:

Step into the world of the mega-rich… and the mega-bitches.

Three girls. One life-changing fortune…

Madison is so over New York. Her mom won't let her have botox and she can't leave the city because her step-father is sick. Snoresville. So when she gets a mysterious invitation to a private party in Capri, held by billionaire music mogul Brad Masters, she's determined to go.

Simonetta wants her mamma off her back. Of course she's not going to give up modelling in Rome to go back to her fusty little village. When she gets her invitation, she sees the chance to lose her roots forever.

Sapphire just wants to write songs and hang out in the London record shop where she works. When she's invited to Brad's party, she doesn't even want to go – but her mum seems strangely excited about it.

Madison, Simonetta and Sapphire: three girls from different worlds who are about to find out they have more in common than they think.

I found the premise of Fortune to be rather interesting, 3 half sisters (that don’t know they are half sisters at first) competing for their extremely rich and successful new father’s fortune. The tag line is “Half Sisters. Half Enemies.” But it should have been more like “Half Sisters. Full Enemies.” The book is definitely very fun and also extremely catty, with a rich spoiled girl, a model, and a down to earth musician (can you tell which is the nice one?), throw in 2 boys and let the claws come out.

While the book was pretty predictable it was fun and extremely easy to read, I couldn’t believe how quickly I would go through the pages when reading. Basically the girls try to sabotage each other to make themselves look good and some hilarity ensures.

While there are a few twists and turns it ends how you would expect. I was hoping for some kind of shocking ending or something to make my jaw drop. Overall it was a light and fun summer read.

Fortune was released on July 8th 2010 (in the UK)
Genre: Young Adult
3/5 Stars
ARC provided by the publisher

Giveaway: What is Regency Hat Girl Thinking?

Back in the Spring I interviewed Illustrator, Joanne Renaud to say thanks she made me above beautiful illustration for me! We started to refer to her as "Regency Hat Girl" and this idea was hatched...


We would love to know what you think Regency Hat Girl is thinking? Me and Joanne will look over the entries and our favorite will win a very gently used copy of First Comes Marriage by Mary Balogh! (Click the title to go to the Amazon page and read a bit about it)

Here's how to enter to be the winner of First Comes Marriage!

Fill out the giveaway entry form here.

The giveaway is open to addresses within the U.S. only.

The giveaway will end August 18th at 6:59 pm Central Time.

Entries left in the comments of this blog post will not be counted, please fill out the giveaway entry form.

**Prize provided by me**

Illustration Credit Joanne Renaud

"Waiting On" Wednesday 94

Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis

Amazon.com:

Maddie Moore's whole life needs a makeover.

In one fell swoop, Maddie loses her boyfriend (her decision) and her job (so not her decision). But rather than drowning her sorrows in bags of potato chips, Maddie leaves L.A. to claim the inheritance left by her free-spirited mother-a ramshackle inn nestled in the little coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington.

Starting over won't be easy. Yet Maddie sees the potential for a new home and a new career-if only she can convince her two half-sisters to join her in the adventure. But convincing Tara and Chloe will be difficult because the inn needs a big makeover too.

The contractor Maddie hires is a tall, dark-haired hottie whose eyes-and mouth-are making it hard for her to remember that she's sworn off men. Even harder will be Maddie's struggles to overcome the past, though she's about to discover that there's no better place to call home than Lucky Harbor.

Released September 28th 2010

Being new to the romance genre a lot of series are already in progress (i love series!) so it's always exciting for me when I can find a brand new series to start from the beginning, and still read a new release! This sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun! Half-sisters! Yay! I've been wanting to try a Jill Shalvis book for awhile now!

What can't you wait for to be released?

"Waiting On" Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!

Hardcover vs Paperback 92

The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti

Hardcover

Paperback

GoodReads.com:


Maybe it was wrong, or maybe impossible, but I wanted the truth to be one thing. One solid thing.

Quinn is surrounded by women who have had their hearts broken. Between her mother, her aunt, and her grandmother, Quinn hears nothing but cautionary tales. She tries to be an optimist -- after all, she's the dependable one, the girl who never makes foolish choices. But when she is abruptly and unceremoniously dumped, Quinn starts to think maybe there really are no good men.

It doesn't help that she's gingerly handling a renewed relationship with her formerly absent father. He's a little bit of a lot of things: charming, selfish, eccentric, lazy...but he's her dad, and Quinn's just happy to have him around again. Until she realizes how horribly he's treated the many women in his life, how he's stolen more than just their hearts. Determined to, for once, take action in her life, Quinn joins forces with the half sister she's never met and the little sister she'll do anything to protect. Together, they set out to right her father's wrongs...and in doing so, begin to uncover what they're really looking for: the truth.

Once again, Deb Caletti has created a motley crew of lovably flawed characters who bond over the shared experiences of fear, love, pain, and joy -- in other words, real life.

Well, these both fall into the lookalike category, see here and check back Friday for the other. So I really can't make my mind up, I feel like I've seen them so many times I don't have a reaction any longer, what do you think of them?

Hardcover or Paperback?

Have you spotted a Hardcover vs. Paperback you would like to contribute? Send me an email!

Just Like Me, Only Better by Carol Snow

Amazon.com:

From the author of Here Today, Gone to Maui, the story of a woman who finally got a life...some else's.

Ever since Veronica's husband found the love of his life-not her-she's been a walking zombie with runny mascara. It doesn't help that she keeps getting mistaken for Haley Rush-the Hollywood starlet whose dazzling life is plastered on every magazine. When Haley's manager offers Veronica a job as a celebrity double, it only takes a moment before she says yes. Veronica gets to drive Haley's car, wear her phenomenal clothes-and have fun with her hot celebrity boyfriend, Brady Ellis. Too bad the job's only part-time, and at the end of the day she has to return to her life as a cash-strapped substitute teacher and cub scout mom. But when real sparks fly with Brady, is it a fantasy come true or a disaster in disguise?

This book was FUNNY! I mean I had a feeling it would be funny because of the premise but Veronica, some of the things she said were just hilarious! I loved the idea of a regular down on her luck single-mother, going through a hard time after a divorce diving into the world of glitz and glam and pretending to be a celebrity. It never gets old, someone being thrown into a completely new situation.

And she sure meets some characters out in Hollywood from the actress she's being the body-double for to the hairdresser she swaps gossip with. The people she meets on her journey, they could easily be two-dimensional but the author writes them in such a way that they have some personality behind the cliche you would expect.

What I really liked about this book was that not only is it funny, it's rather heartfelt, watching Veronica process her divorce and seeing her ex-husband move on, she has to re-find her place in the world. Another great thing in this book is there is a bit of romance! And I thought who she ended up with was a nice surprise! I just would have wished for a bit more wrap up at the end of the book, it ended a bit too quickly for me! Overall a very fun book!

Just Like Me, Only Better was released on April 6th 2010
Genre: Chick Lit
4/5 Stars
Review copy provided by marketing firm

Heartless (Pretty Little Liars #7) by Sara Shepard

**WARNING SPOILERS FROM PREVIOUS BOOKS**

Amazon.com:

Four gorgeous girls are telling very ugly stories.

First Emily, Aria, Hanna, and Spencer claimed they found a dead body in the woods behind Spencer's house, only to have it vanish without a trace. Then, when the same woods went up in flames, they swore they saw someone who's supposed to be dead rise from the ashes. And even after all that, the pretty little liars are still playing with fire. Call me heartless, but it's about time someone shut these liars up for good. After all, nobody likes a girl who cries wolf—least of all me. . . .

-A

Heartless finds the girls all exploring their own individual hunches in the disappearance of Ali and who A is. My favorite storyline is Emily’s who goes undercover as a Amish girl to try to find out some information that A has hinted at and least favorite I think was Aria going to a seance. But one by one they all knock suspects off the list or become even more sure of what the answer to the mystery is.

When reading this book, my mind was boggled, there was only one book left and so many many things were still open ended I had no idea where the story was going! All I knew was A was EVIL! It's definitely as addicting as the rest of the series and ends with another great cliffhanger!

Heartless was released in paperback on June 8th 2010
Genre: Young Adult
4/5 Stars
Purchased at Borders

This Year In Movies: July

This month I watched 6 movies and 3 tv shows on dvd!

Did You Hear About the Morgans? - This was my sister's choice, it was pretty much what you would expect, kind of cute but nothing too special.

Eureka Season 3.5 - Love this show! I thought the end of the season was a little rushed but still fun as ever!

The Bounty Hunter - Funny! I guess you could call it a road trip movie. Not my favorite of either of theirs but still fun!

Nip/Tuck Season 6 - The end is finally here. I swear the show got weirder with every season but now it's over. I'm kind of relieved lol.

Valentine's Day - This was a great movie. I just adore movies with interweaving plotlines and when you put in major movie stars I think it gets even more exciting. Definitely buy worthy!

Drop Dead Diva Season 1 - Drop Dead Diva is such a wonderful show! It's hilarious but heartbreaking. What a great balance of fun girly time and time in the courtroom with interest-keeping cases. None of it would be possible without the amazing actress that plays Deb/Jane! LOVE IT!

Leap Year - Cute chick flick, hot accent. That's that.

Remember Me - This movie was amazing. You think it's about one thing but it's actually something totally different, which I loved. I especially adored the scenes of R Patz (he's the main character if you hadn't heard, lol) and his little sister. Good stuff.

Nobody - I've been waiting FOREVER to see this movie! It was filmed locally and actually shut down my old bus stop one day! Turns out it was pretty awesome!

What did you see and love this month? What did you hate?

Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick

Amazon.com:

Claire is a #hopelessromantic. Lottie is determined to set up her BFF with Mr. Perfect. Will wants his #secretcrush to finally notice him. Bennett is a man with a plan. Claire can’t believe it when her dream guy starts following her on Twitter. She never thought he noticed her, and suddenly he seems to understand her better than almost anyone. But the Twitterverse can be a confusing place, especially when friends act differently online than they do in person. Things get even more complicated when Claire realizes she’s falling for someone else, the last person she ever would have expected…. Told in an innovative format combining tweets, emails, and blogs, Tweet Heart is a contemporary romantic comedy that will set your heart atwitter.

What drew me to this book was the format, Twitter messages (and direct messages), emails, blog posts, and advice columns, honestly I’d read just about anything with this sort of format. But the storyline is what kept me reading. I think the format took this cute and sweet story and made it seem real to me. I mean looking at this kids twitter icons allowed me to see what they "looked like" and imagine them actually typing these sentences and going through these situations.

I think the author really captured the essence of Twitter and how people use it. You want to vent about something but since it’s a public forum you are sort of cagey about what you are saying and then go and Direct Message (DM) your friend to give them the full scoop.

And while you don’t get full on narrative from these characters I still feel like you really got to know them. You see them having honest conversations with their friends, talking to their crush when their crush is oblivious etc. Honestly if the book was 4 times as long that would have been just fine with me, I became attached to these characters and wanted to keep going along reading their tweets!

Tweet Heart was released on June 29th 2010
Genre: Young Adult
5/5 Stars
Purchased at Borders

Lookalikes 112

Drink of Me by Jacquelyn Frank

Entice by Carrie Jones

Umm... I can't say that I like these photos. At all. Sorry. It's very possible that those are the same people in a slightly different pose, what do you think? I think it would be easier to tell if the first one hadn't been turned blue.

Have you spotted a Lookalike you would like to contribute? Send me an email!

Blog Tour: And One Last Thing.... by Molly Harper

Amazon.com:

"If Singletree’s only florist didn’t deliver her posies half-drunk, I might still be married to that floor-licking, scum-sucking, receptionist-nailing hack-accountant, Mike Terwilliger."

Lacey Terwilliger’s shock and humiliation over her husband’s philandering prompt her to add some bonus material to Mike’s company newsletter: stunning Technicolor descriptions of the special brand of "administrative support" his receptionist gives him. The detailed mass e-mail to Mike’s family, friends, and clients blows up in her face, and before one can say "instant urban legend," Lacey has become the pariah of her small Kentucky town, a media punch line, and the defendant in Mike’s defamation lawsuit.

Her seemingly perfect life up in flames, Lacey retreats to her family’s lakeside cabin, only to encounter an aggravating neighbor named Monroe. A hunky crime novelist with a low tolerance for drama, Monroe is not thrilled about a newly divorced woman moving in next door. But with time, beer, and a screen door to the nose, a cautious friendship develops into something infinitely more satisfying.

Lacey has to make a decision about her long-term living arrangements, though. Should she take a job writing caustic divorce newsletters for paying clients, or move on with her own life, pursuing more literary aspirations? Can she find happiness with a man who tells her what he thinks and not what she wants to hear? And will she ever be able to resist saying one . . . last . . . thing?

With the recent Chick Lit and Women’s Fiction I’ve been reading there has been this great balance between the humor and silliness and the heartfelt and real emotions and the book And One Last Thing... is no exception.

The always horrible issue of cheating and divorce is made a lot easier to handle when main character Lacey sends out an email detailing her horrible husband’s activities. The fallout of that is crazy! To protect herself and get away from it all she stays at a family cabin where she expects to find isolation...

But instead she finds a grumpy but attractive man that wants to be left alone. One thing I really liked about this book was the idea of these two people basically being isolated from everyone else so if they have interactions it’s going to be with each other. I don’t normally find that that happens a lot in books at least for this long of a time period.

I thought Lacey and Monroe’s relationship was sweet, they are first friends helping each other out, specifically Monroe helps Lacey decide where her life should take her next and then they become more. I found this book to be a lot of fun. Lacey was surrounded by a great cast of secondary characters including her brother, the woman that her husband is having an affair with (I love how they almost have it out in a parking lot!) It's definitely making me want to check out the authors Jane Jameson series!

And One Last Thing... was released on July 27th 2010
Genre: Chick Lit
4/5 Stars
Review copy provided by publisher

Giveaway: The Short Stack (of ARCS)

Today I have a giveaway, a short stack giveaway of some arcs and a few other goodies! Click the titles to visit the Amazon.com pages and learn more about each!

What's Your St@tus? by Katie Finn (7/1/10)
Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink (8/1/10)
Sapphhique by Catherine Fisher (12/28/10)
Invisible Things by Jenny Davidson (11/23/10)
The Ivy by Lauren Kunze with Rina Onur (8/31/10)
Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen (Sampler) (10/12/10)
5 Willow (by Julia Hoban) Bookmarks

UPDATE 8/4/10: I'm adding an arc of You by Charles Benoit (8/24/10)

Here's how to enter to be the winner of the short stack!

Fill out the giveaway entry form here.

The giveaway is open to addresses within the U.S. only.

The giveaway will end August 11th at 6:59 pm Central Time.

Entries left in the comments of this blog post will not be counted, please fill out the giveaway entry form.

**Prize provided by various publishers and sent by me**

"Waiting On" Wednesday 93

The Allegra Biscotti Collection by Olivia Bennett

Amazon.com:

She could be a world-famous fashion designer-but can she pass the 8th grade?

By day, Emma Rose is a quiet, under-the-radar student who doesn't mix with the popular set. But when school's out, she becomes Queen of the Runway-whipping up cutting-edge designs.

When Emma is discovered by a well-known fashionista, the pseudonym Allegra Biscotti is born to protect her from the lime light. She soon discovers balancing a secret identity, boys, school, and friends isn't as easy as she thought.

This fashion-themed series features doodles throughout the book-two-color illustrations are found as chapter openers and in the margins-adding tons of delicious style detail!

Released November 1st 2010

This sounds really fun and cute! And you know me, I'm definitely a fan of books that use doodles!

What can't you wait for to be released?

"Waiting On" Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!

Hardcover vs Paperback 91

A Change of Altitude by Anita Shreve

Hardcover

Paperback

Amazon.com:

Margaret and Patrick have been married just a few months when they set off on what they hope will be a great adventure-a year living in Kenya. Margaret quickly realizes there is a great deal she doesn't know about the complex mores of her new home, and about her own husband.

A British couple invites the newlyweds to join on a climbing expedition to Mount Kenya, and they eagerly agree. But during their harrowing ascent, a horrific accident occurs. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Margaret struggles to understand what happened on the mountain and how these events have transformed her and her marriage, perhaps forever.

A Change in Altitude illuminates the inner landscape of a couple, the irrevocable impact of tragedy, and the elusive nature of forgiveness. With stunning language and striking emotional intensity, Anita Shreve transports us to the exotic panoramas of Africa and into the core of our most intimate relationships.

I love the photo on the hardcover, it's just so elegant! I haven't read the book but it seems to speak to what I assume the book is about. I do think the paperback is consistent with some of her other paperback releases with the big color band, but they are just a little bit blah.

Hardcover or Paperback?

Have you spotted a Hardcover vs. Paperback you would like to contribute? Send me an email!