June Book Haul

Today I posted my June Book Haul! I know there's a few more days left in June but here's what I picked up so far. Hopefully I won't be picking anymore up for the rest of the month because my TBR pile is getting out of control.



E:Books:
Just One Night by Gayle Forman (I forgot to mention this in the video)
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Suddenly Royal by Nichole Chase

Bought:
City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
Sacrifice by Cayla Kluver

Received for Review:
The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet by Bernie Su and Kate Rodrick

What did you get this month? I love watching and reading other book hauls so feel free to leave a link in the comments :)

E-Readers vs Books

For a few years now, many people have contributed to the classic argument over which is better: the e-reader or the real, physical book?

But I have a better question. Which is better for YOU?

I personally don’t see anything wrong with choosing a book over an e-reader or vice versa. Things like these are all a matter of preference and what an individual person wants at a specific time. That’s how I look at it. What’s most convenient for me right now?

If I can afford a physical copy of a book, I do like to read them. There’s no straining of the eyes after looking at a computer-like screen for hours at a time, and the smell and feel of a new (or old) book is a really great thing. But what if I NEED THE NEXT BOOK and the bookstore closed an hour ago? Am I really supposed to wait until TOMORROW to get the next in the series? Let me answer that for you: N-O NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

E-readers can be so unbelievably convenient when the above-mentioned situation is happening to me. When I read the Selection series a few weeks ago, I went to B&N to grab The Selection and once I finished, I was like “I GOTTA HAVE THE NEXT ONE NOW NOW NOW!” but I didn’t want to wait. So I was like “Hello Nook, you look nice this evening. Fancy buying me a book?” And it ever so politely obliged to my wishes, giving me access to The Elite within minutes of finishing the first book. So sometimes it’s really great! And all my books are in one spot. Which is also great.

On the other hand, I don’t like relying on a wire to keep my book from disappearing a few hours after I start it. The biggest downside to an e-reader, in my opinion, is that sometimes I’m too lazy to charge mine, or my cord doesn’t work and I can’t use it. However, if that’s the case, I usually end up going on my B&N account on my phone or my laptop and it works just fine.

So the answer to the question is basically… whatever you want it to be. If you want to read an e-book, you READ that e-book! And if you prefer to go to the bookstore and get a physical copy, do that! The choice is always yours, so if people tell you that e-readers are lame and you wanted to use one, stop listening to these people and do your own thing.

Apparently I feel more passionately about these things than I was aware.

Thanks for reading! See you in two weeks with my review on The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon, and come back next Thursday to hear from Marissa!

--Alyssa 

Confessions of a Literary Shopaholic: The Sock Edition

You've heard about Out of Print Clothing, right? If not they are an awesome online store that sells book covers on books, phone cases, totes, and many other things. I have personally bought a ton of different stuff from them. I love them all. 

While at BEA the store had a booth there. They were showcasing their upcoming lines. It was so cool getting to see everything early, but do you know what I'm most excited about. THE SOCKS. 

You can see them above the totes in this instagram picture. They were the banned book tote style, and the library card design on the socks. I thought they were such a great idea and can't wait for them to come out! I believe they said at the end of the summer or early fall. It was such a crazy day that I don't completely remember. 

Are you excited for the Out of Print Socks? 

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Book Cover Trends I Like and Dislike

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, make sure you go an check it out! It’s a ton of fun.

First 5 Cover Trends I Like: 

1: Pictures under the cover jacket of hard cover books. 

For some reason I love finding pictures under cover jackets. Sometimes they have a map of the story, or just extra pictures that go along with the cover. Either way I'm really enjoying this new trend. 

2. Cover's the concentrate on the title of the book. 

These are the covers with the fun and colorful fonts that capture your attention. I think these covers are just so beautiful and just look great. 

3. Pretty Dresses. 

I know most people don't like the trend of girls in dresses on the cover of their books. It's been around for awhile but it's something that I have always loved. If I see a book cover with a pretty dress I have to pick it up. 

4. Naked Books.

By naked I mean hardcover books with out jackets on them. There aren't to many books like this right now but it seems to be a trend that is picking up. 

5. Doodles
This was is hard to explain. Basically I love covers like Tape by Steven Camden. They are cute, quirky and simple. 

5 Cover Trends I Hate 

1. When an authors name is larger then a title 
I know this is a big trend in adult with big authors but it's been showing up in Young Adult. Sometimes I have trouble figuring out where the title is. 

2. When the authors name is too small
On the other side, I also don't like when the authors name is tiny and almost impossible to find.  I'm sure the author doesn't like that much either. 

3. A Kissing Couple 

Because that's a book I want to read in public. 

5. Slutty Covers 

This goes along with a kissing couple but sometimes a cover just looks slutty. These are the ones I buy on my kindle because I get embarrassed reading bringing these covers with me when I go out. 

expect I love this book and own a copy of it 

Review: The Girl Who Never Was by Skylar Dorset

The Girl Who Never Was
by Skylar Dorset
Received: Signed paperback from BEA
Release Date: Already Out 

Summary:

"Today is my birthday."

In Selkie's family, you don't celebrate birthdays. You don't talk about birthdays. And you never, ever reveal your birth date."

Until now.

The instant Selkie blurts out the truth to Ben in the middle of Boston Common, her whole world shatters.

Because her life has been nothing but a lie—an elaborate enchantment meant to conceal the truth: Selkie is a half-faerie princess.

And her mother wants her dead.

Review: After reading the summary, meeting the author, and seeing this spectacular cover I really wanted to love this book. Sadly The Girl Who Never Was, was not for me. 

Usually I love everything about faerie books because they have a mysterious air surrounding them. Faerie's are usually tricky and fun characters to read about. Yet, with The Girl Who Never Was I was just bored reading about this world. Mostly because the author was telling the reader what was happening instead of showing. There was no mystery, the reader almost always knows what is happening. 

Another problem I had with this book was how fast it moved. I think I would have liked the story so much more if the plot had been drawn out a bit more. It seemed like every page was a new scene. Nothing was really explained it just happened. Selkie's feelings and emotions are never fleshed out more than a sentence. It's hard to like a character that you can't truly understand. 

The book did have some redeeming qualities. For example Selkie's relationship with Ben, the faerie who creates the enchantment to conceal her, was adorable. That was the only thing that kept me reading the book until the end. 

Over-all I think it was the writing style that I didn't like. It was short and to the point. I prefer longer descriptions and more emotions. Yet because of those few redeeming scenes I would give this book three stars. Without them it would have been 2. I also don't think I will be picking up the sequel to this one when it comes out.  

You can check out more reviews of The Girl Who Never Was on Goodreads. There were actually a few people who seemed to really love the book. As always, you should always read a few reviews before deciding whether or not to pick up a book. 

--Danielle