Saturday Sights ~7~

Hey, Elsewhere!

Happy Saturday. Today, I'm kind of going to present you with a little bit of everything: giveaways, donation opportunities, bookish news, movie stuff, and... well, actually, that's about it.

FIRST, let's talk giveaways and donations! Give and take. That's what Momma always said Life was. "It's a game of give and take," she said. I don't know why we're talking about my mother, but, you know... it kind of fit. You're probably wondering why there's a picture of a man in a dog suit, here, but after you click the picture, you'll thank me bunches. YA author, Maureen Johnson, has offered to giveaway a signed book and a "creepy" note to anyone who pledges 50 Euros to help Simon as he runs in support of either the Guide Dogs or Leukemia and Lymphoma Research foundations just because! It's not a contest, she says. ANYONE WHO PLEDGES 50 EUROS will get that from her. AND as an added treat to those of us who can't afford to give that much, Maureen will host a random drawing for two people who have at least pledged 5 Euros to the cause(s). So there! A donation AND a giveaway. How perfect is that? Only Maureen could've thought up something that brilliant. Click the pic for more info!

NOW, let's talk books, or rather... let's talk about the things that are going on in the bookish world. On a happy note! the This is Teen tour is making a stop in Austin, Texas! Thanks to this post on Mundie Moms, I can actually inform you that Maggie Stiefvater, Elizabeth Eulberg, Siobhan Vivian, and David Leviathan will be at Book People, a bookstore on Lamar St. somewhere near you Texan-folk! If you click on the image of the This is Teen banner, you'll be taken to the Book People page that has more information. But I'm excited for you! It's THIS MONDAY, ya'll, at 7. It's times like these when I wish I lived in Texas. The only other times are when I'm talking to a friend of mine who lives there, and I wish I could actually TALK to her. You know? Speaking of talk, there's a lot of it going around the interwebs about the DOJ lawsuit against Apple for their ebook prices. There's this post by recently the agent-ed Krista Van Dolzer... There's the post she references, written by Nathan Bransford... Most of it, I don't have much time or energy to care about or understand, but the parts of it that I do seem... I don't want to say TRIVIAL, but something LIKE that. The thing is, people are paying for the books, and they're enjoying the books, and at least the authors and publishers are making money for those books. I think if we weren't such a greed-driven society, things like e-book prices wouldn't matter because Apple wouldn't be "overpricing" and the DOJ wouldn't be trying to sue the life out of them for doing so. But we are a greed-driven society and because we HAVE to put a price on everything--- air, water, and yes, even our creative and intellectual pursuits--- we run across issues like this. CONSTANTLY. Maybe you'll be able to make sense out of the argument and come up with your own views on the subject. If so, let me know, 'cause I'm lost.

FINALLY, I'd like to point you in the direction of Novel Novice's Saturday Post which is especially interesting this week as it goes into flipping details about JK ROWLING'S NEW BOOK!!! Sorry. Didn't mean to yell in your face there. But I was just freaking ecstatic when I saw that. Flipping. Freaking. Ecstatic. Click on their Saturday Post Banner to be whisked away immediately! Or, check out this Yahoo article on the "Avengers" movie "secret" that Robert Downey Jr. revealed. Or do both!

Haha! Okay. That's it for me this week. I know it was a mouth-full, but thanks for bearing with me. You know what I should do? Stop talking. Good idea, Desi; let's go home.

Have an awesome weekend and start reading PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, ya'll! In case you didn't know, this upcoming week is going to be EPIC. We'll be talking about one of my favorite books of all time AND, as if in response to the way I've set up my calendar this month, the universe has supplied me with ALL OF THE EPIC THINGS. I swear.

Talk to you tomorrow!
Deserae

Saturday Sights ~3~

Hello Great People of Elsewhere,

It's Saturday and as has been the tradition, I am bound to tell you all about the millions of awesome things I've seen since last week.

FIRST I am pleased to announce that Pottermore will, indeed, be open to all in April! I'm a Beta Tester and I've had a blast this past year, but I can't wait for those of you who didn't make the Beta window to  come and join me there. Let's be friends! In other Potter related news, you UK Wanderers will be pleased to know that Warner Bros. Studios is opening the Making of Harry Potter tour very, very soon! In fact, you can order tickets now, read about what they've got there to show you, AND see a few sneak peek pics of the exhibits on display! I don't know whether to be unnerved or thrilled by the fact that they're taking the magic away from the franchise, but I do know one thing: I wish I were in London so I could experience the tour, myself!

NEXT, it is my duty to alert you that voting for the Children's Choice Book Awards has officially opened up! You can vote for the book of the year, the author of the year, and the illustrator of the year should you wish to, and just in case you weren't interested before and need some persuading, in the teen category, these books are going head to head:

        

And these authors...

        

So it is now your responsibility to help your favorite reads and authors of 2011 to win! Go forth, my loves and vote!

NOW that that's over, I can tell you about this online shop called Gone Reading that sells book related merchandise like t-shirts that sport "Jane Austen for President" and book jackets that say "Take me to your reader..." It's pretty cool but what's even COOLER is that Reading Teen, a book blog I love and adore, has been given a special coupon code that allows you to get 25% off any purchase up until April 14th 2012. SO, with your parent's permission (or your own permission if you're 18 and up!), buy something! Apparently, their "after-tax profits" go toward funding libraries and reading-focused charities. How cool is that?!

ALSO, I feel the need to announce this because as soon as these books come out, we're going to be all over them like butter on toast, okay? So Claire Legrand whose debut novel, THE CAVENDISH HOME FOR BOYS AND GIRLS will be coming out THIS AUGUST!, has just announced that she's also sold her first YA novel, a retelling of the classic ballet, The Nutcracker, entitled WINTERSPELL. Guys. I cannot even begin to express how excited I am for it! This is what was announced about a month ago:

"Claire Legrand's YA debut WINTERSPELL, a retelling of the Nutcracker in which a seventeen-year-old girl journeys from 1899 New York City to the hidden land of Cane to rescue her father from a mad faery queen, only to find herself falling in love with a cursed prince... [sold] to Zareen Jaffery... in a two book deal...[!!!!]"

CAVENDISH is first, though, ya'll. And then THE OCTOBER YEAR. AND THEN WINTERSPELL. *excitement ensues*

And FINALLY! Here's some news for you Cassie Clare fans! Mundie Moms, another book blog that specialize in all things Cassie Clare, has just announced that Cassie has sold the rights to a trilogy called The Dark Artifices. They even posted a statement from The Washington Post that reads:

The first of “The Dark Artifices” books, currently untitled, will come out in 2015. According to a statement from the publisher, Clare, who placed her previous work in contemporary New York and Victorian England, will continue her tales of the Shadowhunters, a hybrid race “unseen but ever-present, our invisible protectors.”

“The series follows Emma Carstairs, the fiercest warrior and most skilled young Shadowhunter since Jace Wayland, and Emma’s sworn partner in arms, Julian Blackthorn,” the statement reads. “Despite Emma’s complicated feelings for Julian, the two must band together to investigate a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.”

Clare said in a statement that she was sure readers would love both her new and her established characters.

“I know readers will come to love Emma, Mark, Cristina and Julian just as they have loved Jace, Clary, Will, Tessa and Jem,” she said. “Readers have often asked what will happen in the Shadowhunter world after the events of the ‘Mortal Instruments’ and this series will give them a chance to find out.”

Yee-haw! For more information regarding it, check out the Mundie Moms article linked to above.

And that's it for this week, Lovelies. What do you think? The literary world is marvy, right?! Remember that this week on Elsewhere we're talking about ONE DAY. You know! That book that was made into a movie that stars Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess... No? You don't? Well my review will be posted tomorrow and in it, I will list several reasons why you might enjoy this one. Don't forget to visit the March Calendar so you can check out the prompts for this week's Wednesday Writes Challenge and in the words of John Green: Don't forget to be awesome. 

The April Calendar is going up some time today! Are you excited, because I'm excited. Let's do this thing called life!

Later!

Deserae
P.S. Before I forget there's this awesome YouTube channel called Feast of Fiction where Jimmy and Ashley prepare meals from their favorite books, shows, etc. And they teach you how to make it! So check it out, yo. For the children!

Saturday Sights ~1~

Good morning, Beautifuls!

Today, there are so many things I'm dying to share with you.

FIRST if you haven't heard, JK Rowling is writing another book... for adults!
This from the Leaky Cauldron:

"Although I’ve enjoyed writing it every bit as much, my next book will be very different to the Harry Potter series, which has been published so brilliantly by Bloomsbury and my other publishers around the world. The freedom to explore new territory is a gift that Harry’s success has brought me, and with that new territory it seemed a logical progression to have a new publisher. I am delighted to have a second publishing home in Little, Brown, and a publishing team that will be a great partner in this new phase of my writing life"

Details will be announced "later in the year." The as-yet unnamed book has been bought by Little, Brown and Company in the UK and US.


Follow the link above to read their complete report of this exciting new development!

NEXT, I must say again what a cover fiend I am. If the cover looks awesome, I will buy the book just so it can sit prettily on my bookshelves. So in a very particular order, here's a list of five covers I'm thinking about trying to get my paws on:

#5: TEN by Gretchen McNeil
Although I'm slightly peeved at the concept of this book (because seriously, you guys: go read AND THEN THERE WERE NONE by Agatha Christie, and then read the blurb for this one. Same. Shizz.), I like this cover. A lot actually. The type of the title is the perfect font and color, and it takes up a predominant amount of the cover which allows for a simplistic scene of an island in the middle of the ocean and THIS provides the tone and setting for the reader right off the bat. So am I going to buy this one? I'll let you know. But I do like the cover immensely, and you might want to check out what's inside. Plus, there's the tagline: Ten teens. Three days. One killer. Usually, I stay away from horrors and thrillers, but if this is anything like Christie's novel, I might be able to handle it, and it might make for a really interesting read. Click on the book to learn more!




#4: THROUGH TO YOU by Emily Hainsworth
With this one, I'm not peeved, but skeptical. Will I truly be entertained by a ghost story? Although I have my reservations on the story, the blurb still interests me. If you've been keeping up with the CW's version of "The Vampire Diaries," then you'll notice how this plot-line is reminiscent of those episodes where Jeremy was able to communicate with Anna, but sometimes, Vicky broke through, too. ANYWHO, this cover is beautiful because she's in the water, but you can't see through it--- it's reflective, but not transparent. This, along with the fading type gives me the feeling this is going to be a complex story and not everything's going to just be black and white. What do you think? Do you like? If you want to learn more, click on the cover. Which is gorgeous, but you already knew that.




***#3: TIME BETWEEN US by Tamara Ireland Stone
Agh. Now this is one I KNOW I want to read. This is so "The Lake House" but much easier to follow! And the cover is simple and beautiful--- it's been so long since I've had nice, bright colors on my bookshelves. The shade of pinky-purple they've used for the font pops off of the crisp, light blue background, and I love that there's a full body shot of the model. How tired am I of these profile shots and close ups of the face taking over YA book covers! Also, I love that the guy is in the distance. I feel like YA covers these days put much too much emphasis on the BOY. Let the story speak for itself! This cover does that, giving me a sense of longing from the cover model that seems to teeter back and forth between the desire to have and the thought of having to let go. Want to know more? Click on the cover!



***#2: DEFIANCE by C.J. Redwine
So you guys. This cover equals amazing. I need you to click here so you can see this thing in its full on glory. Look at it. It's beautiful! With this one and my number one, I won't go into too much about the story because I need all of this space to drool over the cover. You look at this and you can tell you're about to embark on an adventure. You look at HER and you can tell she's your kind of heroine. And then seriously guys, ENLARGE it! Because you see the hem of her cloak? Look closely because OH EM GEE! Is that a castle you see?! I love how the cloak extends past the author's name off the cover, and forms these small mountains around the model as she kneels. And look at the type! It's so militant, so perfect! C.J. Redwine must be in love because yes! I love it too! So click the cover! Do it now; do it now!

***#1: SHADOW AND BONE by Leigh Bardugo
Dudes and Dudettes, I give you my number one most anticipated cover to own. Yes, DEFIANCE is GORGEOUS! (and I want, want, want it. Yes, I do, yes I do.) But I am a sucker for covers that do NOT have models on it. I like covers that rely on text and themes from the story to help convey to readers what is on the inside. I see this cover and I think fairy tale. Or fantasy. I see the Russian architecture and I think yes! I'm going to be taken Elsewhere, ya'll! And then the type. Oh my Lord the type. I'm getting goosebumps just writing about it. The red stripes outlined in the black give me this ominous vibe, while the font, itself, suggests classiness, perhaps Gothic tradition. And look at the way the tails on the letter wrap around the trees!!! And look at how the cover looks cracked like a well-worn book--- like this is a tale of old! And look at where the author's name is placed: on the gates! As far as covers go, this is tops. Can't wait for it. And we're definitely reading it here, you guys. Click on the cover to learn more about this book!

FINALLY I must tell you a secret. March 4th is our fellow Wanderer, Sonal's, birthday! She is across the pond in Billy Shakespeare Land (aka England) so in order to time your "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" just right, I give you:

THE TIME ZONE MAP!!!!

If you can't figure it out (or if you don't know where England is on a map), you can just look here where they give you a list of every country and the time it is there. Try to catch her sometime on HER March 4th, or feel free to send her a shout out at her blog, The Blog with No Name!

And that's it for this Saturday's Sights! I've had a lot pent up to tell you guys because a lot has happened since you and I last talked! Be sure to tune in tomorrow for my review of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS and for The Sunday Post (click here to find out what that is). 

'Til next time, mon amies!

Deserae

P.S. Send in your TFiOS Wednesday Writes! Check the March Calendar for the prompts.