The new Paige Toon cover - WHY?

OK, so today was the big Paige Toon cover reveal on Twitter, carried out by the lovely Simon & Schuster UK. Before I say anything, please note that this was probably my most anticipated cover of the year. I wasn't blown away by the two Paige Toon books that I've read, but I bought them all because they were OMG SO PRETTY!!! In case you haven't seen them yet, here they are in all their glory:

BREATHTAKING, AM I RIGHT???
Cover perfection to the T!
These covers could seriously not be any prettier!
I'd frame them and stare at them the whole day, they're just SO BEAUTIFUL!
I mean, LOOK AT THEM! Wow!

Soooo of course I was really looking forward to seeing the cover for her upcoming book Baby Be Mine. I wasn't planning on reading it, but I was 100 % ready to buy it straight up, provided the cover was pretty. (Yes, I'm shallow, so what? :p)
I was fully expecting my mind to be blown, but as it turns out, the publishers have opted for a total re-design. I have absolutely no idea why since the original covers were PERFECT and you honestly cannot top that.
So here's the new design:

I know, right - what the what?! *blinks* Huh?

Please understand I mean no disrespect to anyone and I'm sure the designer did their best, but I'm afraid it has nothing on the original covers, which were GORGEOUS (no, I cannot get over them :p). I guess I wouldn't be so disappointed if this wasn't a Paige Toon book. I still wouldn't buy it, sorry to say, but I would just dismiss it rather than blog about it.

My personal problems with this cover:

• that head looks all sorts of wrong (straaaange features + what's WRONG with the shape & colour of hair?!) and makes the woman look very unappealing
  
• too much blue - serious overkill
• cheapass fonts!!!!!!! previous covers were all nicely handwritten and wonderful, but this looks SO CHEAP and all these basic fonts honestly enrage me (surely this is not the final version?)
• overall, it just does nothing for me and looks boring and unappealing - I would never pick it up in a shop
• there's just something off about it
  

Again, I mean no disrespect or offence to anyone, but I'm just a bit confused as to WHY this change occured in the first place, that's all. I'm not massively upset because it's not really a book I was planning to read anyway, but I'm just a bit sad there won't be another pretty Paige Toon book sitting on my shelf ...

Darlings, please do tell, what do YOU make of the new look?
What do you like or dislike about it?
Discuss. :)

In My Mailbox #76

As you have undoubtedly noticed, I've been a bad, bad blogger in the past couple of months and that's not because I've been lazy, but just VERY busy! If everything goes according to the plan, things will hopefully get back to normal within a week and then OMG, I'll start reading again like there's no tomorrow! I miss it so much! I've received so many amaaaazing books in the past months and I cannot WAIT to devour them ALL - party time!!! :)

So all in all, you can expect more reviews & interviews etc. soon, but until then I leave you with another IMM! Here are the books I got in the past week ...

• RUBY RED by Kerstin Gier - OMG YAY! I've been waiting forever for this one and now it's finally here, woohoo! With all the potential, I expect it to be nothing short of awesome!
• GIRL READING by Katie Ward - This one sounds really good too. I love paintings of girls reading!
• PICTURES OF YOU by Caroline Leavitt - Leah from Chicklit Reviews loved this book and after reading her review, I couldn't resist ordering myself a copy. Intriguing.
• THE NOVEL IN THE VIOLA by Natasha Solomons - I've never heard of this book until it was chosen for the Richard & Judy's Book Club or whatever a couple of weeks ago and it sounds really good! Glad they changed the cover as the hardback one was horrible.
• THIN, RICH, PRETTY by Beth Harbison - Awesome title is awesome. The cover not so much.
• MY LIFE UNDECIDED by Jessica Brody (ARC) - Yay! I've been wanting to read this book ever since I've heard of it and then the trailer (SEE BELOW) made me want to read it even more! I love Jessica Brody's book trailers - I appreciate all the effort she puts into them and the final result is always amazing. Can't wait to see if the books is also that good. :)

That's it from me. What did YOU get? :)

In My Mailbox #75

DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth - Initially, this cover didn't really appeal to me so I never planned to read this book. But then the first reviews came rolling in and seriously, there was nothing but praise for this book! Everyone says it's AMAZING and a lot of people compare it to The Hunger Games, which, as we all know, is an incredible series! Anyway! Now I cannot wait to read this one and see what the fuss is about! The only thing I'm a little bummed about is that I seem to have accidentaly ordered the US version whereas I really, really wanted the super shiny UK cover, boo.

THE WOMEN'S ROOM by Marilyn French - I spotted this one in Waterstones on Oxford Street and I've never heard of it before, even though it's supposed to be a feminist classic?!?! Where the hell have I been living and why have I not read this yet?! *slaps self* I immediately got myself a copy and am planning to remedy this asap!

WORKING IT OUT by Nicola May - I've only learned about this book after it was featured on Chick Lit Reviews and the cover immediately caught my eye. It's a self published novel and it sounds really good. The author offered to give me a copy for being her 200th follower, but I insisted on paying at least the RRP as I like to support authors. This one sounds really good and I'm very excited to read it!

BEHIND THE GATES by Eva Gray - Boarding schools, (fake) twins, freaky stuff going on ... yes, please! :)

What did YOU get? :)

Waiting On Wednesday: ESCAPE by Barbara Delinsky

Emily Aulenbach is 32, a lawyer married to a lawyer, living and working in Manhattan. An idealist, she had once dreamed of representing victims of corporate abuse, and signed on with a firm that promised this, but it hasn't worked out. She spends her days in a cubicle, surrounded by lawyers in other cubicles, talking on the phone with people sickened by tainted bottled water. Her firm is being paid by the bottler to minimize claims.

Convinced that she is betraying her dreams, she has looked into changing firms, but no one is hiring. She wakes up each morning dreading her work.

And it isn't only work. It's her sister, her friends, even her husband James, with whom she doesn't connect the way she used to. Her relationships are superficial and rushed. She connects to three things – her computer, her BlackBerry, and her watch.

One particularly difficult Friday, she realizes that her life is all wrong. Uncharacteristically acting on impulse, she leaves work early, goes home, packs her bag, and takes off. As she gropes toward the future, though, she finds herself going back – back to the small New Hampshire town where she had last been unequivocably happy and carefree. If she were to map out her life, this was the spot where she had made her first wrong turn.

Escape is the story of the dreams we have and the heart-breaking task of giving up the parts that don't work, salvaging those that do, and creating new dreams for what lies ahead.

Whoa, doesn't this just sound SO good? I absolutely love the sound and the look of this one. It comes out in hardback on July 5th and you best believe I'll be reading it immediately.

Also, while we're on the subject of Barbara Delinsky, can we also do a quick COVER WIN / FAIL? Here are my two cents ...

I am LOVING the new paperback cover for her previous book, Not My Daughter! I didn't like the original hardcover cover AT ALL - it's just boooooring and a bit of a cliché, no? The new cover is a definite improvement - it looks fresh and interesting! And while teenage pregnancy is a subject that I do not want to read about (*shudder*), I'd still buy this book for the cover alone! Job well done, publishers!

In My Mailbox #74

First off, I got a MASSIVE package from Simon & Schuster UK (thanks, Ally!!) that containted the following four books:

• FLY AWAY HOME by Jennifer Weiner - Haven't read anything by Weiner and this the topic of this book doesn't really seem my cup of tea, but goodness is this cover gorgeous!
• HERE COME THE GIRLS by Milly Johnson - Ditto on the cover, it's lovely! I love stories about cruises!
• GODDESS OF VENEGANCE by Jackie Collins - What in the bloody hell IS this cover?!?! A joke perhaps? It sure sticks out like an ugly sore thumb among other books in the package and it's just plain horrible. White background with plain text - what the what?! For real?! Massive COVER FAIL alert and I am offended by the laziness of this cover. Would have never ever picked it up, although I've heard nothing but praise for Jackie Collins. But this cover is inexcusable! #enraged I loved the original cover for PLBG so I've no idea what happened here ... Was the designer sick and they had to rush the book so someone just typed out the words and they sent it off to printing? Or something? There's bound to be a new cover for the paperback, right? #fingerscrossed The Americans did it way better in this case - proof! Yeah, a bit tacky there, but at least there's something going on!
  
• DAUGHTERS OF FORTUNE by Tara Hyland - Phew, there we go, a stunning cover again to calm me down a bit, hehehe. I've already read this last year (my review here) and loved it. I have the ARC so I might do a giveaway for this one. Cannot WAIT for Hyland's next novel!!

I also got a surprise review copy of THE DEAD SUMMER by Helen Moorhouse, which I've never heard of before, but it sounds and looks rather intriguing ... I just hope it's not TOO creepy? :)

Then I bought a copy of ROYAL MATCH by Tyne O'Connoll, mostly because the books sound cute (I think it contains three previously published books?) and I really like the new cover!

Lastly, I finally jumped on the bandwagon and got myself a copy of LOVE VIRTUALLY by Daniel Glattauer, which is a huge bestseller in many countries (not so much in the UK or US yet though, I think). I wasn't planning to read this, let alone buy it, until recently someone recommended it to me and then I came across this pretty cover (pink & grey combo = winning!), which I simply couldn't resist! So we'll see if the book lives up to the massive hype, ha!

That's ALL. What did YOU get? :)

Waiting on Wednesday: THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern

The book that I'm featuring today, THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern, was all the rage at this year's London Book Fair and that's where I learnt about it. It was impossible to miss since it was hugely promoted - the cover was mounted up on the stand, there was a table covered in black & white promo leaflets (gorgeous, I have one in front of me right now, maybe I'll scan it if anyone's interested) and the publisher even enlisted circus performers to promote the book (quite fitting, isn't it?). You can see a picture of them here or watch a clip here. I only saw the Tall Woman, who was walking around and handing out these leaflets, but sadly I didn't take a picture or film a quick video since I was in a hurry.

Here's what the book is about:

In 1886 a mysterious travelling circus becomes an international sensation. Open only at night, constructed entirely in black and white, the Cirque des Rêves delights all who wander its circular paths and warm themselves at its bonfire. There are contortionists, performing cats, carousels and illusionists – all the trappings of an ordinary circus. But this is no conventional spectacle. Some tents contain clouds, some ice. The circus seems almost to cast a spell over its aficionados, who call themselves the rêveurs – the dreamers. And who is the sinister man in the grey suit who watches over it all? Behind the scenes a dangerous game is being played out by two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who, at the behest of their masters, are forced to test the very limits of the imagination – and of love.

A feast for the senses, a fin-de-siècle fantasia of magic and mischief, and the most original love story since The Time Traveler’s Wife, The Night Circus is an extraordinary blend of fantasy and reality. It will dazzle readers young and old with its virtuoso performance, and who knows, they might not want to leave the world it creates.

The leaflet thingy says this is "the most magical novel you'll read this year" and the book is "set to be the publishing sensation of 2011". I can't wait to see if it lives up to all this massive hype!

The first thing that really caught my eye was the stunning UK cover that was posted above the Random House stand. I also found the US cover so you can compare them below. Sorry about the low quality of the UK cover - that's literally a bit of a pic I took of the stand and I couldn't find a HQ UK cover anywhere online.

Which one do YOU prefer?

Personally, I quite like the US one, but on the other hand, I'm head over heels in love with the UK one - isn't it stunning?! I love love love it and the cover alone would make me buy this book, regardless of the summary.

The book comes out in September - 13th in the US and 15th in the UK! Can't wait!

Lastly, here's the trailer for the book!

London Book Fair 2011

I was lucky enough to attend the London Book Fair this year - I've attended once before and last year we were sadly unable to attend due to the volcanic ash cloud issue. This year, however, there were no such unexpected problems so I got to go there again, yay! The visit was work related (I work in publishing) as this is a trade fair so mostly professionals attend, which makes the LBF slightly different to BEA or the Frankfurt Book Fair. It takes place in April every year at Earls Court.

London is my absolute favourite city in the whole world so to be able to attend a *book* fair there is like a dream come true. We were there for about two days, which were very, very busy and filled with countless meetings with publishers' sales reps, making new contacts, picking up catalogues etc. My schedule was completely full in advance so I didn't get to attend any of the lectures or presentations that were taking place, I was really just rushing from one appointment to another so I'm afraid I don't have any generally exciting news to share, sorry. :) In can say that it was a brilliant experience, lovely and very exciting - and rather exhausing too, but all worth it!

I honestly don't really know what to talk about so I'll just attach some pictures that I took - I hope you can see the slideshow below?
I took pictures of various stands (BEA & PW, Harper Collins, Hachette, Hodder, Little Brown, Simon & Schuster, Random House etc). There are some pictures taken from above to show the venue as such. There's one showing the entrance to Earls Court, taken from the top of a doubledecker bus as we drove past it after the first day. There's also a picture of my favourite stand - the Hay House one, which is pink & green & white and generally FABULOUS, I totally fell in love with it.
I apologize about the pics being a little blurry, but I was honestly in a hurry taking them so this was the best I could do to give you an idea of what this fair looks like.

If you have any questions, then please fire away. :)

In My Mailbox #73 & The Royal Wedding!

Unfortunately, I have to begin yet another post by apologizing for being MIA, but the good news is that I expect to be back properly in a couple of weeks if everything goes according to the plan. Until then, I hope to post a couple more reviews and a report about the 2011 London Book Fair I attended. Keep your fingers crossed that I'll manage, but until then, check out the GOODIES I got in the past couple of weeks!

• BENEATH A STARLET SKY by Amanda Goldberg and Ruthanna K. Hopper - Yay! This is the sequel to Celebutantes, which I loved, so I'm veeeeeery excited to read this one!
• MEET ME AT THE CUPCAKE CAFE by Jenny Colgan - Woohoo! Been waiting for this one for ages and I'll be reading it asap fo' sho'!!
• THE LOST ART OF KEEPING SECRETS by Eva Rice - I've been wanting to buy this book forever so I finally did. Looks & sounds great!
• SWEET VALLEY CONFIDENTIAL by Francine Pascal - Got this one just for kicks, really. I used to watch SVH and all, but I doubt I'll actually read this book ... Based on all the negative reviews, I really shouldn't bother, eh?
• THE GIRL WHO CHASED THE MOON by Sarah Addison Allen - I've heard nothing but praise about this book and I want to see what the fuss is about. :)

That's it from me.
I'd love to hear what you got!

ps: This is not book related, but I just can't help mentioning it since it kinda dominated the whole world! Yes, I'm talking about The Royal Wedding! Did you watch it (of course you did :p)?
Wasn't it simply a fairytale? Wasn't Kate stunning? Wasn't it all magnificent? Weren't they so cute in the carriage and the car?
I wasn't even planning to watch, but in the end I totally caught the wedding fever and watched it cuddled up on the couch with hubby. I still can't get over how oh so lovely & romantic the whole shebang was and I really enjoyed it, all in all. :)

What was your favourite moment? :)