Waiting on Wednesday: IN A HEARTBEAT

I know it's not quite Wednesday yet, but I've decided to post this now since I probably won't have time tomorrow .... So, another book I'm reeeeally looking forward to is IN A HEARTBEAT by Loretta Ellsworth, which comes out in February 2010. It sounds like a fantastic read and the cover is absolutely gorgeous too - possibly one of my all time favourite covers! I haven't been been able to find an official summary yet, but the author discussed the plot in an interview here:

Q: What’s next for you as a writer?
A: I just finished a YA novel about a heart transplant told in alternating viewpoints between two girls: one who is the heart transplant recipient, and the other girl who is the heart transplant donor. It’s called, IN A HEARTBEAT. In that book, the girl who dies is a very competitive figure skater with Olympic dreams. The girl who gets her heart comes to feel that she’s gotten more than just a heart – she feels that her personality has changed in ways she can’t understand, and she intuitively knows things about her donor that she hasn’t been told. It’s being released in Feb. 2010 – just in time for the winter Olympics:).

For the record: I REALLY, REALLY WANT THIS BOOK! Some super lucky people have already received ARCs of this and I guess the rest of us will just have to wait, boo. :(

The Book Lovers' Appreciation Society

I've mentioned this book aka a collection of short stories when it was announced and now it's finally out (time flies, huh)! I've already bought a copy and I suggest you do the same because:
a) the cover is too pretty for words;
b) some of the most popular contemporary authors have contributed their short stories;
c) and most importantly, 1 GBP of each sold copy will be donated to Breast Cancer Care!

The latter was also the main reason why I've purchased my copy - sure, the previous two were important as well, but the last one sealed the deal!

Quite frankly, I'm not planning to read the whole book because I'm not a fan of short stories myself, I prefer novels. But how could I resist when there are stories by Sophie Kinsella, Cecelia Ahern, Adele Parks, Katie Fforde, Kate Mosse and many other fantastic authors! I've read a few of those already and they're alright, especially if you're into that sort of thing. Click the cover for more info!

I've taken a few pictures of the back cover and the contents pages for those of you who'd like to know more about the book (ignore the bad quality please, I was in a bit of a hurry):

All in all, I think this book would make a lovely addition to every book lover's book collection! :)

In My Mailbox #10

This great meme is hosted by The Story Siren. I'm pleased to report that I've had a fantastic book week and here's what I've acquired:

Click on the covers below for more info on the books.

Review: THE BRIDE's FAREWELL by Meg Rosoff ***

"On the morning of her wedding, Pell Ridley creeps out of bed in the dark, kisses her sisters goodbye and flees - determined to escape a future that offers nothing but hard work and sorrow. She takes the only thing that truly belongs to her: Jack, a white horse. The road ahead is rich with longing, silence and secrets, and each encounter leads her closer to the untold story of her past. Then Pell meets a hunter, infuriating, mysterious and cold. Will he help her to find what she seeks? With all the hallmarks of Meg Rosoff's extraordinary writing, The Bride's Farewell also breaks new ground for this author, in a nineteenth century, Hardyesque setting. This is a moving story of love and lost things, with a core of deep, beautiful romance."

This is the second Rosoff book I've read; the first one was How I Live Now, which unexpectly blew me away. Oh yes, it was disturbing, but still quite powerful and definitely a book that will haunt me forever. I was excited to learn that this author had a new book coming out and since the story sounded fantastic, I had really high hopes for it, but alas I was a bit disappointed.

The story takes place in the 19th century and for me it had a very dark feel to it, which is not a bad thing as such, but I didn't enjoy it in this novel, there was just too much misery. I know life back then was different, but this story really was more grim than I'd expected (I can assure you I wasn't hoping for a fairy tale). As for the writing, I found it very fitting to the time period it was used in, but sadly that made the book a bit more difficult to read for me, especially at the beginning, but luckily things improved after the story picked up.

To quickly recap: Pell runs away before her wedding because she wants to escape the kind of life her mother leads. She's not in love with her groom so she takes her horse and sets off to leave when she is joined by her adopted brother Bean. She tries to find work at some fair and when she does, she gets ripped off and loses everything. In order to find her brother and her horse, she travels around the country and eventually moves in with a hunter she's met before. But she's determined to find what she's lost and on her quest she finds out some tragic news about her family, which changes her life, but eventually she finds her place in the world.

I did admire the main character Pell for running away on her own and being a truly independent woman in the 19th century; I thought she was a nice role model for young girls since she was a strong character who always provided for herself and never gave up on her quests, however hopeless they may be. On the other hand, it seemed to me that the she was being punished since the tragic family news and all the troubles that occurred were actually her fault in a way. So I'm not too sure what the author was trying to say here, but I still think Pell is an inspiring character.

I wouldn't describe the love story in the book as "deep, beautiful romance" - personally, I could hardly feel there was anything going on. Maybe it was the third person narration, but at times I felt that this book lacked the emotion I would expect in certain situations.

All in all, it's not a bad novel, it definitely has its advantages when it comes to the main character and writing and so on, but it just didn't strike a chord with me like her debut novel, even though I can't quite pinpoint why. Most of the reviews so far have been glowing though so it's probably just silly ol' me again. :)

overall rating: 3/5
plot: 3/5 | writing: 4/5 | characters: 3/5 | cover: 2/5

The new UK Sarah Dessen cover!

Sarah Dessen's last book Along for the Ride (read my review here) comes out in the UK in February 2010 and the cover has already been revealed - it's absolutely gorgeous (on the left)!

The UK cover vs. the US cover - which one gets your vote? :)

I must admit I've been sort of unsure about the previous UK Dessen covers - not saying they're bad, I think they're quite clever and lovely, but somehow the US covers seem to fit the books better methinks. However, I'd have quite a hard time deciding in this case as both covers are absolutely gorgeous, buuuut I think (not completely sure) that I'd still have to go with the US cover (fell in love with it months ago). What I like about the UK covers though is that the drawings on the cover consist of little things and words that are meaningful to the story - click the left picture above to enlarge and see for yourself!

Win the ARC of Magic under Glass!

Jackie Dolamore, the author of Magic under Glass, is holding an amazing contest on her Livejournal and she's giving her future fans a chance to win an ARC of her book as well as some other fantastic prizes - read more about the contest here! If you choose to enter, then please please please please PLEASE mention that you were referred by Bookalicious - as Ms Dolamore says on her site, it'll benefit both you & me! :)

I've featured the book in my Waiting on Wednesday post a while ago, but here's the summary again for those of you who missed it:

Nimira is a music-hall performer forced to dance for pennies to an audience of leering drunks. When wealthy sorcerer Hollin Parry hires her to do a special act - singing accompaniment to an exquisite piano-playing automaton, Nimira believes it is the start of a new life. In Parry's world, however, buried secrets stir. Unsettling below-stairs rumours abound about ghosts, a mad woman roaming the halls, and of Parry's involvement in a gang of ruthless sorcerers who torture fairies for sport. When Nimira discovers the spirit of a dashing young fairy gentleman is trapped inside the automaton's stiff limbs, waiting for someone to break the curse and set him free, the two fall in love. But it is a love set against a dreadful race against time to save the entire fairy realm, which is in mortal peril.

Sounds great and I'm so in love with the cover (the US one especially) it hurts! I think I'll print it out and hang it above my desk so I can admire it, hehe! :)

ps: According to her Twitter, the author is already working on a new book about a mermaid and a winged dude - how cool does that sound, lol!

Waiting On Wednesday: THE MARK

Now here's a book I've been very excited about - the plot sounds fantastic and I really like the cover! Some lucky people have already received their ARCs (super jealous!), but I'm hoping to win a copy since the author herself is giving one away - please, keep your fingers crossed for me!!! In order to try to win the ARC yourself, visit the author's website and read the rules! Good luck to all of us! :)

"Sixteen-year-old Cassandra Renfield has always seen the mark—a light glow reminiscent of candlelight. The only time she pointed it out taught her she shouldn’t do it again. For years, the mark has followed Cassie, its rare appearances odd, but insignificant. Until the day she watches a man die. As she revisits each occurrence of the mark, Cassie realizes she can see a person’s imminent death. Not how or where, only when: today.

Now armed with a slight understanding of the mark, Cassie begins to search for it. Even as she hides her secret, Cassie mines her philosophy class, her memories, and even her new boyfriend for answers about the faint glowing mark. But many questions remain. How does it work? Why her? And finally, the most important of all: If you know today is someone’s last, should you tell them?"

Review: THE NANNY by Melissa Nathan *****

"When Jo Green takes a nannying job in London to escape her small-town routine, complicated family, and perfect-on-paper boyfriend Shaun, culture shock doesn't even begin to describe it. Dick and Vanessa Fitzgerald are the most incompatible pair since Tom and Jerry, and their children - glittery warrior pixie Cassandra, bloodthirsty Zak and shy little Tallulah - are downright mystifying. Suddenly, village life seems terribly appealing.
Then, just as Jo's getting the hang of their designer lifestyle, the Fitzgeralds acquire a new lodger and suddenly she's sharing her nanny flat with the distractingly good-looking but inexplicably moody Josh. So when Shaun turns up, things get even trickier ..."

I've heard many great things about Melissa Nathan and this book in particular so I bought a copy last year in London, but put off reading it till now, no idea why - if I knew how fantastic the book is, I would've read it on the flight back, hehe! Despite all the praise, I was still sort of surprised by how fantastic this book really was!

The best part about it was the brilliant humour - I really appreciate it when an author can make me laugh out loud and Ms Nathan's book definitely accomplished that many times! There weren't really all that many comedy scenes as such, but the dialogue was almost always sharp and oh so funny, I loved that! I was going to list all the characters that I thought were hilarious, but then I realized that would be pretty much all of them so it's no surprise that I adored them all.

The dialogue between Dick and Vanessa was hilarious (especially at the beginning of the book) and I liked how their relationship defied the stereotypical gender roles, which was quite the opposite of Jo's parents - no wonder Jo was shocked by the Fitzgerald family. The children were all adorable too and on the whole I really warmed up to the Fitzgeralds! As for Josh, who could resist falling for his quick wit and charm,? He cracked me up so many times that I just couldn't help developing a tiny little crush on him, hehe. Pippa was a great character too and pretty much the only two ones I didn't like were Shaun and Sheila, obviously.

The characters not only made the book a positive delight to read, but I also found them very well developed. The book was quite long (over 500 pages), but Nathan made sure that we got to know the many different sides of characters and I thought they were incredibly well brought to life. I liked how the novel also featured some more serious themes (infidelity, money problems, health problems, betrayal etc.) because I think they balanced out the story, which included both lots of laughter and some serious moments too - that's really my perfect combination plot wise, and I'm also pleased that this story even comes with a twist or two, which is another plus in my book, hehe.

All in all, this book was a fantastic read and it definitely won't be my last by Nathan as I've already ordered almost all of her other books - she wrote five of them, but sadly there won't be any news ones because the author passed away in 2006. :( In her memory, a literary award been named after her - The Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance, which is quite fitting seeing how The Nanny was one of the best rom coms I've ever read!

I strongly recommend this book and I think it's a perfect choice for the fans of Sophie Kinsella and Jenny Colgan or just for anyone in need of some cheering up!

overall rating: 5/5
plot: 5/5 | writing: 5/5 | characters: 5/5 | cover: 4/5