Monday, January 30, 2012

Doppelganger Cover & More Foreign Covers


Last week I showed some foreign covers and Kara-Karina's sharp eyes noticed that the image for the Czech edition of The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan is the same as the image on the cover of Elizabeth Miles' Fury. It's a great photo, but I think the Fury cover just stands out more.


I just found the website for Kirsten Gier, author of Ruby Red. The US cover isn't out yet for the next in the series, Sapphire Blue, but don't you like the German  and French covers? Kirsten has lovely graphics on her site.



Some books get an entire makeover from one country to the next. In the UK, Incubus by bestselling Carol Goodman used the same cover image as my upcoming YA. Her gothic erotic story is classified as an adult fantasy. In the US, the author's name is changed to the more YA friendly Juliet Dark, the title is changed to The Demon Lover, and the image now resembles a Lauren Kate book. Carol/Juliet has pretty great cover karma, because I'd pick up both editions if I saw them in the bookstore.

Tomorrow I'm probably going to discuss some of my thoughts about the reviewer/author scuffles that are still continuing. I probably won't change anyone's mind. My own feelings are: So long as an author doesn't drown a bag of kittens, I don't care what he or she is like. I don't care if the author is late with taxes, doesn't pick up socks, and eats foods in alphabetical order. I don't care if the author is a horrible boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife. I care about the books. Anyway, I'll yak about it tomorrow.


GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

I was recently watching an older BBC series of Jane Eyre and I realized how much Ian Somerhalder reminds me of Timothy Dalton: black hair, deep blue eyes, cleft on chin, tendency to smirk. When he was younger, Timothy starred as Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights and you can see why a girl would go mad over him.



Timothy is far too handsome for Jane Eyre's Rochester, but he acts the heck out of the role. He glowers and compels and demands and insults and charms like nobody's business.



Brilliantly schmaltzy and Timothy with an eye patch!



Timothy rocks the Victorian costumes! Cuz he's Dr. Rock!

Friday, January 27, 2012

More Blogs for You to Follow & Foreign Cover Fabness



The Passionate Bookworm seems to be a relatively new blog, but, wow, has it shot out of the gate. (The Husband, who is from Argentina, thinks "wow" sounds ridiculous. Say it several times in a row and you might agree.) I can't find any blogger bio, but I think it's a very cool looking blog with lots of cover art and a great color scheme and background graphic. Lots of reviews, giveaways, and a terrific Foreign Cover Friday feature. TPS shares the German cover (above) for the newly released Everneath and I really love the Czech cover for The Forest of Hands and Teeth (right).



 
What can I say about Book Lovers Inc.? I can say that the fantastic Stella of Ex Libris is one of the international crew of book bloggers who specialize as: Geeky Lover, HEA Lover, Latin Lover, Smutty Lover, Quirky Lover, Winged Lover, Cornered Lover, Danger Lover, Needy Lover, and Coffee Lover. So, whether you're faithful to one genre or you like to skip around, you're sure to discover something at Book Lovers.

Recent posts include a pictorial with explanation of the Winged Lover's bookshelves, The Needy Lover's Q&A and Giveaway with author Regan Summers, and The Smutty Lover's Bookish News of the Week. Check out the right sidebar for a list of all their contests!



I suffer from blog envy, but sometimes a blog's design and art is just so good that they wipe away all my grimy feelings and just make me happy. That's how I feel when I visit Kathy's I'm A Reader, Not a Writer. The lovely banner makes me think of being a kid and that pure magical joy of reading a story. Kathy is a stay-at-home mom, who says, "I read from a variety of genres but favor fairy tales, fantasy and clean romance. I try to read books that are clean & uplifting."

She has reviews, interviews, and contests, including the Young Adult Giveaway Hop that is cohosted by Amber of Down the Rabbit Hole. Over 200 blogs have joined in this giveaway hop.


Here are a few German book covers that you might like.




GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

I think I'm just going to post nicer, gentler videos as a Friday special. (Don't expect this mood to last beyond this week.) Enjoy and have a great weekend!