Cover Crazy#1 & Top Ten Tuesday (7)

The meme is just what the title says. It's a weekly meme usually hosted on Mondays, in which bloggers are free to showcase covers they are lusting after and discuss the design. Tawni over at The Book Worms is the creator of this meme, inspired by her love of design. Ready to start participating? Well, then view Tawni's first cover crazy post for more information.

Covers of the Week

The spray of white on pink gives off the illusion of white greenery, white trees to be exact, prettily placed all around the cover in Choker. It's simplicity and the color scheme give it an appealing quality that catches the wandering reader's eye. The font of the title is gorgeous script, which flows into little plants at the ends. However the colors attracted me the most, considering how the pink and white make it elegant-looking with the dark contrast of the title color, giving me a kind of ominous or sinister vibe. The cover for Chime alone would push me to read the book. I love the vibrancy of the different shades of brown, kind of crackling at the bottom like a current of electricity. The model's hair is flying in an odd direction, almost mimicking the motion of flame. The font of the title exuded an old quality, antique-ish and the color use of the bright light blue in the font is exquisite. Love it! And I'm reminded of The Vespertine, the girl running away from something on the cover, when I look at Forgiven. Again, the vivid red color of the model's dress is eye-catching , with her hair billowing out as she runs making me think she's in some sort of trouble or danger. That is enough to intrigue me. I'm not a big fan of the title's script font. It doesn't seem to suit the book as well as my other choices.

I'm actually in possession of Choker as of yesterday and cannot wait to read it. Chime and Forgiven are 2011 releases, the first releasing in March and the second in June. So, I'll be looking forward to those releases like mad. The covers drive me C R A Z Y. (Yeah, bad joke. xD)

And what about you, my fellow book lovers and book readers? What has been driving you nuts cover-wise? Is it pretty? Dark, maybe? Cute-looking? Colorful and fun or magical and intriguing or both? Tell me, people!

Meme looks like fun? Awesome! Participate next Monday!

Top Ten Tuesday

Okay, so this triple T feature/weekly meme is hosted by the totally awesome, so have to follow The Broke and the Bookish! Yes, obviously, I am participating. *bows* Now, for a disclosure: This meme isn't meant to instigate any sort of problems or unhealthy debates, nor is it something authors or fans should take offense by. Top Ten Tuesday is just another way to spread the word about books, and how much they are loved.

ANYWAY, this week's topic: Best Debuts of Any Time, which begs the question what debut novels took you by surprise and knocked your coolly mismatched socks off?

I'm going with YA-themed debuts (surprise, surprise) because some of them were just wonderful. The following list is in no particular order as far as ordered favorites. Keep in mind, I may be wrong about any of them being debuts but I'm pretty sure that they are.

1) Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey: With Jessica's GtDotDS I was still a newbie at the paranormal scene, let alone the reading scene, so to to fall in love with a book like this one was a big encouragement to continue reading these types of books. For those who have not read it, it's a pretty great paranormal book. For those who have, I just found out there's a sequel being released this year: Jessica Rules the Dark Side.

2) Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler: I was pleasantly surprised when I found that I totally fell in love with this book. I mean, come on, how can you not love a book that successfully merges the paranormal with a common issue amongst adolescents? Can't wait to read the sequel, Rage.

3) 13 to Life by Shannon Delany: I still remember how much I freaked out when I found out that there was going to be a book on Russian werewolves. I'm a huge fan of accents and languages and dialects and what have you. Russian among them. So, I positively died...And came back to life to be sure that I read it. It was great. I think I would have given four out of five stars if I reviewed it now.

4) Iron King by Julie Kagawa: Of course I had to mention the Iron Fey series. This is without a doubt my favorite series of 2010. If people have been telling you that this series awesome, they're absolutely right to say that. Trust me.

5) The Duff by Kody Keplinger: Another of my favorite 2010 debuts is The Designated Ugly Fat Friend, aka The Duff. I loved Wesley and Bianca to no end, and have reread this book at least twice. Bianca: "El tono de tu voce hace que me quiera estrangularme." The sound of your voice makes me want to strangle myself. ROFL.

6) The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson: This book is very close to my heart. I'm so proud to own it. It's one of the best, most simultaneously heart-warming and heart-wrenching book in existence and remains one of the most beautiful novels out there to this day, at least to me.

7) Evermore by Alyson Noel: I think I've found that this first book in the Immortals series was the best and my favorite. Though, I'm not entirely sure if it's because I'm still ticked off at the direction the series ventured by the end of book three or if because that sentiment is actually true. I really have to get over it and catch up with this series.

8) Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: Going to tell me you weren't thinking it? One of the starter novels I read that really got me into YA.

9) City of Bones by Cassandra Clare: I still feel that this novel and the rest in the series, is probably one of the best in the YA market. I don't think many have topped the epic-ness of the novel. And plus, there are just some A W E S O M E characters too!

10) Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick: Probably one of my favorite angel books. I'm not sure if I'm going on to read Crescendo though, mainly because I liked how the first one ended and I'm not ready to jeopardize that by reading a suspicious sequel.

And you guys? What books make you swoon even now, but completely knocked you off balance when you recognized that it was a debut, a starter for this author? What immediately comes to mind when you think that? Have any favorites? Let me know.

& Thanks for reading!

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• May do a review for The Sky is Everywhere as participation in a meme I got a whiff of called Forget Me Not. Which is hosted by Steph at http://thethoughtsofabookjunky.blogspot.com/.

Want to find out what fabulous books I picked up/received this last week? Read my In My Mailbox post from yesterday!

Check out my Review:Watch Me by Lauren Barnholdt and learn what I thought!