End of February Book Haul!

February has come to and end, which means my bookshelf is a whole month of book-buying fuller!

It's a big one this month, because the bookstore was having some great deals, plus there were some awesome new releases I could not resist.
Here's what I got this month:

This Star Won't Go Out (Esther Earl), Cress (Marissa Meyer), Ignite Me and Unite Me (Tahereh Mafi), 13 Little Blue Envelopes (Maureen Johnson), Breathe (Sarah Crossan), Cruel Beauty (Rosamund Hodge)

Dreamless (Josephine Angelini), Incarnate (Jodi Meadows), Partials (Dan Wells) 

The Selection Stories (Kiera Cass), Once (Anna Carey),  Arise (Tara Hudson), Spark (Amy Kathleen Ryan)

Arise is a duplicate (oops), so I'll be returning that one to the bookstore. This is what happens when you have so many books AND you work at a bookstore. Sometimes it's hard to remember if you've seen the book on your actual shelf or the shelves at work. Oops :P

 And I picked up the Vampire Academy paperback and MTI box set. I own the first book as a hardcover as well as the sixth, but finding them all in hardcover now is going to be difficult because they are not easily available. I was going to order them from The Book Depository (fab site, by the way. Free worldwide shipping), but figured this is easier. Plus, I like the new cover designs (minus the MTI edition of the first book, but that's okay).

Some more pictures of the box set:

And just for fun, here's something bookish that I bought to add to my bookshelf!

A book clock! I saw this and could not resist! I admit I do still look at the time on my laptop when I'm using it or my phone, but this clock looks so great on my shelf <3 Don't you think?

Cover Judging aka Book Cover OCD

When it comes to book covers, I am a very picky person.

For example, if I am going to buy a book series, I like their covers to match. Shatter Me is coming out with new covers, so even though I had the original cover, I got the new one so that my collection would match.
You know how Shatter Me used to be this:

And now it's this:

I also like my book series covers to be the same in terms of hardcover, trade, and pocket paperbacks. I have two series currently that greatly bothers my book cover OCD. My Matched trilogy, for example, is a mix of cover types. I have the first in paperback because it was only available in paperback when I bought it, but then Crossed and Reached are hardcover because the series became popular and the bookstores in my city got those. So that series of mine is mixed up, which bothers me a lot, but I try my best not to think about it.

My The Mortal Instruments series collection by Cassandra Clare also suffers from this. I was introduced to the series earlier this year and the first three were out in paperback, so I got those. Then I bought the next two in their hardcovers, so that series is all mixed up. I am justifying this one, however, by saying the first three were meant to be only a trilogy, but then more were made (if this is wrong, don't correct me. It will only drive me insane! haha).

Then I have my Tamora Pierce's Protecter of the Small series which is all mucked up because I have First Test and Page and Lady Knight as trade paperbacks, but when I bought the series, they only had the pocket paperback for Squire and I did not want to wait to order in the trade. So that series is all weird and I'm SUPER tempted to but the trade paperback of Squire because we have it at my work, haha.

But then sometimes I get even pickier, and this is what I really wanted to write about for this blog post.

I bought John Green's Looking For Alaska in the new cover. You know, the one with the girl's face? This one:

WELL. A little over two weeks after I bought it (you know, just over the 14 day return policy at my work - not that I kept the receipt anyway), my work got in the original covers in paperback. The awesome-looking one that I had wanted to get but we didn't have them... To clarify, this one:

And now I have what I refer to as the 'ugly' cover (it's not ugly; I just prefer the original) and I pass the 'nice' cover multiple times per day at work (I work at a bookstore, in case that wasn't already clear :P) and it's TORTUROUS. Because all I want is the pretty candle cover.

So I'm pretty sure I'm going to give in and buy the candle cover. Then I'll have two copes of LFA, which is just silly.

So look out in the future for TWO giveaways from me. One featuring the 'ugly' LFA cover (sorry. The content is still the same and it's perfect condition - just not the nicer candle cover :P) and one featuring the old Shatter Me paperback.

Yay free books!

Again, the giveaways won't be until 2013, because the end of the year is just too busy for me to focus on anything like that. Plus shipping costs money and Christmas is coming up and yadda yadda. You get it.

Anyway, I just had to share that.

Anyone else extremely picky with covers?

I had to borrow copies of the Harry Potter series as they came out because I had the first three in paperback. Now THAT was torture. I don't know how, but I managed to avoid spoilers for each book, and sometimes I had to wait months before I could get my hands on a borrowed copy because I was not about to go out and buy the hardcover when I began the series with paperbacks. (Speaking of HP, my covers are getting worn. I really like the adult covers, so I'm probably going to buy them when I can justify the purchase. But hmm. Hardcover of paperback? The paperback covers are pocket, which I love. But hardcover will be more durable... Yeah... HC it will be.)

As I was asking, is anyone else extremely cover-OCD like me? I'm sure I'm not the only one out there. I've had discussions about this with customers at work, but I'd like the reassurance on here, too. Plus talking covers is fun! Haha.

CourtTalks: Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

Above is a follow up review to this post, my mini review of Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi. Caution: spoilers!

Mini Review: Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

If Destroy Me does not make you sympathize with Warner, I honestly don't think you actually read it.

Title: Destroy Me
Series: Shatter Me trilogy
Placement in Series: 1.5
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Rating: 5/5

Blurb:

In Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she’ll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of. . .

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.

Set after Shatter Me and before its forthcoming sequel, Unravel Me, Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

This novella was so perfect. So needed. If you read the Shatter Me series, you need to read this novella. It is not an option. This book is so integral to the plot that it cannot be set aside. To me, it's book 2. And Unravel Me will be book 3.

In Destroy Me we get a much bigger picture of everything that is going on. We get to see how the Reestablishment functions. We get to see so much more than Juliet could show us; even more than Adam could show us. We really get an insider's view of how the post-apocalyptic world Tahereh Mafi created functions and who runs it. And we get to see inside Warner's head.

I don't want to spoil anything, so if you haven't read Destroy Me yet, go do that now. It's an e-novella. And probably on Tuesday I will be doing a follow-up review in video format which will be full of spoilers because I need to talk about this book.
Brilliant.

Waiting On Wednesday #2

This week I'm anxiously waiting on book 1.5 of the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi. Destroy Me, written from Warner's perspective, is due out in e-book format on October 2nd 2012.

Goodreads blurb:

In Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she’ll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of. . .

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.

Set after Shatter Me and before its forthcoming sequel, Unravel Me, Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

Just hearing that is will be in Warner's perspective was enough to get me excited for Destroy Me. It is not often that readers get the perspective of the antagonist. I am curious to see just exactly how Warner's mind works, and am looking forward to seeing him in future books. I mean, he was able to touch Juliette... BUT HOW?

*bounces up and down in excitement*

Also, the cover text: "She will choose me"

LOVE. IT.

Who else will be purchasing this e-novella? What are you most excited for? Discuss in the comments below :)

Cover Reveal: Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

I fell in love with Shatter Me after reading towards the end of 2011. I won't get too much into it, as I still need to do a Shatter Me review post (after I re-read, however). So I was super excited to see the cover for the second book in the series, Unravel Me.


Look at this beauty (or rather, these beauties, as the new Shatter Me cover was also revealed not long ago)!
Edit: Cover of Destroy Me, book 1.5 in the series, has been added below after being revealed on 6.22.12

I cannot get over how beautiful these covers are. Seriously, I cannot stop staring.

My favourite part of the new covers is how they link together. Shatter Me's cover shows branches for the eye's lashes, except for the one corner of the eye which is turning icy. This brings us to Unravel Me's cover, which has icy lashes, but the corner of the eye this time is watery. I'm wondering if the third book will follow this pattern, and if the lashes there will be water? We have a long wait to find out!

Until then, we get to see the cover for Shatter Me book 1.5, Destroy Me, which Tahereh Mafi will be revealing later today (June 22nd, 2012). I, for one, am super excited about that! I want to get to know our antagonist of Shatter Me. He certainly has be intrigued. And goodreads says the e-book contains 150 pages of Warner goodness, so I could not be more stoked!

So what do you guys thing?

Do you like the Unravel Me cover? Which cover do you prefer? The old Shatter Me cover? Or do you like the new design?

And if you haven't read Shatter Me yet, what are you doing? Get on over to the bookstore and pick yourself up a copy! I can't say for sure when I'll have a review up, but by the time Destroy Me is out, I promise you I shall! For now, click here to be taken to the goodreads.com description of Shatter Me.

*goes back to staring at these beautiful covers*