Hard Cover Vs Paperback

We all love books, that's why we blog, and read other blogs, but in which format do you love your books the most? With there being paperback(trade paperback), mass-market paperback, hard cover, and even audio and ebook form, I'm curious to know what people like.

I like both paperback and hardcover, and looking through my bookshelf, it's obvious.

There are some books that I prefer one over the other. For example, I have most of Jodi Picoults books, and they are all paperback, except for House Rules which is hardcover. Honestly, I love reading Picoults book in their paperback format. They are small, and easy to handle and easy to read. And for whatever reason, I feel more at home and comfortable holding her books in paperback. But on the other hand, I love my hardcover Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. Yes, they are big, thick and heavy, but they fit so nicely in my hands, and I love the feel of them. I've held the paperbacks of these books, and they don't feel right. And other series, such as the House Of Night, I don't mind one over the other. (I have #1-4 in paperback, and #5-8 in hardcover).

I've got an audio book (Tell Me A Secret by Holly Cupala) on my ipod, and I've listened to the first few chapters while I'm on the bus, and I'm not really fond of this format. I find myself looking around, not really paying attention to the story and just forgetting that I'm listening to a book and not music. I would much rather be holding a book and reading it.

And now for the most debated format of all - ebooks. I don't have an e-reader and have no plans on buying one any time in the future. Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of these, but I have no use for one. I enjoy holding the book, and I feel good knowing that I have a book in my purse or bag. I don't travel very often or very far, and therefore I can stick a book in my luggage and not worry about not having a back up book. Sure, I've tried my hand at winning a Kobo, or a Nook, because I am interested in seeing if I would like it or not. But for me, I'm not ready to make the purchase toward an e-reader.

What about my fellow book bloggers, or book readers, what do you prefer and why?

In My Mailbox (February 27, 2011)

In My Mailbox credit goes to The Story Siren

This week was another great week. So I hope you all had an awesome week for books too!

Here we go:

Bought:

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - I found this gorgeous 1st American Edition at a local second hand book store. It's in such good condition, and I just couldn't pass it up.

Won:

The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore - thanks to a book club I'm part of online for holding the contest for this one, it looks so good!

Past Midnight Series #1 & 2 - Past Midnight and 100 Candles by Mara Purnhagen - Thank you Reading Teen for this. It was their Reading Teen Spotlight, and I was lucky enough to win the contest. And let me tell you that these books are so pretty in real life.

I also got 2 copies of Words by Ginny L. Yttrup for the giveaway I'm hosting. You can check out my review here and if you'd like a chance to win, then check out the giveaway page, here!

What did you guys get in your mailbox? Leave a link, and I'll check it out!

Words by Ginny L. Yttrup Giveaway

*EDIT* Thanks all for entering - CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED*

Back some time ago, I got an ARC of Words by Ginny L. Yttrup. I read it, and really enjoyed it. You can read my review here.

The lovely people at B&H Publishing sent me 2 copies for a giveaway.

The giveaway is simple - all you have to do is be a follower and fill out the form here. No extra entries, but blogging or tweeting - spreading the word somehow is always appreciated.

Giveaway is open to Canada and US (There will be a winner from both Canada and the US)
Contest closes March 14th, 2011

Thanks to all who enter, and good luck!

Book Review - Wither (Chemical Garden #1) by Lauren DeStefano

Publish Date: March 22, 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Pages: 358
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0905-7
Series: The Chemical Garden Trilogy
Source: ARC from S&S

Summary:
What if you knew exactly when you would die?
Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.
When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.
But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left.

My Review:
As you know (or don't), covers are a huge part of a love of books for me, and the first time I saw Wither, I knew I'd have to read and have this book. Never did I expect Simon and Schuster to send me an ARC, and when it came, I was blown away!
I was also blown away by the story. It's about Rhine, a young girl who is sold into a relationship with a husband, Linden, and 2 sister wives, Jenna and Cecily. Rhine goes from living on the lookout and having to board up her house to protect her and her older brother, to living  in a world with riches and wealth, and it is exciting and scary for her. She forms friendships with the least likely - an attendant - and together they work to plan her escape.
This is a debut novel for DeStefano, and I think she did a wonderful job. The writing is not only phenomenal, but the storyline and characters are up to par with it. This is a dystopian novel, and I haven't read many in this genre, (Read this one for Dystopian February @ Presenting Lenore) but Lauren DeStefano writes a clear story and paints a clear picture in your head of the future set out in Wither. The plot read well and had me interested all along.
The characters are well written and unique and for characters who only live to 20 (females) and 25 (males), we can learn a lot about them and we can see how they each deal with the inevitable - death.
Wither is a great read. There are twists, and strong characters throughout the novel, and with a haunting quote at the front of the book - "This is the way the world ends / Not with a bang / But a wimper" T.S Eliot, "The Hollow Men" - and that stunning front cover, we know we're getting ourselves into something really good.

In My Mailbox (February 13, 2011)

In My Mailbox credit goes to The Story Siren

First of all, I wanted to say that I'm still working on doing some changes to my blog, just haven't had much time to work on it. So sorry about that, hopefully by next week I'll be done!

Anyways, I had a great week this week!

Bought:

White Cat by Holly Black - I got an ARC of Red Glove last week, so I figured I'd get this book to have on hand to read first

Won:

ARC of Across The Universe by Beth Revis - Thanks to Nikki Katz for this one.

Quiver by Holly Luhning - Thanks HarperCollinsCa!

Freefall (Spread the Word Contest) - I was so excited to have won this pack from Mindi Scott herself! I read this book, and really enjoyed it - review here) I was lucky enough to get 2 signed copies of Freefall (one for me, one for my sister over at Get Healthy Momma), some signed bookmarks, and that lovely scarf that's up there in the pictures? - yep, that's the Hufflepuff scarf she made for me! Filling out the entry form, we had the option to pick one of the 4 Harry Potter house scarves, and since I have a Gryffindor scarf already from the HP exhibition, I went with Hufflepuff for my daughter! She's a huge Harry Potter fan as I've mentioned before, so this is perfect for her!

I think we caught her excited in this picture! (Ironcially, we had just got home from school that day and it was like -27C, and she chose NOT to wear a scarf that day!)

That's what came in my mailbox this week! What about you guys? Leave a link, and I'll come check it out!
(And if you decide to follow me, that's awesome - I am planning a 100 follower giveaway soon!)

Cheers!

Book Review - Awakened by P.C + Kristin Cast

Published: January 4, 2011
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 290
ISBN: 978-0-312-65024-7
Series: House of Night (#8)
Source: Bought

*SPOILER ALERT - Summary may contain spoilers to those who have not read this whole series yet - though my review does NOT contain spoilers*

Summary: “My love, speak to me.  Tell me everything.”  Neferet went to Kalona, kneeling before him, stroking the soft, dark wings that unfurled loosely around the immortal.
“What would you have me say?”  He didn’t meet her eyes. 
 “Zoey lives.” Neferet’s voice was flat, cold, lifeless.
“She does.”
“Then you owe me the subservience of your immortal soul.”  She started to walk away from him.
“Where are you going?  What will happen next?”
 “It is quite simple.  I will ensure Zoey is drawn back to Oklahoma.  There, on my own terms, I will complete the task you failed.”
Exonerated by the Vampyre High Council and returned to her position of High Priestess at Tulsa’s House of Night, Neferet has sworn vengeance on Zoey.  Dominion over Kalona is only one of the weapons she plans to use against Z.  But Zoey has found sanctuary on the Isle of Skye and is being groomed by Queen Sgiach to take over for her there.  Being Queen would be cool, wouldn’t it?  Why should she return to Tulsa? After losing her human consort, Heath, she will never be the same – and her relationship with her super-hot-warrior, Stark, may never be the same either…
And what about Stevie Rae and Rephaim?  The Raven Mocker refuses to be used against Stevie Rae, but what choice does he have when no one in the entire world, including Zoey, would be okay with their relationship?  Does he betray his father or his heart?
In the pulse-pounding 8th book in the bestselling House of Night series, how far will the bonds of friendship stretch and how strong are the ties that bind one girl’s heart?

My Review: I was eagerly awaiting this 8th book in The House of Night series and I was not disappointed. I've been a fan of this series since "Marked". I think the story is creative and written in an interesting way, the characters are fun and real. There are some things about the novels that I admit, aren't ideal, but overall they are great reads!
The thing that bothers me the most would be the back and forth of the "maturity" of the writing. What I mean is this: for parts of the book we're almost in a PG rating - words like "bullpoopie" and scenes with just kissing, which is fine for the fact that these books are YA and geared for 13+. But then we'll go into a rated 18A or R with swear words ( a lot at some points) and very heavy sexual scenes. Honestly, for me neither really bother me. I don't mind either 'ratings' (I'm saying 'ratings' rather lightly, because they are my ratings, and have nothing to do with the authors or publishers or anyone else), but it makes it difficult to recommend the series to anyone. I think that if P.C and Kristin toned it down a little, maybe making it not so racy as a whole, it would be less controversial. That's my biggest issue with Awakened (and the whole HoN series) but with that aside, Awakened is a fun, exciting and on the edge of your seat read.
Zoey Redbird is continuing her quest as a vampyre to help her friends and she hasn't changed since her journey started in Marked. She is still the fun loving girl who will do anything for her friends. What I like most about Zoey, who isn't the brightest crayon in the box, is that she's a normal teenage girl. She asks her friends for help and guidance and sure, she sometimes misses the obvious and makes mistakes, but she learns from them.
Stevie-Rae and her "okie-twang" is back along with Aprhodite and her attitude. But the character I was looking forward to seeing was that gorgeous, bad boy Stark (yum!). And he's back and better than ever!
Overall, just be careful if you're gifting this book, or are sensitive. Make sure the reader can handle the cussing and sexual scenes and references. If you are okay with that, then you wont be disappointed with Awakened or the whole HoN series.
Though it seems that HoN could have been wrapped up a few books ago, that's alright because the Casts' are a great pair and they can write great books, and I'm looking forward to reading Destined when it comes out at the end of the year.

In My Mailbox (February 6, 2011)

In My Mailbox credit goes to The Story Siren

Well guys, this week was a slow week - not a thing ended up in my mailbox. That's okay though, because I am expecting a few great packages soon! Including one from Mindi Scott herself, a copy of Across The Universe and some other awesome books! I hope that everyone else had a great week and got some great things and read some great books!

What came in your mailbox? Leave a link, and I'll check it out.