Cover Comparison: Sarah Dessen Edition

This cover comparison has been brewing for months now (I'm pretty sure Russell from The Habermann Press suggested do it sometime last year. WHOOPS.) but now it's finally here. YAY!

In all honesty the reason why I decided not to do this comparison till now is because I wanted to wait till the summer because Sarah Dessen's books are quintessential summer reading. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I can be a horrible procrastinator. Okay, so maybe it's partially because I'm a horrible procrastinator, but let's just forget about that....

As you guys probably know (unless you're living under a rock somewhere which I highly doubt since you're on the internet reading this blog) all of Sarah Dessen's books got cover redesigns last year. Yep, every last one of them. I'm sure you've seen at least some of these new covers already but lets take a good look at them and the original covers.

                                                                Original Covers

                                                         New Covers

                     

Original Covers: I'm a big Sarah Dessen fan so to me these covers are classic. I've read every one of Sarah's books when they bore these covers so it only makes sense that they hold a special place in my heart. Along for the Ride and The Truth About Forever are my two favorites, but I feel like This Lullaby and Dreamland both have pretty timeless designs. That being said I do have to admit that some of the other covers look a bit outdated and were probably in need of a revamp.

New Covers: The first thing thought pops into my head when I see these new covers is that almost every one of them looks super photoshopped and staged. I don't know what it is about the way these covers are edited, but they just look so sterile to me. Regardless I do love some of them. The Lock and Key cover? Perfection, and to be honest probably one of my new favorite book covers.  However, I feel like some of the other covers are just lacking. The Truth About Forever, What Happened to Goodbye, and That Summer just don't hit home for me. I feel like their original covers represented their story much better, but whatever.

So Who Wins? In this case I really can't pick a definitive winner. For some of these books I definitely prefer the original cover, while for others I absolutely adore the new cover. However I must admit that across the board I love the gorgeous coloring of Sarah Dessen's name on all of the new covers. They got that right!

Instead of telling me which set of covers you like best like you normally do, this time I want you guys to let me know which of Sarah Dessen's book covers, old or new, are your favorite! I'm super curious to hear your responses and see if we share cover favorites. :D

Julia :)

Super Six Sunday: My favorite summery book covers!

Super Six Sunday is a new meme hosted by Bewitched Bookworms! This is my first time joining in with this fun new meme. Maybe I'll make it a habit. :)

This week's theme is all about summery book covers, and boy do I have a lot to say about this because I am a huge book cover fanatic.

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6. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

This book is pretty much the epitome of the perfect summer beach read, so of course it's cover had to be on my list. It's simple, yet still manages to give off that beachy summer vibe. Plus, I've always been in love with the stylized title font. 

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5. The Moon and More, That Summer, and Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Yes, I do realize that I'm sort of cheating by putting all three of these books in the same category, but they're all Sarah Dessen so I figure it's okay right? Out of all of the covers for Sarah Dessen's books these four seem the most summery to me. I particularly love The Moon and More cover (can you say, summer beach house vacation?) and the original Along for the Ride cover. My reasons for liking the original Along for the Ride cover may or may not have to do with biceps.... :P

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4. The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life 

by Tara Altebrando

This cover totally reminds me of those late summer nights gallivanting about town with friends. Not that I've ever actually done that (I'm such a home body) but it makes me want to do that. Other cover designers should be taking notes because I absolutely adore the way the font is overlaying an image. More covers should look like this!

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3. Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

I just love this book and it's cover. First of all, the color scheme is gorgeous. Orange is my favorite color so I'm a big fan of sunsets on book covers. Secondly this cover totally has that easy breezy summer feel to it. It also feels strangely nostalgic, which makes sense considering what the book is about. Overall I just really love this cover and it totally makes me want to head off to a vacation house on a lake. 

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2. Five Summers by Una LaMarche

I absolutely adore this cover! I do realize it's practically the same design as the Second Chance Summer cover, but I prefer this one for some reason. I don't know about you guys, but seeing this cover makes me really want to head to the beach with my besties. I really need a good beach day! 

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1. Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita

This is hands down my favorite summery book cover. I am such a sucker for this book (if you like summer camp books read it) and I think the cover is just awesome. It encapsulates the summer camp vibe perfectly and just looking at it makes me want to immediately pack my bags and head down to camp, even though I'm too old to go to camp anymore. Why is there no such thing as college student summer camp? Oh right, that's called being a camp counselor. Why am I not a camp counselor?

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So those are my six favorite summery book covers! Well, technically eight if you count the extra Sarah Dessen one's, but who cares, that's a technicality.

What are some of your favorite summer book covers? Leave them in the comments below and be sure to link me to your Super Six Sunday post so I can check it out!

Julia :)

June Book Haul and TBR Pile Update!

Hey guys!

It's been awhile since I've posted (I've been SUCH a bad blogger lately) but here is a nice little update on what my book/TBR pile is looking like right now!


CHECK OUT ALL THESE AWESOME BOOKS! :D

I've been using this little nightstand/side table thing to store my books for awhile now and of course I'm totally running out of room already. Welp. #BookLoverProblems

Here's a rundown of the books I got in text form if you don't want to watch the vlog.

Library/Borrowed
The Originals by Cat Patrick
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
The Diviners by Libba Bray
Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
Babe in Boyland by Jody Gehram
The List by Siobhan Vivian
Light by Michael Grant

In the Mail
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodges Burnett
Eagle Strike by Anthony Horowitz
Ark Angel by Anthony Horowitz
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
Smile for the Camera by Kelle James
The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa


Purchased
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of the Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen (SIGNED!!!)

For Review
Quarantine: The Loners by Lex Thomas
Quarantine: The Saints by Lex Thomas
A Really Awesome Mess by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin
Huge thanks to Egmont USA for the opportunity to review these awesome books!

I just wanted to mention that I got to meet Sarah Dessen last week at her signing at Towne Center Books in Pleasanton California and it was AWESOME! Here's a picture I got of me and Sarah at the signing.

I can hardly wait to read The Moon and More! Unfortunately I have quite a few library and review books I have to tackle first, but once I'm done with those I will definitely be reading it. I'm so excited!

I hope all of you lovely readers are having a great summer so far and are getting the chance to catch up on some great summer reading! Any suggestions for summer books I just have to read?

Julia :)