The fabulous Lois Eastlund is opening her own boutique on the Lower East Side this week, and I had to give a shout out! For my book party, Lois made the most original gift bag contribution--she dressed dolls in her designs (a Union Jack dress, like the one in the window here) and gave them a tiny Violet in Private book to carry. How cool is that?
You can see her lookbook here, and the next time you're wandering around Ludlow Street, stop by!
PS-Thanks to Books with Wings for the reviews of Violet on the Runway and Violet by Design!
I'm so sad. You guys know I've always mourned the death of ELLEgirl, which was my favorite job ever. And now COSMOgirl! is closing. I was just reading their October issue on the subway, and I was folding down the page that featured "Pretty Cool Job: Nail Polish Namer," because when I was younger, I came across a lip gloss color called Frosted Pumpkin and for some reason I thought that was the Best Name Ever, and I decided I wanted to grow up and name makeup shades. I love that they always had features that made me think, "Yes! I'm so glad they covered this!" Plus, I had been scheduled to work during the Executive Editor's maternity leave, so I was just getting all psyched to be in the office with such an amazing staff.I'm rambling, but the point is, I really have loved COSMOgirl! The smart editorial (this month's "The Myths of Eating Disorders" is a can't-miss read, as is "Stop the Skank Talk"), the increasingly amazing fashion spreads (quirky beautiful, I think) and their focus on leadership among girls. I was also unexpectedly enthralled in their "The Boys of Twilight" triple interview. Sigh. I'll miss you, CG!
The website lives on at cosmogirl.com.
A question for you guys: Are magazines dying? Like, do you read magazines regularly, or have subscriptions? I am online all the time, but I still read magazines too. What about you?
Awesome Connecticut-based YA Librarian Jennifer created this READ poster, which I love, even though I know I look very dorky. See my vertical bookshelf? Yay! And note the two books I'm holding; they are favorites.
Happy Friday!
Oh, and PS-EW's Amy Wilkinson did a great critique of the Twilight Soundtrack poster. Fun to read. (I found it through Ypulse.)
Based on the Mirabella Prince "Love Your Body" campaign in Violet by Design, the fabulous Liviania created her own LYB ads starring friends of hers. What a cool idea! I really adore the photos she took, which are natural and sweet and gorgeous. (I almost said, "Easy breezy beautiful" but that's Cover Girl's line...). Enjoy!
And speaking of Body Image, Little Willow did a fantastic interview with awesome author Claire Mysko, who wrote You're Amazing! A No-Pressure Guide to Being Your Best Self (a signed copy of which will soon be up on Win-It Wednesday!). Quote of the day from Claire: "I think we can't have true beauty without health."
It was awesome to hear about good deeds last week. A few people said they felt uncomfortable tooting their own horn, but I say TOOT TOOT! We all deserve to celebrate the ways we help to make the world better. Like, I think the makers of these tattoos make the world better, but I know some of you might disagree. I just have to say one more thing about YA for Obama: my vlog is up today! I hope you'll go watch it and comment. And, for the other side, there's now a YA for McCain group, which is really cool--something for everyone!Now, political stuff over and it's time to talk of shiny, pretty things:
Shiny, pretty #1: The winner of Elizabeth Scott's Living Dead Girl (+ TESS lip gloss) is... Nikki U! Send me your address, N.
Shiny, pretty #2: I have five (yes! five!) DVDs I have to give away for this week's Win-It Wednesday. Ballet Shoes, The BBC Adaptation of Noel Streatfeild's 1936 novel, stars Emma Watson in her first non-Harry Potter role. I love her! I interviewed her for ELLEgirl and she was totally sweet. The story revolves around three orphans raised as sisters--Pauline, Petrova and Posy Fossil--who are eventually left to fend for themselves. Each has a talent--acting, machinery and... ballet! Pauline also experiences overnight stardom... not unlike a certain book character whose name starts with V (and Emma herself, actually).
I like Emma, I like the BBC and I like ballet (not that I'm good at it, but I just think it's a gorgeous art, minus the bloody toes). So I'm happy to be able to give away five copies of the DVD to five random commenters!
The question to answer in the comments is: If you were going to be famous overnight, what would it be for?
Happy Wednesday!
PS-Thank you Em for the VIP review!
PPS-Here's the original cover for Ballet Shoes from the 1930s (there are new editions on amazon here). I love vintage books!
Pop Culture Junkie Alea and The Chick Manifesto's Amee have given me the "I Heart Your Blog" award, and I thank you both! (UPDATE: Jocelyn of Teen Book Review also hearted me! Yay! UPDATE 2: So did Gabrielle of Innovative: A Word for the Wri-Teen--thanks! UPDATE 3: Alyssa Goodnight shared love too! UPDATE 4: The generous Writers Block Reviews listed me in great company--wahoo!) UPDATE 5: Em hearted me (and called me cute)! Yay! UPDATE 6: Another nomination from Peace, Love, Vote Books! Thanks, Voter!Now, I get to pass it on.
Rules:
1) Add the logo of the award to your blog.
Check.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.
Done!
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
Okay, but I read a ton more than this, I just thought of these first today.
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog.
See below.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs!
Okay!
Blogs I Heart:
1. Fashion Robot. So much personality, so little time. My favorites are outfit-posting days.
2. The Longstockings. Eight YA novelists writing about whatever crosses their minds. How could this be anything but total fun? The writers include: Siobhan Vivian (a fabulous road trip partner, I might add), Coe Booth, Caroline Hickey, Kathryne B Alfred, Lisa Greenwald, Lisa Graff, Jenny Han and Daphne Grab.
3. The Book Nymph. Kate gets in-depth with her reviews, and also includes her emotional reactions, which feels really honest and complete!
4. michaelnorthrop.net: My friend Michael Northrop has a debut YA novel called Gentlemen coming out from Scholastic in Spring 2009. I have already read it (I'm special like that, sometimes), and it's fantastic. Also: It has a crazy cool cover, and I hope Michael will share his Cover Story here one day. But about his blog: It's funny because he is funny.
5. Style Goodies. A quick and entertaining place to find out about various corners of the fashion and beauty worlds.
6. Magazine Milf. Because I can't read all the magazines I get, let alone all the magazines that are printed, and somehow this snarky siren keeps up with most of them.
7. Single-ish. My friend Erin is the girl half of the dating blogger for Glamour, and I love her for her smarts and wit.
Now, I just have to add two contest links, just for fun:
1. Win a signed copy of Violet in Private over at Kathleen's Book Reviews (I met her this weekend at a book fair, which was so much fun!).
2. Head over to Kelly Parra's Secret Fates Extravaganza, where there are oh-so-many chances to win great books as part of the promo party for her new novel Invisible Touch. I'll be blogging about a secret there next week! Here's the promo video:
This week, the talented Alyson Noel is sharing the Cover Story behind her much-lauded book Cruel Summer (see book trailer below for all the dish on it). Take it away, Alyson!"This may seem surprising, but while I'm writing a book I never really think about what its cover might look like. Which is weird, since I'm a really visual person, seeing my stories unfolding before me so clearly I often feel like I'm not so much writing as transcribing the movie I see in my head. And still, I'm always so surprised and (usually) thrilled when I see how the art department has interpreted my words.
"So last year, while I was vacationing in Maui and received an e-mail with the subject line 'CRUEL SUMMER cover,' I opened it immediately and peered at the tiny picture on my Blackberry, which looked like this:
"And I went, Oh, look at that, it's so different from my others--I can't wait to see it full size! And then I pretty much went on with the rest of my vacation, occasionally peeking at it between snorkeling and pool time.
"Not long after I returned home, I got another e-mail stating that there'd been a general consensus that the male model was "too wimpy and not Greek enough" (Yannis, the love interest in the book, is described as a fine-bodied Greek). And so they went back to work and came up with this:
"And, I have to say, it was love at first sight!"
I'm with Alyson--the blue just pops more, and the guy is more, um, well defined. Plus, I love the open sky on both covers--it's rare that you see such a "clean" book cover, and I think it stands out. What about you guys?
Also, here's the trailer for Cruel Summer, so check out the book. Yes, it's in my ever-growing pile and I can't wait to read it!
RIP, Gorgeous. I'm late, but I had to post some photos. If you guys haven't seen Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (my favorite of Paul Newman's...), do it, do it!
Brick and Maggie
That face!
Paul + Joanne
PS-Some of you might have nominated Violet on the Runway for a Cybil, which is so, so nice! But I'm afraid it doesn't qualify because it's a 2007 book. Violet by Design and Violet in Private were both 2008 though! Also, I bought A Crooked Kind of Perfect (one of the 2007 winners) yesterday at a book fair. It looks so good.
First, I have to say this: I loved Nick and Norah! Michael Cera was fantastic, obviously, and so was Kat Dennings! David and Rachel--the authors--were so excited and giddy (spot them in the Veselka diner scene--they're the couple eating behind N&N). You can read what both of them think about the movie here and here. Oh, and the soundtrack was phenomenal. Bishop Allen especially rocked. Okay, gushing over. Go see it! PS-I saw James Franco at a bar after the movie. GOOD NIGHT.Okay, now on to the real purpose of this post. Do you guys know about the Cybils? Here's a little explanation, from the horse's mouth:
"We wanted a literary competition that combined the freewheeling democracy of the Internet with the thoughtfulness of a book club. Cybils lets the public nominate books here on our Cybils blog, but then bloggers team up to pick the finalists and winners. The winning books must combine quality and 'kid appeal.'"
Here's where you can nominate books for the Young Adult category (just leave your book nomination in the comments--one title per person!). There are a bunch of categories, so look through the blog to find more if you want to name more than one title.
Go nominate a book from 2008. It'll be fun. Also, see the widget for last year's winners! (Confession: I've only read one of these--Shannon Hale's Book of a Thousand Days... what about you guys?)
I've been meaning to post photos from my trip to Asheville, NC, and here are a few. The Biltmore is incredible (as was my friend Shay's wedding on the grounds), and the town of Asheville is such a cool spot. Even my New Yorker boyfriend had to admit that it ruled. Plus, I got to meet Violet fans Flinn and Jocelyn (of Teen Book Review fame) at Malaprops, an incredible indie bookstore. Thanks, guys!
Now, tonight I'm going to see Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist! FINALLY. And, awesomely, I'll be seeing it with authors David Levithan and Rachel Cohn. I am so not worthy! And I can't wait. Here's my local subway station's N&N poster, which is kind of the coolest thing ever. When one of my books has a subway poster, I will feel quite queenly.
So, are you guys going to see it this weekend or what? Let me know what you think if you do!
You can see her lookbook here, and the next time you're wandering around Ludlow Street, stop by!
PS-Thanks to Books with Wings for the reviews of Violet on the Runway and Violet by Design!
