Canada Day and A Hiatus of Sorts...

So apparently it's July.  At least that's what people are telling me.  And, I heard from a totally reliable source that July 1 is Canada Day.  So, shout out to all my Canadian friends!  As you all probably know I'm a big fan of Canada.  What with their friendliness and lax attitude towards soft drugs and prostitution and excellent strip clubs and all.  Oh and all that other good stuff that Canada is known for too. You know, like Canadian Bacon.

The Egg McMuffin wouldn't be the same without you Canada!!

Although that whole forcing Howie Mandel on us was NOT cool guys.  Not cool at all.


Conversations with mom...

We were watching "Antiques Roadshow" on PBS, and there was this dude with a couple of dressers. One pretty big, and one smaller.  Anyway, he was telling how they had been handed down through the generations and blah, blah, blah.

Then the antiques expert starts showing him how his dresser is part hand made antique and part modern, machine made crap.  Basically they were worth about whatever he could get for them at a garage sale.

But, the man said something like "But, their memories are priceless to our family" or whatever.

Me: "Yeah, you just keep on telling yourself that buddy."
Mom: "Especially since you're stuck with those things for life now"


Speaking of PBS, my favorite show on that channel is "History Detectives."  And, am I the only one who finds Elyse Luray kinda hot?


There's just something really sexy about super smart, educated and cultured women.


So anyway, like I was saying, apparently it's July.  I'm just taking other people's word on this cause I don't really know for sure myself.  I haven't googled it to confirm it cause I don't want to waste the time.

But, since it's July that means it's time for me to go my traditional July Semi-Haitus again.  What? I haven't been doing that for the last four years?  Well, all traditions have to start somewhere don't they?

So basically I'm going on a hiatus of sorts for the rest of the month of July.  Except for one or maybe two posts.  One for sure.

I found out yesterday, or the day before I can't really remember, that I won a drawing over at Real Live Lesbian's blog for cheap crap (her words) that she brought back from China!!  How awesome is that?  And, honestly who deserves to win a drawing at Real Live Lesbian's blog more than me, cause who loves lesbians more than me?  The only people I love more than lesbians are strippers and maybe hookers.  And, if you're a lesbian who is also a stripper then you are my favorite person on planet Earth!

So, when I get my box of goodies, I'm hoping for a hot Chinese babe, I will post pics or video or whatever.

I'm also considering posting a World Cup finals preview.  We'll see.

Okay, so that's it.  Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian friends and I'll be back a couple of times this month but otherwise see you in August.  Well, not really "see you in August" cause I'll still be commenting.  And I'm always available 24/7 through email, Twitter, Facebook and even by phone.  So, it's not like I'm going to disappear.  I just won't be blogging.

Cover Lust (16): HarperCollins 2011

There's been a sudden increase in beautiful covers in my life. Check out these ones from HarperCollins that have gotten my attention recently.

All summaries are from Goodreads.

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

(Katherine Tegen Books / Feb. 11, 2011)

When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once.

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie's soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember.

It's more in the style of urban fantasy covers than young adult... but I think it's badass. That girl is beautiful in the way she looks like she can cut down anyone who gets in her way.

Entwined by Heather Dixon

(Greenwillow Books / March 29, 2011)

Azalea and her younger sisters dance in the mysterious silver forest every night, escaping from the sadness of the palace and their father’s grief. What they don’t understand—although as time passes they begin to get an inkling of the danger they are in—is that the mysterious and dashing Keeper is tightening his snare with deadly purpose. Luckily, Azalea is brave and steadfast. Luckily, a handsome young army captain also has his eye on Azalea. . . . Lush, romantic, and compelling, this debut novel by Heather Dixon will thrill fans of Shannon Hale, Robin McKinley, and Edith Pattou.

Another 2011 debut novel. I can't tell if the graininess is due to the resolution or not, but that is one gorgeous dress, in a gorgeous garden maze. It seems like a fantastical fairy tale-like story.

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

(HarperTeen / Jan. 4, 2011)

In this first book of a thrilling trilogy about angels, one girl must choose between fulfilling her Purpose and following her heart.

Clara has known she was part–angel ever since she turned fourteen two years ago. But now she is finally getting visions of what her Purpose—a rite of passage for every part–angel—is to be, and it happens to involve a gorgeous guy. Of course, there is the raging forest fire surrounding them, too. When Clara’s Purpose leads her family to Wyoming, Clara finds the boy of her visions, Christian, but complicating her mission are her growing feelings for another guy, Tucker. As the day in her visions draws closer, Clara discovers that her Purpose may play into a larger struggle between angels and Black Wings—fallen angels who spread sadness and misery wherever they go. But when the fire erupts and both Christian and Tucker are in danger, who will she choose to save?

From debut novelist Cynthia Hand comes a riveting tale full of supernatural powers, forbidden romance, and the choice between fulfilling your destiny or following your heart.

I'm kind of wary about angel love triangles, but I do really like this cover, especially the title lettering, which reminds me a lot of the lettering for Beautiful Creatures and Beautiful Darkness. That, plus the purplish tint throughout, definitely puts the girl in a more ethereal light for me.

Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley

(HarperTeen / Feb. 1, 2011)

Corrinne Corcoran’s upscale Manhattan life is perfectly on track—until her father announces he’s been laid off and she’s shipped off to Broken Spoke, Texas, to live with her grandparents. All alone in a big public school and forced to take a job shoveling manure, Corrinne is determined to get back to the glamorous life she’s supposed to be living. But as she grudgingly adjusts—making new friends and finding romance along the way—this city girl begins to realize that life without credit cards and shopping sprees may not be as bad as it seems....

In this sparkling debut that flawlessly balances romance and humor, readers will grow to love sharp and sassy Corrinne as she goes on her totally reluctant but completely irresistible journey of self-discovery.

Never underestimate the power of a contemporary realist novel. Contemporary fiction never sounds as exciting as all the paranormal stuff, but I have a feeling this could be really good. I'm not sure how much I like the models and their poses, but I like the vibrancy of the colors, and think that their costumes are a nice detailed touch.

The Gathering (Darkness Rising, Book 1) by Kelley Armstrong

(HarperCollins / April 12, 2011)

Maya lives in a small medical-research town on Vancouver Island. How small? You can’t find it on the map. It has less than two-hundred people, and her school has only sixty-eight students—for every grade from kindergarten to twelve.

Now, strange things are happening in this claustrophobic town, and Maya's determined to get to the bottom of them. First, the captain of the swim team drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. A year later, mountain lions start appearing around Maya's home, and they won’t go away. Her best friend, Daniel, starts getting negative vibes from certain people and things. It doesn't help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret—and he's interested in one special part of Maya's anatomy: Her paw-print birthmark.

This is the sort-of spinoff from her Darkest Powers series. The cover is not as exciting and nice as the other ones here, but I really like how the earrings sparkles so stunningly against the rest of the more muted picture. The cover's setup reminds me a bit of the covers for Alison Croggon's books, which I'm okay with.

Steel by Carrie Vaughn

(HarperTeen / March 1, 2011)

When Jill, a competitive high school fencer, goes with her family on vacation to the Bahamas, she is magically transported to an early eighteenth century pirate ship in the middle of the ocean.

There's not much about this book yet, but after the way she completely exceeded my expectations with Voices of Dragons, I can't wait for more from Carrie Vaughn, and I don't think anything she writes can go wrong (at least for me). This one about pirates sounds like it's going to be great... but look at that cover as well. The brilliancy of the light on steel, the golden feel of the entire thing. I'm just in awe. I WANT.

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So what do you guys think of these covers? Which would get your attention in a bookstore? Which one do you like most, or are most looking forward to?

Photographer: Chris Daze Ellis