Weekly Gossip

Here's your bookish news from the past week.

First up, cover reveals!

The cover - and the name I believe, as I hadn't heard it before, for the sequel to Tom Clempson's One Seriously Messed-Up Week in the Otherwise Mundane and Uneventful Life of Jack Samsonite has been revealed! It's called - wait for it... *takes a deep breath* One Seriously Messed-Up Weekend in the Otherwise Un-Messed-Up Life of Jack Samsonite!

Continue reading Weekly Gossip

Weekly Gossip

Here's your bookish news from the past week!

First up, cover reveals!

I have the UK and the Australian covers for Falling to Ash by Karen Mahoney to share with you.


UK / Australian
What do you think? I think I prefer the UK cover, but both are pretty awesome! I like the moths coming out of Moth's hair, like her hair could be her own wings.

Continue reading Weekly Gossip

Weekly Gossip

Here is your bookish news from the past week.

First up, cover reveals!

Strange Chemistry have released the preliminary cover artwork for Pantomime by Laura Lam.


Isn't it absolutely gorgeous?! The artwork is by Tom Bagshaw, and I love it! It's so beautiful! Can't wait to see what the final cover will look like!

Continue reading Weekly Gossip

Weekly Gossip

Here's your weekly news from the past week!

First up, the UK cover for Fury's Kiss by Karen Chance:




What do you think? I love it! Oooh, I can't wait to read it, I am so excited!

Continue reading Weekly Gossip

Competition: Jack the Ripper Tour with Maureen Johnson

JACK THE RIPPER FAN WALK



To celebrate the publication of Maureen Johnsons new YA thriller The Name of the Star, HarperCollins Children’s Books is offering 10 lucky readers the opportunity to accompany Maureen Johnson on a private Jack the Ripper walk in London on Thursday, 13th October 2011.

The walk begins at 5:00 PM and will carry-on for two hours into the night! Visit the haunting sites of Jack the Ripper and hear first-hand from Maureen how they inspired her new book The Name of the Star.

To enter, simply email nameofthestar@harpercollins.co.uk for a chance to attend the event with a friend.

Disclaimer: Entrants must be 13 or over. Please ensure that you are available to attend the event on Thursday, 13th October from 5.00pm to 7.00pm before entering. Winners will be informed on Friday, 7th October, and will be provided with further instructions then.

Continue reading Competition: Jack the Ripper Tour with Maureen Johnson

News: Design the New Cover for Lord fo the Flies Competiton for 13 - 16-Year-Olds

There is a new design initiative for young people, which has been recently announced between Faber and Faber and Guardian News & Media.

They're calling on young artists to create a brand new look for one of the world’s most famous books: Lord of the Flies by William Golding. One talented artist will be selected by a team of expert judges and will have the chance to watch as their work is transformed by the Faber design team into a cover for the new educational edition of Lord of the Flies. The winning illustration will be unveiled at a special exhibition showcasing the best of the entries, and the winner and other featured entrants will be invited to the opening of the exhibition at the Guardian’s offices in London in February 2012.

The competition is open to young artists aged 13 to 16, and submissions are welcome in any medium. The closing date for entries is 20 January 2012 and can be made by visiting http://lordofthefliescover.com/, which also features exciting additional content for aspiring illustrators.

For more information, check out the press release.

Continue reading News: Design the New Cover for Lord fo the Flies Competiton for 13 - 16-Year-Olds

Spinebreakers' Across the Blogoverse Challenge!

Today it's my turn for the Across the Blogosphere Challenge! Don't know what I'm talking about? Read on...

ENTER THE ‘ACROSS THE BLOGOSPHERE’ CHALLENGE AND WIN A ZERO GRAVITY EXPERIENCE FOR YOU AND A FRIEND!!

Come on board and enter the ‘Across the Blogosphere’ challenge to celebrate the UK launch of Across the Universe by Beth Revis & WIN the chance to experience zero-gravity!

All you need to do is follow the blog schedule below and make a note of just ONE item that ONE of the bloggers would like to add to a time capsule of 2011. You will also need to make note of Beth Revis’ time capsule item, which will be uploaded to the Across the Universe UK Facebook page AT RANDOM during this week.

Become a fan now, so you don’t miss out!



So, that’s only TWO items in total- ONE from any of the blog sites listed and ONE from Beth Revis that you’ll find on facebook.

ACROSS THE BLOGOSPHERE CHALLENGE BLOG SCHEDULE

Monday 28th February: Wondrous Reads
Tuesday 1st March: Once Upon A Bookcase
Wednesday 2nd March: So Many Books, So Little Time
Thursday 3rd March (PUBLICATION DAY!): Narratively Speaking

THE PRIZE IS AIRKIX KIK-START vouchers for you and a friend to experience the thrill of indoor skydiving! (Manchester & Milton Keynes). Find out more here: http://www.airkix.com/

Enter here to WIN!

Good luck! :)

Now seeing as this is a time capsule to go on a spaceship for when it lands several hundred years in the future... then I think, by that time, we would have created "keep fresh for however long you want" food storage bags. And so, because we'll have them, I'll be taking with me a packet of...

GALAXY COUNTERS



Now keep a note of my item for the time capsule, and go a-looking for Beth's item on the Facebook page! Alternatively, you can visit Wondrous Reads and see which item Jenny put in the capsule yesterday, or visit So Many Books, So Little Time tomorrow to see what Sophie puts in! Good luck!

Across the Universe will be released on Thursday. Check out my review and pre-order it from Amazon UK.

Continue reading Spinebreakers' Across the Blogoverse Challenge!

Bookish News!

More news for you - including some beautiful covers!

Firstly, Once Upon a Bookcase now has a Facebook page! Please "like" the page to be kept up to date with all posts on Once Upon a Bookcase from Facebook. Cheers!

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To celebrate the release of The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel, the sixth book in the Earth's Children's series - released 30 years after the first book was published - Hodder and Stoughton have launched a competition in which fans can win tickets to an exclusive event to help bring the character Ayla to life for a special 3D augmented reality cover. Head to the Facebook page for more info!

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Books to check out:

The Girl who Leapt Through Time by Yasutaka Tsutsui - released: 16th May 2011 - One of Tsutsui's best-known and most popular works in his native Japan, The Girl Who Leapt through Time is the story of fifteen-year-old schoolgirl Kazuko, who accidentally discovers that she can leap back and forth in time. In her quest to uncover the identity of the mysterious figure that she believes to be responsible for her paranormal abilities, she'll constantly have to push the boundaries of space and time, and challenge the notions of dream and reality. From Amazon UK

Timeless by Alexandra Monir - released: 11th January 2011 - When tragedy strikes Michele Windsor’s world, she is forced to uproot her life and move across the country to New York City, to live with the wealthy, aristocratic grandparents she’s never met. In their old Fifth Avenue mansion filled with a century’s worth of family secrets, Michele discovers a diary that hurtles her back in time to the year 1910. There, in the midst of the glamorous Gilded Age, Michele meets the young man with striking blue eyes who has haunted her dreams all her life – a man she always wished was real, but never imagined could actually exist. And she finds herself falling for him, into an otherworldly, time-crossed romance.

Michele is soon leading a double life, struggling to balance her contemporary high school world with her escapes into the past. But when she stumbles upon a terrible discovery, she is propelled on a race through history to save the boy she loves – a quest that will determine the fate of both of their lives. From Amazon US

Further info: "In a unique and exciting development, Alexandra has integrated original music into her debut novel's pages, writing two songs for the YA Novel. The songs play a crucial role in the story's plot. Alexandra recorded the songs with producer and musical virtuoso Michael Bearden (musical director of Michael Jackson's last concert, "This Is It") and an all-star 10-piece band. The tracks were written by Alexandra Monir, her songwriting partner Heather Holley (of Christina Aguilera success), and Michael Bearden. The tracks incorporate musical sounds from the historical eras featured in the story.
The songs are currently available on iTunes for $1.29 each or $0.99/song if you buy both."

Grace by Morris Gleitzman - released: 3rd February 2011 - Grace (9+) is a fabulous, thought-provoking novel, encompassing themes of tolerance, family, authority, closed-mindedness and freedom.

Eleven-year-old Grace only knows one world - the world of her mum and dad and twin brothers, and the strict religious community they belong to. Grace is completely devoted to God, but has a highly inquisitive mind thanks to her father who teaches her the importance and the power of question. But when her dad is expelled from their church for asking too many questions, Grace is torn. She blames herself for interrupting prayer at school, mixing with ‘outsiders’ and for asking too many questions.

Setting out on a mission to find her dad and bring him home, Grace begins to understand the manipulative hold the men of her church, and particularly her grandfather, has over her family and she realises the truth behind her father’s expulsion. From press release

Continue reading Bookish News!

Bookish News!

More news for you this week!

Here's the UK cover for Die For You by Amy Plum! How gorgeous is it?! I love it! And I love the sound of this book!


“In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity.”

“When Kate Mercier’s parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her life—and memories—behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping into the world of books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent.

Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate’s guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he’s a revenant—an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are bound in a centuries-old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only to murder and betray. Kate soon realizes that if she follows her heart, she may never be safe again.

In this incandescent debut, newcomer Amy Plum has created a powerful paranormal mythology with immortal revenants. The Paris setting comes enchantingly alive as a relentless struggle between good and evil takes place in its streets. Rich with romance, atmosphere, and thrills, Die for Me will leave readers breathlessly awaiting its sequel.” From AmyPlumBooks.com

I so can't wait to read this book!

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A fan of Anthony McGowan's The Knife that Killed Me? Loved When I Was Joe by Keren David? Devoured Spider by Linda Strachan? Well a fantastic new blog set up by four brilliant authors - Keren David, Anne Cassidy, Gillian Philip and Linda Strachan - will be right up your street! Crime Central will concentrate on crime writing for teens. They will feature new books, get posts from writers and generally promote the genre. They have just launched with a giveaway of Anne Cassidy books. So go check it out!

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A message from Angela Morrison:

"Please celebrate with me! I just got the news that the world-renowned Amabile Youth Singers' recording of, "Take me Home," Beth's solo in SING ME TO SLEEP, is now available on iTunes.

Please, please download it! My amazing composer, Harriet Bushman, and I donated our royalties, so all the iTunes proceeds go to keep the Amabile family singing. I am amazed at what Harriet and the Amabile girls turned my humble lyrics into.

For those of you who haven't read SING, "Take me Home" is a gospel spiritual about a slave girl who wants the Good Lord to take her home. Beth wins the solo from the diva in her competitive girls' choir--and her life is never the same. The Amabile guys, who inspired the story, previously released,"Beth's Song.""

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Ten lucky people can win tickets to meet Twilight author Stephenie Meyer at an intimate gathering! Check out the press release for more info.

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Books to check out:

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After by Steve Hockensmith - The story opens with newly married protagonists, Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy, defending their village from an army of flesh-eating unmentionables. But the honeymoon has barely begun when poor Mr. Darcy is nipped by a raging dreadful. Elizabeth knows the only acceptable course of action is to promptly behead her husband (and then burn the corpse, just to be safe). But when she hears rumours of a miracle antidote being developed in London, she realizes there may be one last chance to save her true love - and for everyone to live happily ever after. From Amazon UK

Continue reading Bookish News!

News: Win an iPod Touch with Triskellion 3

I received some interesting news from Walker Books today! Check it out:

The final and thrilling instalment in the paranormal Triskellion trilogy, The Gathering, has arrived. The hunt for the final Triskellion turns deadly as a story that began in a far distant place ends high above the streets of New York City, and the power of the Triskellion is finally unleashed…

In the Triskellion books you can join twins Rachel and Adam in the search for the Triskellion amulets, brought to Earth millions of years ago by visitors from outer space. But there is still one Triskellion out there!

Enter the Triskellion Quest, watch the video clues and collect the amulets for your chance to win an iPod touch, iTunes vouchers and a signed set of books. Plus, get bonus content! Complete the Quest successfully and you’ll receive an exclusive Amulet Finder certificate and a free eBook download of Triskellion, Book 1*

You can check out the cool Triskellion TV advert on Nickelodeon from 6 – 19 April; take a sneak peek here and if you like it, pass it on to your friends!

Want to become a fan? Join our facebook fan page here and get cool downloads, breaking news and extra behind the scenes content.
Plus, for a limited time only** you can download the iphone app for the first in the trilogy, Triskellion, for free here.

Good luck in your quest!

*Terms and conditions apply. Closing date 14/5/2010
**Closing date 14/5/2010

Sounds call, huh? Get entering!

Continue reading News: Win an iPod Touch with Triskellion 3