Top Book Covers of 2011

Seeing all of the great lists for 2011 has got me wanting to make a couple of lists of my own for the past year.  I'm not sure I'll be able to make quite as many as some of my fellow bloggers, but I will do my best to showcase what I felt was the best for me in 2011.  Starting off, we'll hit the very first thing we see when we look at a book (and what we really shouldn't judge it by): it's cover.  Keep in mind, these can't be placed in any order because they're all just too beautiful to really give a number to on a scale.  Instead I'll list them by their published date.

The Bake-Off

By: Beth Kendrick

Publish Date: May 3, 2011

Reasons: Being a baker, this cover just makes me want to start baking (even though I don't have my own Cuisinart mixer like the one shown). It also makes my mouth water to see either meringue, whipped cream, or frosting being prepared.

Starcrossed

By: Josephine Angelini

Publish Date: May 31, 2011

Reasons: The ocean backdrop along with the flowing tunic of the girl just emanates beauty (if not Greek mythology). It's simply gorgeous seeing the contrasting colors that also manage to complement each other as well. 

Sweet Venom

By: Tera Lynn Childs

Publish Date: September 6, 2011 

Reasons: Simply put...the hair. Just look at it wriggling and moving around! You know that's not a common talent for hair to do, and that means something is definitely up.

Fateful

By: Claudia Gray

Publish Date: September 13, 2011

Reasons: The ocean and the moon really make this cover for me. It really sets the overall tone of the doomed ship's voyage while also giving a hint of the mystery behind some of the passengers on the Titanic.

Wonderstruck

By: Brian Selznick

Publish Date: September 13, 2011

Reasons: Lightning is both a beautiful and deadly thing. This cover definitely captures the more beautiful side of the element. Plus, again, the blue background is just a gorgeous tone.

Carrier of the Mark

By: Leigh Fallon

Publish Date: October 4, 2011

Reasons: Blue IS my favorite color, so it's only right that most of my covers seem to feature it. Her dress is just amazing, and while I'm not sure how it relates to the story itself, I'm definitely curious.

Awake at Dawn

By: C.C. Hunter

Publish Date: October 11, 2011

Reasons: The waterfall. Powerful and beautiful, it puts our dear heroine in a different perspective. Besides, now I want to find such waterfalls in Texas!

Half-Blood

By: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publish Date: October 18, 2011

Reasons: Simple elegance seems to be a theme for the Covenant series, and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more lovely covers as more books are published.

Shattered Souls

By: Mary Lindsey

Publish Date: December 8, 2011

Reasons: I was very lucky to see the progression of covers for Mary's debut at both of her book signings. It was fortunate for readers that they chose to go with this cover having the girl, her dress fading into rose petals, and the white origami rose on the back cover. Breath-taking.

Touch of Power

By: Maria V. Snyder

Publish Date: December 20, 2011

Reasons: Despite the title, the cover shows a more gentle side and how we must take care when using abilities beyond the means of ordinary people. It offers a nice balance of strength and fragility, making it a very lovely image for the story.

In My Mailbox (16)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren where bloggers post about the books they have received in the past week whether for review, purchased, or checked out from our local library. ^_^

Gifts:

The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey

Rancour by James McCann

(Both of these are from Karen of Books Beside My Bed, thank you, hun!)

Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
(Both of these are from my Secret Santa, the wonderful Lena from I Love Books Club.)

Lena also sent me quite a few goodies with these great books. ^_^

A book bag, a 3D wolf bookmark, purple pens (whoo!), and a mini notepad and pen. Great goodies!

From My Library:

Cake Wrecks by Jen Yates
(Yes, it's THAT Cake Wrecks, and while I find the wrecks amusing, I really love their Sunday Sweets posts more.)

Bought:

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

A very wonderful and generous Mailbox on the part of both Karen and Lena. 
What did you get in your mailbox?

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's "Waiting On" Wednesday selection is:

Wonderstruck

By Brian Selznick

Publish Date: September 13, 2011 by Scholastic Press

From Goodreads.com~

Set fifty years apart, two independent stories--Ben’s told in words and Rose’s in pictures--weave back and forth with mesmerizing symmetry. How they unfold and ultimately intertwine will surprise you, challenge you, and leave you breathless with wonder.

Even since his mom died, Ben feels lost. At home with her father, Rose feels alone.

He is searching for someone, but he is not sure who. She is searching for something, but she is not sure what.

When Ben finds a mysterious clue hidden in his mom’s room,

When a tempting opportunity presents itself ot Rose

Both children risk everything to find what’s missing. 

A story from two different points of views told using completely different means.  How cool is that?  With Selznick's beautiful illustrations to bring the story to life, I have no doubt this will be an amazing novel.  September cannot get here soon enough. 

What are you waiting on this Wednesday? ^_^ I'd love to hear about it!

In My Mailbox (10)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where bloggers post about all the books they have received whether in the mail, if we purchased it, or checked out from our local library.  ^_^ 


From Book Depository: 

Unraveled by Gena Showalter

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

From my Library:

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

(I'm so excited about Wonderstruck, I just had to read this one!)

From Barnes & Noble (Free ebook):

Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren

(Thanks to Book Sake for sharing the great news!)

From Half-Price Books:

A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

What did you get in your mailbox this week? ^_^