Similar Covers: Painted Toes

Way back in February 2009, Alea at Pop Culture Junkie posted a series of lookalikes that featured feet on dashboards and included The After Life by Daniel Ehrenhaft. At the time, I mentioned What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty and wondered if the same painted toes were on that cover. Now that I’ve found a third cover with similar toes (Salvaged by Stefne Miller), I thought I’d share the lot with you. What do you think? Are they the same feet? I think so...

The After Life was published by Razorbill (a Penguin imprint) in 2006, What Alice Forgot was published by Pan Macmillan Australia in 2009, and Salvaged just came out with Tate Publishing in May 2010.

And here’s another post featuring lookalike covers of bare (and other) feet: Double Dip Redux (at Jacket Whys)

Mailbox Monday (August 16)

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books they received during the previous week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists! Mailbox Monday, which was started by Marcia at The Printed Page, is on blog tour—this month, it’s hosted by Chick Loves Lit.

I found two books in my mailbox this week: Vanishing and Other Stories by Deborah Willis, courtesy of Harper Perennial, for a TLC book tour in September, and Stardrop by Mark Oakley, which my mum sent me.

In Vanishing and Other Stories, secrets are both kept and unearthed, and lives are shaped by missing lovers, parents, and children. With wisdom and dexterity, moments of dark humor, and a remarkable economy of words, Deborah Willis captures an incredible array of characters that linger in the imagination and prove that nothing is ever truly forgotten. Vanishing and Other Stories was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction in 2009.

Life in the Galactic Empire was no good; Ashelle simply did not fit in. And so, the enterprising space princess had decided to run away from home—to hide on a distant planet far from the political intrigues of her family and the military might of the Empire—on an adorable blue planet with just the cutest human settlements... Collected from the original Nova Scotian comic strip series by acclaimed Canadian cartoonist Mark Oakley, Star Drop tells an inspiring tale about travelling away from home.

I also bought two books at my local second-hand bookshop: To Be Real: Telling the Truth and Changing the Face of Feminism edited by Rebecca Walker and Walking on the Water: Women Talk about Spirituality edited by Jo Garcia and Sara Maitland.

Determined to extend the boundaries of feminism to embrace social, political and economic equality for all humanity, these exciting young activists and thinkers recast the concepts of feminism to reflect their own experiences and beliefs. Inspired by activist and writer Rebecca Walker, they speak out, challenging many of their own assumptions about the women’s movement and demanding that readers recognize a new relationship between the personal and the political. Black and white, male and female, gay and straight, they fearlessly describe their liberation from the feminist “ideals” that conflict with the reality of who they are, expose “shocking” secrets, and acknowledge long-hidden accommodations and anomalies.

Walking on Water is a unique collection designed to make visible the variety and depth of women’s concerns about spirituality and religion. The editors, Jo Garcia and Sara Maitland, have sought out women who want to proclaim and share both orthodox and unorthodox beliefs and experiences as well as women who question, and indeed oppose, such convictions. They have gathered together writings on myth and religion, feminism and Christianity, love, sexuality, bereavement, women priests, Jewish feminism and much else. First published in 1983, this provocative and moving book was the first of its kind to be published in Britain.

What did you find in your mailbox this past week? For other Mailbox Monday posts, head over to Chick Loves Lit.

Similar Covers: Woman, Suitcase, Road... (Part 2)

Remember how The Girl She Used to Be ran along the same road as she was Leaving Unknown? (Hmm, I’m not sure this trying to be clever with the book titles is working for me.) Anyway I’ve spotted her on another cover: The Best of Times by Penny Vincenzi.

As I mentioned in my previous post, The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano was first published in March 2009 by Grand Central Publishing (a division of Hachette), while Leaving Unknown by Kerry Reichs came out in March 2010 with Avon (a Harper Collins imprint). The Best of Times just came out this June with Anchor (a division of Random House).

Edited to add:
I nearly forgot to mention that I found the third cover above in a post called “Book Jacket Twins” at Pass It On. Check out other lookalikes there!

Really Random Tuesday: Blog Neglect and More Kitty Pics

As you may have noticed, I’ve been neglecting my blog this past week, hardly posting at all and not responding to any of your lovely comments. Sigh. It’s been that kind of week (or maybe month?). Anyway, I hope to get back into the swing of things soon. In the meantime, I’m trying to resist the lure of buying new books to make myself feel better...

I can’t resist sharing more photos of Cairo. Here she is testing out her reupholstered scratching post (my mum made this post for her and Thelma; Mr. B recently replaced the carpeting) and sleeping in Mr. B’s one-and-only bookcase in the house. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Cairo surveying her domain

Cairo napping in Mr. B’s bookcase

Really Random Tuesday is hosted by Suko at Suko’s Notebook. Feel free to join in, copy the button and link back to Suko’s blog.

Similar Covers: Woman with Pink Gloves

For some reason, I had Ask Again Later by Jill A. Davis in one of my “potential lookalikes” folders, but I was still pretty surprised when Kathy at Bermudaonion’s Weblog reviewed a book with the exact same image on the cover: The Stuff That Never Happened by Maddie Dawson.

Davis’s debut was published by Harper in 2008; Dawson’s debut came out yesterday with Crown Publishing (a Random House subsidiary).

Really Random Tuesday: New Winners + Kitty Pics

Really Random Tuesday is hosted by Suko at Suko’s Notebook. Feel free to join in, copy the button and link back to Suko’s blog.

I don’t know if I’ll be posting Really Random Tuesday posts on a regular basis, but it fit with my mood and needs today!

Two of the winners I picked for my giveaway of The Impostor’s Daughter: A True Memoir by Laurie Sandell had already won copies of the book on other blogs, so I’ve picked two new winners: Aik at The Bookaholics and Kailia Sage at Reading the Best of the Best. Congrats! I hope you enjoy the book.

Don’t forget to also enter my two-year blogiversary giveaway! You can pick a book of your choice from any of the books mentioned on my blog (except in the “similar covers” posts). Note that a few people have requested books that I’ve never mentioned here—if you are one of them, please enter again with a new pick. I’ll select two winners at random on August 25.

As part of this giveaway, I asked for feedback about my blog. Amy at The House of the Seven Tails responded with this comment:

“My only other suggestion/request, which you will understand based on the look of my blog, is an occasional picture or post of the adorable kitty on your shoulder in your profile photo! I have a soft spot for the furry felines!”

I’m only too happy to oblige, with a few pics of Cairo hanging out in one of my bookcases. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Cairo surveying the room from an SF shelf

Cairo considering Tepper’s works

Giveaway Winners + A Dozen Additions to My Wish List

Congratulations to Misusedinnocence, Lindy at Lindy Reads and Reviews, Marjorie, J.T. Oldfield at Bibliofreakblog and Amanda at The Zen Leaf, who won copies of The Impostor’s Daughter: A True Memoir by Laurie Sandell! Please send me your addresses and I will pass them on to Hachette.

Thank you to Hachette for providing the books for this giveaway and thank you to all of you who entered!

1. Misusedinnocence
2. Lindy
3. Marjorie
4. J.T. Oldfield
5. Amanda
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These are the comic books / graphic novels that I’ve added to my wish list as a result of running this giveaway:

The books are (followed by the blogger who recommended them):

• The Dreaming series by Queenie Chan (Cindy at Cindy’s Love of Books)
• Life, in Pictures by Will Eisner (Lindy at Lindy Reads and Reviews)
• The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam by Ann Marie Fleming (Danielle)
• Bannock, Beans and Black Tea: Memories of a Prince Edward Island Childhood in the Great Depression by John Gallant (Lindy at Lindy Reads and Reviews)
• Amy Unbounded: Belondweg Blossoming by Rachel Hartman (ikkinlala)
• Siberia by Nikolai Maslov (Lindy at Lindy Reads and Reviews)
• Perfect Example by John Porcellino (Lindy at Lindy Reads and Reviews)
• Chicken with Plums and Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi (Amanda at The Zen Leaf)
• The Rabbi’s Cat by Joann Sfar (Susan at West of Mars)
• To Dance: A Ballerina’s Graphic Novel by Siena Cherson Siegel (Lindy at Lindy Reads and Reviews)
• At a Crossroads: Between a Rock and My Parents’ Place by Kate T. Williamson (Lindy at Lindy Reads and Reviews)

If the book you recommended doesn’t appear on my list, chances are that’s because I’ve already read it (or it was already on my wish list)! Thank you all for your suggestions!