To check it out, just follow the jump!

(Warning: The opening chapter will be spoilerish for those who haven’t finished Shiver)

The Superficial: Gorgeous cover. The blue, bare trees set the mood of the novel while being eye catching. The simplicity of the monochrome scheme is refreshing and beautiful and really makes the blood droplet of the “i” pop. I also love how subtle the wolf in the trees is; I didn’t even notice it the first time I picked up the book.

The Short of It:     LOVE IT.

The Long of It: Normally, books focusing solely on romance don’t quite ring my bell. Romance as the icing on a zombie-hunting cake? Yes. Just babyIloveyou romance? Meh… Or so I thought. Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver transcends the teen-romance genre to become something more personal. The story revolves around Grace and her life-long fascination with the yellow-eyed wolf that roams the woods behind her house every winter. Her obsession gets a little creepier once she starts seeing a local boy with strikingly similar eyes to “her wolf.” The awkward comfort between Grace and Sam (her wolf-boy) set the tone of the novel, somehow making the impossible seem familiar. The real power of the novel, however, comes from Stiefvater’s amazing writing. The author makes you feel the chill of the woods and the tension in the air without resorting to purple prose or cliche page-fillers. She takes a old theme, werewolves, and adds new levels of meaning while still keeping the time-tested core of mythos. The result is a novel that creates a world that feels so familiar, yet exciting at the same time.  Stiefvater also excels at creating characters that seem levelheaded and realistic, not just creatures who fall in love and out of sanity; they instantly become entranced with one another, but the awkward tension of their strange situation is palpable. I am not calling Shiver a perfect novel, as Grace’s obsessive love over a wolf crosses the border of Cute into the land Creepy, but, while I was reading it, it was the perfect novel for me.

Opening Lines: I remember lying in the snow, a small red spot of warm going cold, surrounded by wolves. The were licking me, biting me, worrying at my body, pressing in. Their huddled bodies blocked what little heat the sun offered. …I could have screamed, but I didn’t.

Score: 10/10. Buy it now.

I’m in lust with the new Francesca Lia Block cover, just so you know.

The sexy bloody mouth close-up is becoming a tad overused (see: Jennifer’s Body and True Blood below), but a hot cover is a hot cover. I love the bloody candy, that fabulous lipstick, and the close crop. Even the font has me salivating. UNF.

Work it out, designers. Work. It. Out.

Mmm watcha say

In honor of my upcoming review of Shiver, this week’s Soundtrack Sunday is about the ball of love that is Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver playlist.

After finishing Shiver in the wee morning hours, I immediately scampered to my computer to look up the author’s blog, crossing my fingers for a track listing. And cue the Hallelujah chorus, I found one! One of my most favorite things  in the world is seeing the inspiration behind writers’ imagined worlds–my favorite of the favorites, of course, being the novel playlist.

I don’t want to spoil the outcome of my upcoming review (…oh hell, who I am kidding. SPOILER ALERT: I AM IN LOVE WITH A BOOK), but I have to say that this novel took me over completely. After finishing the book I was desperate to find music that matched my mood and kept Shiver’s captivating world alive just a little bit longer.  And the Shiver soundtrack delivered.

But before posting Maggie’s official playlist, I have to say this: Maggie Stiefvater may be the most awesome author on earth. She writes. She draws. She composes music. And she plays bagpipes. BAGPIPES! I don’t even know the woman, and I totally want to be her BFF. Her ability to rock so many creative outlets should make anyone envious. Ahem…anyway, Maggie put several of these talents to use when she made her own trailer for Shiver. Not only did she create all the cutouts and filmed the stop-motion video personally, but she also wrote and arranged her own Shiver theme song. I’m telling you, ENVIOUS.

To hear the full version of Maggie’s song, The Golden Woods, as well as snag a free download, visit her official site.

And now to the playlist! To see the complete list, as well as the story behind it, take a peek at Maggie’s blog.

Let me just warn you, listening to Hide and Seek after reading  Shiver’s car scene had me bawling like a baby for an hour. No joke, bawling.

I honestly can’t wait to do a second read-through with this playlist drifting in the background, and I hope a few of you will do the same.

Upcoming Reviews

* My Soul to Take – Rachel Vincent

* Prophecy of the Sisters – Michelle Zink

* Hush, Hush – Becca Fitzpatrick

* Memoirs of a Tennage Amnesiac – Gabrielle Zevin

* Shiver – Maggie Stiefvater

* Catching Fire – Suzanne Collins

New Features

Along with new reviews, I also plan on reviewing books that aren’t fresh-off-the-presses new. RetroGrade posts will cover books I’ve recently read (although they may not be recently released), while You Should Be Reading will cover older books that I already love and think you should love too.

I also want to point out that the haunting season is nearly upon us, and Twin Pigeon loves few things more than a little All Hallows’ Eve.  >:D  So, be prepared for a little horror, a few pumpkins, and a lot of creepy books.

And in honor of my favorite season, I have a huge giveaway in the works. I don’t want to give away too much, but I will say this: if you love creepy/scary/awesome movies in large quantities, then you might want to stick around. ;) Check back in late September for the big announcement!

Weekly Posts

Finally, here is a schedule for the new themed posts. I may not do every post-type every week, but you will see them often.

Trailer Tuesdays [upcoming movie and book trailers that having me salivating]

Want It Wednesdays [books that I am eagerly anticipating]

Favorite Things Friday [random things that make me happy, along with a favorite book quote]

Soundtrack Saturday [music to listen to while reading, author playlists, and more]

Second-Chance Sunday [books that I have abandoned for one reason or another...should I give them another shot?]

And that’s it for now! I’ll be back soon with a block of fresh new reviews.

Until then…

SHAWNA LEWIS!

Congrats you lovely lady! You will be receiving a copy of Sideshow: Ten Original Tales of Freaks, Illusionists, and Other Matters Odd and Magical on your doorstep soon.

Be sure to keep an eye on TP in the new few weeks, as I have a HUGE giveaway planned. Details to come soonish  ;)

The contest ends Saturday, August 29, so that means you have one week! All entries must be received by 11:59 pm on the 29th.

Good luck!

This may sound odd, but I love me some movie credits. Not only is it fun to mock innocent workers’ names and jobs (sorry guys) while waiting for the illusive after-credits scene, but some films have amazing and entertaining credits. I’ve even seen movies where the credits are by far the best part of the film (of course, this doesn’t say much for the movie…but hooray on the credit designer’s part).

SO, for the first ever Favorite Things Friday, I give you my favorite ending credit sequences:

Kill Bill Vol. 2

This is by far my most favorite ending to a movie ever. Ever. Ever. I could watch it repeat, my love for it is so deep. The music is perfect and beautiful and I love how each clip is cut in relation. And since Kill Bill was originally one film divided into two, it is nice to see the characters from both sections combined at the end. And…*sigh* I must admit, my eyes got a little misty when “AKA Mommy” popped up at the end. DON’T JUDGE.

[Read more after the jump]

It should be noted, that the plain text credits after this portion is superb as well, with an awesome song and old-Hollywood design.

And speaking of QT films…

__________

Death Proof

Ok, so I may be a tad of a Tarantino fangirl, but I refuse to apologise. The man does excellent credits. I decided to just include the song for this one, as the only other version of the credits on YouTube included the last awesome, but bloody/spoilery, few minutes of the film. But just imagine this one with creepy retro model/mannequin photos flashing to the beat.

__________

Silent Hill

Silent Hill is based off of my favorite game series, which made this movie’s credits extra enjoyable for me. Not only is the imagery dark, creepy, and rust-stained like the game, but they also use my favorite song from my favorite game (Silent Hill 3, in case you were wondering…which you probably weren’t). Can I say favorite one more time? FAVORITE. Since most songs on the SH soundtracks are atmospheric creepfests, this oddly upbeat yet slightly melancholy song is an unexpected treat.

Twilight

Aaaand, since this is a YA book blog, let’s throw in a little SMeyer. The credits are classy, what else can I say? :)

Another favorite is the end of Slumdog Millionaire with its OMGYAYBOLLYWOOD Jai Ho dance. Unfortunately, any decent clips have been taken down on YT, so I don’t have an example.

So friends, am I crazy? Does anyone else have any examples of favorite movie credits?

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

Gabry lives a quiet life. As safe a life as is possible in a town trapped between a forest and the ocean, in a world teeming with the dead, who constantly hunger for those still living. She’s content on her side of the Barrier, happy to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. But there are threats the Barrier cannot hold back. Threats like the secrets Gabry’s mother thought she left behind when she escaped from the Sisterhood and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Like the cult of religious zealots who worship the dead. Like the stranger from the forest who seems to know Gabry. And suddenly, everything is changing. One reckless moment, and half of Gabry’s generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Now Gabry only knows one thing: she must face the forest of her mother’s past in order to save herself and the one she loves.

[Available March 9, 2010]

I love love LOVED The Forest of Hands and Teeth, so I am super hyped about this companion novel.

Gone by Lisa McMann

OPEN YOUR EYES.
Janie thought she knew what her future held. And she thought she’d made her peace with it. But she can’t handle dragging Cabel down with her.
She knows he will stay with her, despite what she sees in his dreams. He’s amazing. And she’s a train wreck. Janie sees only one way to give him the life he deserves–she has to disappear. And it’s going to kill them both.
Then a stranger enters her life–and everything unravels. The future Janie once faced now has an ominous twist, and her choices are more dire than she’d ever thought possible. She alone must decide between the lesser of two evils. And time is running out…

[Available February 9, 2010]

I am also a HUGE fan of the Wake series, making Gone a Must Read ASAP. And, in case you missed it, check out this post for a link to McMann’s new short story, chronicling Wake from Cabel’s point of view.

Mary sat back.

She stared at the floor for a full minute and then sighed.

‘Chicken crates.’

-Monster by Christopher Pike

That’s right my friends, I’m breaking out the Pike. Be prepared. >:D