Flower Friday - Graham Thomas + Friday's Fab Five

'Graham Thomas' roses

This week's featured flowers are - 'Graham Thomas' roses!  These pretty yellow roses bloom in large, lovely clusters and smell wonderful.  This is the first time we've featured a flower that is not from our own yard, so I don't have any personal experience with growing this rose, but they happen to be in bloom at our favorite city park right now and I just couldn't resist snapping a couple photos of them while we were at the park this afternoon.  I am excited to learn more about them and am already trying to figure out if we could make space to fit 'Graham Thomas' into our yard.   To learn more about about 'Graham Thomas' roses, check out Dave's Garden's Graham Thomas page, Backyard Gardener's Graham Thomas page, or HelpMeFind's Graham Thomas page.

A few book and blogosphere updates:

1.  Our Stupid Shiny Designs contest ends on Tuesday (8/31), so be sure to stop by and enter if you haven't already!  Click here to enter.  Our Richelle Mead giveaway also ends Tuesday (8/31), so if you would like the chance to win a signed copy of Vampire Academy click here to enter that giveaway.

2.  Julie Kagawa shared an excerpt from The Iron Queen on Harlequin's Blog.  Click here to get a sneak peek of what Meghan and Ash are up to in The Iron Queen.  :-)

3.  Escape from Reality is giving away a copy of Sophie Jordan's Firelight.  The contest ends 8/31.  You can stop by to check out that contest here.

This fun meme is hosted by Froggarita's Bookcase.  Every Friday Froggarita asks five questions so we can all get to know each other better.  The only rule is that you can't use the same answer twice within your five!   Ready to play?  Leave your answers in the comments or leave us a link to your own Friday's Fab Five post. 

1. What is your favorite tree?

Jacaranda!  I absolutely love Jacaranda trees, but they won't survive the winters where we live.  We've tried planting and pampering them several times, but never with any success.  Eventually we settled for keeping a few baby Jacarandas inside (as bonsai-style houseplants).

2. What is your zodiac sign?

Pisces

3. How long does it take you to do your grocery shopping?

If the kids are with me, at least an hour.  If I am alone, about thirty minutes.

4. How often do you ride a bike?

Not very often.

5. Who is your role model?

My mom.  :-)

Flower Friday - Platycodon

Platycodon "Mariesii"

This week's featured flower is - Platycodon!  This perennial has pretty bluish-purple flowers that are also known as Balloon Flowers or Chinese Bellflowers.  They look like tiny hot air balloons that pop open to reveal lovely star-shaped flowers.  They grow on long thin stems that reach about 24" tall and bloom throughout the late summer and into the early fall.  They require very little attention, are pest-free, and bloom well year after year, but they do not spread very quickly.  If you would like to learn more about Platycodon, check out Dave's Garden's Platycodon age, Wikipedia's Platycodon page, Perennial Resource's Platycodon page, or About.com's Platycodon gardening page.

A few book and blogosphere updates:

1.  Eve's Fan Garden is hosting a chat with Holly Black, the author of White Cat,  at 9 pm EST on Thursday (8/26).  You can stop by and find out how to join that chat here.

I hope to join in because I absolutely loved White Cat and can't wait to read Red Glove!  You can check out our review of White Cat here.  :)

2.  Want to read the first few chapters of Kiersten White's Paranormalcy or Sophie Jordan's Firelight?  HarperTEEN is featuring both books in their Browse Inside BETA right now.  You can read the first 70 pages of Paranormalcy here and the first 67 pages of Firelight here.

3.  Have you heard about the Contemps yet?  If you are a fan of contemporary YA, you'll want to check out their lovely new website and sign up for their challenge.  Twenty-one awesome authors are participating, including Elizabeth Scott, Lisa Schroeder, Jo Knowles, Lindsey Leavitt, and Sarah Ockler.

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Title: Firelight

Author: Sophie Jordan

Publication date: September 7, 2010

Sophie Jordan's  website | facebook

To pre-order Firelight: IndieBound | The Book Depository | Amazon | B & N

Add Firelight to your:  Goodreads | Shelfari | Library Thing | Visual Bookshelf

Summary:  

With her rare ability to breathe fire, Jacinda is special even among the draki—the descendants of dragons who can shift between human and dragon forms. But when Jacinda’s rebelliousness leads her family to flee into the human world, she struggles to adapt, even as her draki spirit fades. The one thing that revives it is Will, whose family hunts her kind. Jacinda can’t resist getting closer to him, even though she knows she’s risking not only her life but the draki’s most closely guarded secret.

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  It spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

Question Thursday: Do you judge books by their covers?

I know it may be foolish to judge a book by its cover, but sometimes I simply can't help myself.  While a great cover cannot guarantee that I will love a book, it can certainly encourage me to check out a book summary.  Of course, if an awesome cover happens to be coupled with an intriguing book summary, the book is headed straight for my wishlist.  

Do you find yourself drawn to lovely covers?  If so, is there a specific type of cover that you love (or hate)?  Which covers are among your favorites and which covers are you eagerly anticipating?  Some readers dislike faceless covers while others prefer faceless covers so that the image doesn't color their view of the characters before they've read the book.  Do you have any cover preferences?  My own personal taste is pretty eclectic.  I like a little bit of everything - shiny covers, illustrated covers, and covers with distinctive fonts.

Here are a few upcoming novels that made the great cover + intriguing summary cut for me:

Title: Halo
Author: Alexandra Adornetto
Release date: September 2010
Summary:  Nothing much happens in Tallow Beach. But when three mysterious teens enroll in the local high school, everything changes. Nobody knows the truth: that they are angels on a mission to save a world on the brink of destruction. When Beth, the youngest, falls for her classmate Xavier, she faces a frightening decision: will she defy the laws of Heaven by loving him? Things come to a head when the angels realize that they are not they only supernatural power in Tallow Beach. The unscrupulous Jack Thorn sees Beth as the easiest target to further his own dark ambitions. The angels and Xavier must use their powers to overcome darkness - but will Beth survive the battle?
To pre-order Halo: IndieBound | The Book Depository | Amazon
Add Halo to your:  Goodreads | Shelfari | Library Thing | Visual Bookshelf

Title: Sisters Red
Author: Jackson Pearce

Release date: June 2010

Summary:  Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris-- the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.  Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts fiercely alongside her. Now Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves and finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax-- but loving him means betraying her sister and has the potential to destroy all they've worked for.

To pre-order Sisters Red: IndieBound | Powell's | The Book Depository | Amazon

Add Sisters Red to your:  Goodreads | Shelfari | Library Thing | Visual Bookshelf

Title: Firelight

Author: Sophie Jordan

Release date: September 2010

Summary:  With her rare ability to breathe fire, Jacinda is special even among the draki—the descendants of dragons who can shift between human and dragon forms. But when Jacinda’s rebelliousness leads her family to flee into the human world, she struggles to adapt, even as her draki spirit fades. The one thing that revives it is Will, whose family hunts her kind. Jacinda can’t resist getting closer to him, even though she knows she’s risking not only her life but the draki’s most closely guarded secret.

To pre-order Firelight: IndieBound | The Book Depository | Amazon

Add Firelight to your:  Goodreads | Shelfari | Library Thing | Visual Bookshelf

Title: Paranormalcy

Author: Kiersten White

Release date: September 2010

Summary:  Sixteen-year-old Evie's job is bagging and tagging paranormals. Possessing the strange ability to see through their glamours, she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency. But when someone--or something--starts taking out the vamps, werewolves, and other odd beasties she's worked hard to help become productive members of society, she's got to figure it out before they all disappear and the world becomes utterly normal.  Normal is so overrated.

To pre-order Paranormalcy: IndieBound | The Book Depository | Amazon

Add Paranormalcy to your:  Goodreads | Shelfari | Library Thing | Visual Bookshelf

Which book covers do you love?