Okay, intrepid readers, I know many of you will have opinions about this. Here's the paperback cover for book of a thousand days, to be released in September. The hardcover will keep the original.
This book has received more award and list loving than any book of mine besides princess academy. It's a very precious book to me and my husband's favorite. I'm thrilled to have it coming out in paperback. I don't announce on my blog everything, but I keep a list of honors my books receive on my website. Here's the one for book of a thousand days. I love those state awards. A committee chooses the nominees in each state, then for the year the children are encouraged to read the books from the nominee list and vote on their favorite. Truly children's choice. The lists are always full of wonderful books.
I don't post all my reviews, etc., for this book either. I keep an up-to-date list on my site. But I just got a happy-dance national review for the actor and the housewife, from New York Daily News that I want to share. It's short and magically spoiler-free, so I'm going to post it all here.
"The Actor and the Housewife" is completely unbelievable and totally credible. Where did Shannon Hale come up with this story? Becky Jack is a devoted wife and a Mormon who, against all odds, sold a screenplay. She is in her agents’ office when British screen star Felix Callahan walks in. They begin a sparring conversation, and things go from there.
But not to bed. Becky is devoted to her husband, Mike, and their four children. Her way of life, as well. Felix can’t quit her, though. She adores him, but not in that way. The dialogue is witty, the romantic suspense genuine, and the finale? It ends the way it should.
Ah! Makes me happy. It was featured in Parents magazine, will be featured in the August Family Circle magazine, and is an Indie Next Great Read this month. Hooray! Thanks to Michelle, a publicist at Bloomsbury, who has been working hard to help get it attention.
I love the paper back version Shannon! I have the hard-back but I might just go and buy this one too! Thank you for writing wonderful books. But I'd have to say The Goose Girl was my favorite.
Posted by: Kirstyn | July 17, 2009 at 10:09 AM
LLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVED Book of a thousand Days. Read it to my children every evening (so there wouldn't be fights over it) and still caught some sneaking it away so they could read ahead. Truly captivating and inspiring!!!!! Thank you!
Posted by: Karen | July 17, 2009 at 10:20 AM
I have to say, I'm partial to the original cover...but this one is very nice too. And it's an amazing book. I can't decide if I like Princess Academy or Book of a Thousand Days better...I guess I'll just have to read them again so I can decide. Tough life I lead. :-)
Posted by: Shannon | July 17, 2009 at 10:39 AM
Good cover. She looks Mongolian enough to really fit the story. It has a peaceful feeling about it.
Posted by: becca | July 17, 2009 at 10:52 AM
I like the paperback cover, but I have to say, does the cover really matter? All that matters is the fact that there is such an amazing story under that cover. Book of a Thousand Days is my favorite of your books. I was already a fan of the fairy tale and when I found out you were writing it into a book I got extremely excited! Congratulations on all those awards!
Posted by: Katie | July 17, 2009 at 11:07 AM
I love it... mostly. Oh, I started A&H last night, and I flipped when read Becky's neighbors dog's name. My terrier has the same name as her middle name! I love A&H!!!
Posted by: Je Reve | July 17, 2009 at 11:52 AM
Congratulations on all of the awards. They're well deserved! I loved Book of a Thousand Days, and I'm still waiting by the mailbox for my copy of A&H. Can't wait!
Posted by: Tracy | July 17, 2009 at 12:15 PM
Book of a Thousand Days is my favorite as well. :)
I recently finished the A&H and it was not what I expected. A refreshing change from most books that I find these days.
Posted by: Katie | July 17, 2009 at 12:38 PM
The paperback looks awesome!!! And Book of a Thousand Days is one of my favorites. :)
Posted by: Priya | July 17, 2009 at 12:45 PM
I still like the Hardcover better, but I think the paperback does look nice as well. Love that they used that dress again.
Posted by: Celes | July 17, 2009 at 01:12 PM
Oh, I do like the cover. B1000 is my favorite, too, so I'm so glad.
Posted by: Q | July 17, 2009 at 01:30 PM
This book was such a fun read and the new cover looks great!
Heading to Comic Con next week and you mentioned a while back that you and your hubby will be there for Rapunzel's Revenge. Are you going to be signing or attending any events? Looks like it is going to be a great year to be there!
Posted by: Natasha M. Heck | July 17, 2009 at 01:41 PM
Definitely my favorite of your paperback covers thus far.
Posted by: Sarah Miller | July 17, 2009 at 01:51 PM
I really love the goose girl series. Princess Academy while loved doesn't rank at the top of my fav Shannon Hale books. Its good, I own it, have read it many times but I think the other books are overlooked. Anyway 1000 days is probably my favorite. It is beautiful and wonderful!
Posted by: angela | July 17, 2009 at 02:02 PM
Congratulations! I am a new reader here (although no stranger to your books) but wanted to let you know, women are discussing The Housewife and The Actor on their weblogs. Very enthusiastically. It has developed a wonderful reputation out there.
Posted by: sarah | July 17, 2009 at 02:48 PM
Eh, I don't like the cover. It doesn't look very professional, like they did a sloppy job on it. I probably wouldn't pick this one up for the cover alone. I would need to have heard something about it previously. I just dislike covers with people on them. The hardback cover was gorgeous, I really love it. But this one? No sir, I don't like it. Which is too bad for you, because you deserve the most stunning covers of all for your brilliant stories.
Posted by: Katie-wa | July 17, 2009 at 03:00 PM
This is random, but I have a question anyone who's read Actor & Housewife can answer, I'm a 14 year old girl who super-de-duper loves reading and is a big fan of Shannon, but is that book appropriate for my age?
Posted by: M | July 17, 2009 at 03:40 PM
Hmm. I love the old cover, but I do not dislike this new one. Because I get really touchy when covers are changed, the cover is probably pretty good. (I also don't mind the other Princess Academy cover, with Miri on it instead of the girls on Mount Eskel)
I love your books, Shannon! I remember when my mom brought home the Princess Academy, I was skeptical. But then I saw it was by you, and decided to try it, and I love it. The same happened for Book of a Thousand Dyas - I was on the edge, saw it was by you, and got it.
love your books, and am happy for your happy reviews : )
Posted by: Annie | July 17, 2009 at 04:29 PM
I think I would've loved A&H at 14. Though I might not understand all the emotions as well as I do now at 29.
I like the old cover better, but this one is okay. It doesn't turn me off. I am definitely a girl who judges a book by its cover.
Posted by: Erin | July 17, 2009 at 06:26 PM
Mmmm. I have to say, I kinda do like the hardback cover better, if only because Dashti looks too old to be only fifteen and, also, because the old one has an air of, I don't know, mystery and hidden meaning behind it. But it doesn't really matter to me. I'll love your books until I'm old and shortsighted and give them to my children, who in turn will give them to their children and so on :)
Also,I just finished The Goose Girl for, like, the one hundredth time today, and am starting Enna Burning again. Yours are the only books that I can truly relate to, that make me wonder about things. Every story you write is perfect blend of adventure, mystery, and romance, and don't believe anyone who tells you different. You rock!
Posted by: Emma H. | July 17, 2009 at 06:28 PM
I absolutely love the hardcover illustration, and this is gorgeous as well. Congratulations on the great review.
Posted by: Delia | July 17, 2009 at 09:10 PM
That is a good review. I finished the book a couple weeks ago and I LOVED it. I've only read your young adult stuff before (even though I am older now I still love fairy tales!... as I should) but I've really enjoyed everything and, well, I guess I just wanted to say that I loved the way the book turned out. It could have gone either way, I supposed but if (spoiler they did you know what /spoiler) it would have been a much more "meh, typical" book.
So thanks for telling it the way you told it. :)
Posted by: Rachel | July 17, 2009 at 09:48 PM
What a great review for you book! I love it too, and love that it'll be in so many good places.
Posted by: Debbie | July 17, 2009 at 10:22 PM
Love, love, love the new cover!!!! Having spend 18 months in Asia, Hong Kong, to be exact I have such a soft spot in my heart for anything Asian. Thank you for writing a book set in Asia. We certainly need more of those...Rock on Shannon !
Posted by: Shannon Morris | July 17, 2009 at 11:12 PM
I love it. I loved the hardcover's illustration as well, but it's so nice to see Asians on covers lately (I'm also thinking of Cindy Pon's Silver Phoenix)--it's not something you see often, and it's nice to see more diversity happening on covers.
Posted by: stacy | July 17, 2009 at 11:59 PM
Shannon, I absolutely LOVE your books, but I really wasn't impressed by the new covers. (this goes for the Bayern series as well as Book of a Thousand days.) The old covers simply captivated everything I loved about your stories. They were so full of magic and originality. I picked the Goose Girl off of my school library shelf because the cover grabbed me and said "Hold up and look at this! This is new and interesting!" The new ones look just like all the other fantasy books for young adults. Anyway, the new covers would never turn me away from your books, but I strongly believe that they don't live up to the story.
Posted by: Laura | July 18, 2009 at 07:23 AM
I don't like covers with faces on them. They ruin your imagination and your perception of the character. The expressions your characters have dont fit. Isi looks too confident, Ennah too happy with her gift, Razo looks like a player, and even Dashti could have an expression more fitting to her.
*sigh* At least they all have the right skin color and hair color. Some book covers even get that wrong.
So I will cling to my old copies with the old covers and overlook the covers on the new books you come out with. Even though I do judge a book by its cover, even that couldn't turn me away from your writing.
Posted by: Shuisha | July 18, 2009 at 09:27 AM
the new cover looks okay for the book. Congrats on the good reviews for A&H..looking forward for my book to come.
Posted by: julie | July 18, 2009 at 12:16 PM
Book of a Thousand Days was the first of your books that I read and I loved it and it made me want to read the rest of your books - all of which I have loved. I just finished The Actor and the Housewife and I must tell you what a phenomenal writer you are. One minute I was laughing, the next crying (although I'm pregnant so I probably cried more than most!) and I wasn't sure how it would end but it turned out exactly as it should. Magnificent!
Posted by: Heidi | July 18, 2009 at 05:17 PM
Thanks, Erin :)
Posted by: M | July 18, 2009 at 06:12 PM
That's a great reveiw! I liked the old cover a lot better, but this one's okay, too. It's just that that's not at all how I imagined Dashti would look. Loved this book, though! Keep up the *awesome* work!!!!!!
Posted by: Libbi | July 19, 2009 at 10:29 AM
i LOVED book of a thousand days!!truly astonoshing!!i love the paperback but its sad- i want it!!!well too bad i guess ill just have to suck it up!!
Posted by: Sara Weiss | July 19, 2009 at 11:08 AM
Hey! The Book of a Thousand Days cover doesn't make me as disappointed as I thought it would! I actually like it!
Keep writing wonderful reads, Shannon! You'll always be my favorite author, no matter how many times the covers change. ;)
Posted by: Hannah | July 19, 2009 at 02:03 PM
I like the cover, and I really like the red background. I think I liked the old cover better, though. I love all your books and I always recommend them to my friends! Ever since my aunt gave me and my mom The Goose Girl, Enna Burning, and River Secrets I have read them all a crazy amount of times. Thank you for writing amazing books that anyone can relate to!
Posted by: Ali | July 19, 2009 at 03:31 PM
I'm very excited for you about BOTH books!
Posted by: L.T. Elliot | July 19, 2009 at 11:44 PM
I think it's great fun that you get to revisualize your books with new covers for the paperbacks. Book of a Thousand Days is my favorite of yours (so far). Thank you!
Posted by: Nadia | July 20, 2009 at 07:19 AM
Funny little story: I had just finished Book of a Thousand Days, and noticed all of the little refrences sounded Mongolian. My little brother served his mission there. So at my family dinner I told my brother I wanted him to read it so he could tell me what was actually from the culture and what was made up. When I told him who the author was he looked at me and said, "Liana, do you know who that is? That is my mission president's daughter! He was always talking about her!" Anyway, I love ALL your books and I can't wait to read A&H and Forest Born!
Posted by: Liana | July 20, 2009 at 09:09 AM
M, I'm sixteen and just finished A&H and I LOVED it. Definately go ahead and read it.
Posted by: Chels | July 20, 2009 at 11:16 AM
I think new cover is beautiful. I love the colors. I have to agree with so many that have said they prefer the original for several reasons. Book of a Thousand Days is the first Shannon Hale book I ever picked up so there is sentimental attachment to that cover. The other reason is that I’m not a big fan of books with distinct faces on them. It takes away from the my imagination creating an image of that character.
Great review of A&H! It's great to see others recognize how wonderful of a book it is.
Posted by: Amy | July 20, 2009 at 03:21 PM
Thanks Chels :)
It sounds flippin awesome, but the only reason I didn't want to read it was because my mom is like super strict, and wouldn't let me read it if anything sexual was in it..which I don't think there is.
Posted by: M | July 20, 2009 at 05:38 PM
Dashti is beautiful - but I have the UK hardcover edition, and I do love the pink-and-green vines. Book of a Thousand Days is one of my favourites of your books. A&H is on my list - so many books to read this summer!
Posted by: Katie @ cakes, tea and dreams | July 21, 2009 at 07:40 AM
Wow. So many comments, I'm sure you don't read all of them. I'm still partial to the original cover, but I always am. This new one still looks good. I reread Goose Girl and Enna Burning this week. I love how your stories wrap me up all snug and warm, keeping me right there in the middle of it all...
Posted by: Dr. Sallie N. Cheinsteen | July 21, 2009 at 12:18 PM
Wow, that's a prettier Dashti than I imagined. I guess maybe she's prettier than she lets on. But I do like the cover. I never imagined her looking foreign. I also don't think Meyer's comment should be on the front cover, but oh well!
Posted by: Kyle | July 21, 2009 at 03:48 PM
How cool that the new paperback cover ties in with the original, via Dashti's costume! Love that. Also loving that the cover wasn't white-washed, so to speak. The Mongolian setting of the book is wonderful, and I'm glad the cover reflects that!
Posted by: Allison | July 24, 2009 at 11:33 AM
It's really simple, yet intriguing. I think it still leaves some room for the imagination of Dashti. The girl in the picture reflects her really well! But I have to agree that I like book covers without faces better because i don't get one image of that person fixated in my mind the whole time.
Posted by: Lauren | July 24, 2009 at 06:22 PM
I just finished reading The Actor and the Housewife and I LOVED it! It was so funny! I loved Becky's "voice", it was like she was all of my bestfriends rolled into one! LOVED it! LOVED it! LOVED it!
For anyone who criticized you for going against your "genre," I'd tell them to go jump in the lake!!!
PS Nice name!
Posted by: Shannon | July 29, 2009 at 12:24 PM
Book of A Thousand Days is my favorite of your YA books. A friend of mine gave it to me for Christmas last year - he was worried I wouldn't like it, but I told him how thrilled I was, since it was my favorite of your books but I'd only gotten it from the library!
The new cover is nice. And it's even nicer that they are keeping the original cover on the hardcover. That way if anyone has a problem with the new one, they have another buying option, right!?
Also, the line in the review about how unbelievable it is that a Mormon housewife sold a screenplay hasn't been paying attention lately, eh?
Posted by: Julie | August 02, 2009 at 09:17 AM
I just finished The Actor and the Housewife after a long wait on the library waiting list. It was great! and can I just say, the scene from "Rattled Cages" with the umbrella totally reminded me of MY favorite kissing scene--in "Little Women." (sigh)
Thanks for a great read! :)
Posted by: Rebecca Snow | August 04, 2009 at 10:35 PM
Shannon, Book of a Thousand Days was also a 2008 Sonderbooks Stand-out, (#1, Teen Fiction), and the audiobook was a 2009 Sonderbooks Stand-out (#1, Audiobooks):
http://www.sonderbooks.com/Standouts2008.html
http://www.sonderbooks.com/Standouts2009.html
It's my favorite of all you've written, and I'm a huge fan.
Posted by: Sondra Eklund | August 14, 2009 at 01:52 PM