Good Times in Author Land

So I'm slow as usual in posting about these author events.  However, I have been pretty lucky to meet several authors in the last few months.  I was able to see:

James Dashner (again) so that all my books are neatly signed.

I was pretty excited to hear about the prequel to The Maze Runner, The Kill Order, slated for this August (especially because that was in answer to my own question of what was next for him).

In all his signing glory.

Then we had a visit from the Great Christopher Paolini (it seems like we should call him that, since he brings his own bodyguard and the signing line was so mechanical that I was through before I could even think of something to say).  He was pretty funny to listen to and I really enjoyed the energy of the crowd (even if our view of him was less than stellar).  It was the first event my husband attended where he was exposed to the true geeky-ness that exists in fantasy fans.  I felt right at home, of course :)

I took a little video of him talking about how he figured out he should be a writer (pretty fun story of what kinds of things kids do in their spare time).

And last but not least, I went to the Dark Days tour at Changing Hands, which was lovely. I only had one book to get signed, since money is pretty tight, but I really enjoyed listening to the authors: Veronica Rossi, Tahereh Mafi, and Ellen Schreiber. While I didn't really like Tahereh's book Shatter Me, I am a personal fan of hers. She has such enthusiasm for writing and YA lit and really understands fans (being one herself). I think she's one of the most interesting and personable authors I've met.

Don't mind my wretched phone pic skills.  I take terrible event photos and very few of them as well.

Who do you want to meet?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage 

My Epic Youth Media Awards Fail!

I just had to note: I totally failed on this year's winners! Usually I manage to read at least one book from the Newbery or Printz winners list before the announcement. This year? Not. One. Seriously, how did this happen? In fact, pretty much the whole list of winners was a fail for me. I read (and loved) one honor book for the William C. Morris award (debut authors), The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson.  I'm hoping to fix this and I put several of the winners on hold at the library. Still, I'm feeling pretty lousy in my reading. And I admit I'm a bit sad that Okay For Now by Gary Schmidt didn't even garner an honor.  But!  There are lots of delightful books (well, I hope so, since I haven't read many) on the winners list.

Newbery winner:


Printz winner:


For a full list of the winners, check out ALA's announcement.

How did you do on your award-winning reading?

 

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

A Week (or Two) Late and Many Photos Short...

I believe I am the very worst when it comes to recapping bookish events I attend.  Usually this is blamed on my sincere inability to bring a camera.  Truly, it's because I just don't know what to say about them.  They are always awesome and I really love to meet authors, but for some reason telling y'all about them seems impossible.  Still, I wanted to mention that I had the very great privilege of meeting four authors during the Dark Days of Supernatural tour.  

I'm not going to lie that moving from the great state of Utah where there always seem to be hundreds of awesome author events going on made me feel sad.  So, I was pretty pleased that I had this consolation prize fairly soon after moving to Arizona.  It was held at the Changing Hands bookstore, which I was super happy to finally visit. 

The authors

Josephine Angelini (Starcrossed)
Ellen Schreiber (Vampire Kisses)
Aprilynne Pike (Wings series)
Veronica Roth (Divergent)

...were all really nice.  And really entertaining.  I don't know how they do it, but all the authors I've met seem to have an innate ability not only to write, but to entertain as well.  Most of the event was simply taking questions from the attendees and I loved that.  They answered some fun questions about their books, writing, as well as random stuff.  And here is where you realize another thing about my write-ups - I don't remember specific things said.  All I really remember is enjoying the company, listening to people talk about literary things and the love of reading.  It makes me happy.  

And, of course, it's always nice to meet them, even if I still haven't written out some flash cards that will help me start conversations.  I usually stick with smiling widely and saying thanks when it's all over.  When I open my mouth, I usually end up wishing I'd stuck with the wide smiling.  

Anywho, I didn't meet any blogger folks, though afterward I saw some much more thrilling and well written write-ups of bloggers who were there.  Maybe next time I'll meet them.  Maybe.  If you want to see photos and hear more about what they actually said, visit I'm a Book Shark and Late Bloomer Online.  Much more entertaining.  

But at least now I can stop feeling guilty that I didn't mention anything about it.  And I can go back to being jealous of all my old Utah friends who get to see Ally Condie and Ally Carter.  That's like Ally squared awesomeness.  Sigh.

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

I'm in Author Heaven: Brandon Mull, Markus Zusak, and Carrie Ryan

Ok, ok.  I've been putting this post off (but now I've got three events I can discuss, so aren't you glad I waited?)  There have been so many great Utah events with authors in the last few months that I've had to miss some (which is painful, I assure you).  Here are three I'm glad I didn't miss!

Event 1: Brandon Mull, Launch Party
Seriously, this was unlike any signing or launch party I've been to before.  (Check out my review of Beyonders: A World Without Heroes.) Brandon Mull knows how to throw a party!  Held at a high school auditorium, the place was packed with tweens.  It was so fun to see their excitement over an author that I started to act a little underage.  Apparently they spared no expense - there was food for sale, in addition to books and t-shirts.  Mull's college comedy troop DC performed for us as well.  There was a gorgeous set on stage that just added to the mood.  And they had Shannon Hale to MC the night!  Seriously, it was almost worth the trip and the waiting to hear her entertain us.  I loved the incorporation of other Utah authors into the skits, and I was really pleased that nearly every skit had something to do with books.  In a world where TV and video games seem to rule, we all were entertained almost solely with literary goodness.  I didn't bring my camera, but fortunately there are a few people out there who caught some of the madness on camera.  Check out Emily's and Suey's posts.

One last thing that really made the event for the librarian in me.  As we were pouring into the auditorium, I heard this brief exchange: 

Tween girl 1: "Gees, you'd think he was a rock star or something."
Tween girl 2: "Well, he kind of is."

Yeah for author rock stars!!!

Event 2: Markus Zusak!!
And, speaking of author rock stars, this event was a dream come true for many of us locals!  (I'm looking at Suey and Jenny here...)  I have to admit, I was totally excited and it was worth every moment of waiting (which, actually, I didn't spend a lot of time doing, compared to others).  I managed to be in a very good seat, third row in the middle.  And I brought my camera, even though I usually don't.  Unfortunately, nearly every photo I took captured some extremely awkward facial expression of Mr. Zusak's.  It's amazing a man that good-looking has weird facial expressions, but trust me, I got them all on camera.  Here's an ok one, though:

I also took some video, but I have a crummy camera, and there are others who got some great footage, so I'll just send you to elsewhere.  (Check out Suey's numerous videos - she got the whole thing on camera!) I did want to mention some things I really loved about his speech:

He told this great story about his childhood revenge on his brother, which he used to illustrate some of the ways he writes.  For the story, go to Suey's video (and drool over the Aussie accent).  The two things that stuck out to me about how he writes are the details and the unusual reactions.  You notice details and they are memorable - essentially they make a story by dressing it up realistically.  Unusual reactions or circumstances are also memorable and this is illustrated most obviously in The Book Thief where Death is a sympathetic character who is intrigued by humans and doesn't love his job. Some really interesting ideas about writing and if I ever manage to get my writing happening, I'll have to look back at this info.

What really struck me in his speech, were the beautiful stories he told us about his parents' childhood in Europe during WWII.  So many of those stories ended up in The Book Thief and you could tell how emotionally he was invested in that book.  I think most of us who read it feel that way about the characters too, but his stories made it ten times more moving.  He told this story about his mother seeing a line of emaciated Jews being marched to Dachau and a young man running to give bread to a starving a man, who wept into his feet.  The bread giver was later beaten and the bread taken away from the Jew, but what a vivid image this story makes!  It's such a powerful part of the book and being based on reality made it even more so.  Some of Rudy's story as well was from his parents' lives.  It was just so fascinating and sobering to have those stories brought to life both by Zusak's gorgeous writing and by his family's personal experiences.  Needless to say, it was a privilege to hear him talk about these things.  He also did a reading from The Book Thief which others caught on video. 

 

I was also really impressed with the amount of time he spent with each person and the personalization of what he wrote.  He signed so many books, but each one was personal and he spoke to each of us.  It made for a very long line (which I was fortunate to not be in for very long) and a very late night, but when are we going to get another chance to see and talk to Markus Zusak?  It was just a fantastic and probably once in a lifetime experience listening to and meeting him.  Do be sure to visit Suey's posts and Holly's post and JenniElyse's post and Eve's Fan Garden's post (with giveaway) and probably many more I've missed for more recaps.


Event 3: Carrie Ryan
When I saw a last minute announcement that Carrie Ryan was signing books in SLC on Tuesday, I nearly cried.  I just couldn't possibly make it.  Then, the good news came, that she was also signing Wednesday as well at a Barnes and Noble somewhat closer to home.  So, I went.  There were not many chairs to sit on and I was standing, but I really enjoyed her presentation.  Carrie is personable and funny and very real.  I loved hearing about how she ended up an author (having been a lawyer before) and how she decided to write about zombies (nothing like horror films to inspire).  Especially I liked her thoughts about why writing about zombies brings to the forefront our thoughts about humanity.  Very interesting.  The signing line was not too long, but I managed to be at the almost-end.  She was very sweet about thanking me for waiting and even wrote down my blog address (which makes me nervous for some reason).  Anywho, it was a nice visit and I'm dying to get my hands on her next book (which I was too poor to buy in hardcover and so I must wait for the library to get it...).  Read my reviews of the first two books The Forest of Hands and Teeth and The Dead-Tossed Waves.

Whew, I'm feeling kind of author-ed out right now!  But, then again, if I hear that someone's coming, I'm sure to get a second wind...

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Utah Happenings: Past and Future

Seriously, Utah is the place to be, apparently.  (Which makes me feel sad I'm moving soon.)  There are lots of fun things happening and one thing that already happened (that I intended to talk about a while ago, but here it is anyway):

Breathless Reads Tour, February 12th:
I got to listen to and meet these five fantastic authors: Ally Condie, Beth Revis, Andrea Cremer, Kirsten Miller, and Brenna Yovanoff.  It was fun to see the interactions of authors on tour together (if I am ever an author, that is exactly how I'd want to do it - way less pressure).  You get a variety of responses to questions and not just one person's opinion.  They were all very nice and even though I didn't have a book for all of them to sign, were so gracious and signed bookmarks (lots and lots of them, I noticed).  Fantastic event.  I think it was pretty telling of my own ridiculous obsessions that I didn't take any photos of the authors or the event, but took lots and lots of photos of the gorgeous SLC library!  Stay tuned for a Libraries Around the World post where I show you just how awesome it is.  (Special thanks to Enna Isilee for my copy of Across the Universe that I won from Squeaky Books!)  For better recaps, be sure to check out all these great posts:
Eve's Fan Garden
Squeaky Books
Emily's Reading Room
Cranberry Fries
Ally Condie's tour recap (I am in the photo from SLC, but good luck finding me :)

Utah Blogger Social, March 5th
Good times for all Utah bloggers and authors!  This Saturday is the semi-annual social, held at the banquet room of the Midvale Golden Corral.  I have a conflict this year, so I'm really sad I'll be missing my last Utah Blogging Social, but hopefully I'll visit Utah conveniently during the next one :)  Here are some recaps of previous book blogging socials.  Further details at Maw Books Blog.

Brandon Mull, March 15th
Super excited about Brandon Mull's next series, Beyonders (I adored Fablehaven). I have an ARC thanks to a fantastic publicist, and I'm loving it so far!  His launch parties have been awesome in the past, or so I've heard (never been to one before).  So I'm super excited to (hopefully) get a chance this year!  It's held in the Cottonwood High School auditorium (because it draws quite a crowd) and it's free!  Find more information here on the Facebook page.  (And, in case you miss it, he's coming to the Provo Library on March 18th - or if you just can't get enough of him :)

Markus Zusak, March 26th
Much squealing commenced when I heard Markus Zusak was coming to Utah!  Yeah for my local library drawing in the fantastic authors!  In case you didn't know, he wrote the fantastic and highly acclaimed The Book Thief (and some other stuff, but Book Thief's my fave).  For more information, visit the Provo Library website.  

And, for more author events in Utah, check out the YA Author Events page from Emily's Reading Room.

Anything here (or where you live) you're dying to attend?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Author Love

Despite my reading and blogging slump, I've been thinking about this post for a while. This fall, I've attended a LOT of author events and developed my author love. So, I'm thinking I should at the very least shout out a giant thanks to the many authors who have recently brightened my reading experience:

First, we have local author James Dashner's visit to one of my local libraries (actually, almost all of these are authors who visited one or the other of my local libraries). 

If I was better prepared or just felt like carrying a camera around, I'd have photos of these events, but I don't.  All author photos were stolen.  Anywho, at the request of my friend Suey of It's All About Books, James came to our library as part of their fantasy author events.  He talked about his soon to be released (but has since been released) sequel to The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials (which I have started but not found the time to finish yet).  It's been about a month since the event, so I don't remember many particulars.  I do remember he was funny, as usual.  He also secretly revealed the title of his next series of books, but told us not to reveal it.  Good thing I've forgotten it already (should have written it down).  I only wish I hadn't already gotten my copy of The Maze Runner signed, since I didn't have anything for him to sign.  I'm hoping he'll do something local again soon, so I can bring my copy of The Scorch Trials. 

Next up on my local-author-visits-local-library is Brandon Mull.  I've met Mull on several occasions before (I'm one of those who is having him sign the Fablehaven series for me one book at a time - I've still got the last book to go.)  Anyway, since he's such a popular author, the place was packed and we had to sit at the very back.  Still, he can entertain an audience and definitely has lots of great ideas for more books.  I'm especially looking forward to his new series, Beyonders, which he talked about a bit.  And, once again, I don't remember much else since it was quite a while ago too.  Still, another example of how many excellent local authors we have here.  Here's the book I got signed this time:  

My next visit to the library was to see author Ally Condie, whose book Matched is coming out later this month.  Because of Suey's efforts (again), we decided to have book group meet there after passing our ARCs of Matched around.  Jessica was savvy enough to have a phone that takes photos, so you get to see this:

I'd tell you who everyone is, but instead, I'll link you to Suey's post and Jessica of The Bluestocking Society's post, both of which have more info.  Ally was very sweet and a lot of fun to listen to.  We talked about how there weren't many people in attendance, but thought that by this time next year, the place would be packed to hear her.  Matched is getting a lot of publicity and praise already, so I'm betting it will garner her fan base a lot.  Ally was also kind enough to drop by a few minutes at our book discussion.  We asked her some questions, some of which are noted in Suey's post.  I enjoyed talking with and listening to Ally and expect great things for the rest of the series.  In good news for you, I got both of my ARCs signed and plan to give one away later this month.  Hooray!

This last weekend, I attended a fabulous and fun event at another local library with lots of teen authors. The keynote and main attraction was the exceptional Scott Westerfeld. I've been a fan of his Uglies series for some time now (and have an interesting double feature review of that book in the works). I've also recently enjoyed Leviathan and Behemoth (and now officially know how to pronounce those titles). His address was a lot of laughs. He talked about how a Japanese illustrated edition of Uglies inspired him to seek an illustrator for the Leviathan series. And boy am I glad he did, because I love those illustrations. The images he showed us were just fantastic (or funny). He was really kind when I got my books signed, not even laughing at me when I mentioned I pronounced the titles incorrectly. Suey snapped a photo of my and my savvy author talking skills (be sure to check out her post about the event):

I guess I shouldn't have been that surprised when he asked if I was a student (hello backpack and ripped jeans, can we say professional?).  It was fun to meet him.  And the fun just continued.  

I got another Jessica Day George book signed (Princess of Glass) and she is always lots of fun to watch (very animated).  We attended some panels where we listened to Sara Zarr, Ann Dee Ellis, and Carol Lynch Williams, all of whom write excellent contemporary novels and are local, of course.  I got my copy of Once Was Lost signed by Sara Zarr, who totally has the snarky, sarcastic, and funny thing going for her.

We also listened to a romance panel with Lisa Mangum, Bree Despain, and Ally Condie.  We eyed Bree's ARCs of The Lost Saint with envy, but since they were for actual teens (come on, I could probably pass for one), we ended up with blue nail polish instead.  All in all, a really fun event that I hope I get a chance to attend again.  Here's my stash: 

And last, but certainly not least, is an author I have not met, but still want to say how awesome she is. A few months ago, I won a contest for a signed copy of The Demon's Lexicon from LiyanaLand.  I was so excited, since I really enjoyed the book and figured I'd never get a chance to meet the author (you know, since she lives across the ocean and all).  When the book never arrived, I was so sad that I emailed Liyana to see if my emails or address had gone astray.  Well, after some more emailing, Sarah Rees Brennan was so kind as to send another copy (since the first had gotten lost)!  I was so happy to get it this week and so I say thank you to Sarah and Liyana for being so generous and patient!

Who are you author-loving this week?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Slumping NOT Over

It's official.  I'm in a rut.  I've been trying to plow through lots of books recently, both library and review copies and I'm just plain tired.  I'm feeling sad that I feel like I have to "plow" through books at all.  I need some kind of literary pick-me-up.  Something that reminds me of just how much I love reading.  I'm open to your suggestions, cause I've got nothing.

Not only is it a reading slump, I'm feeling very unmotivated to blog as well.  You may have noticed a proliferation of book reviews and not a lot of anything else.*  That is a symptom of my slumpage.  I've just been taking my huge back log of reviews (from July - yes, I'm almost four months behind on my reviews) and posting them once a day.  It's almost as tiresome for me as it is for you.

What I'm really hoping will pull me out of both slumps is a chance to mingle with some awesome local and one awesome non-local YA authors this Saturday.  My library is having a teen book festival of sorts, and I'm hoping I'll at least get some food for thought if not my excitement for reading back.  I've got an author-love post brewing on my back burner and this event might just move it out of the dark recesses of my mind and into the public view.  

But, until then, I've only got more reviews from way back when (and a few from not-so-way-back-when) to post.  Thanks for sticking with me, everyone!

*I'm even so slumpy right now that I can't even think of a nice picture to include to break up the dull text of this post. 

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Author Interview with Jon and Pamela Voelkel

While I'm trying new things, here's my very first author interview!  The Voelkel's first book The Jaguar Stones, Book One: Middleworld published this year and is an exciting middle grade adventure novel about ancient and modern Mayan culture.  Check out my review of the book here.  Also, take a peak at the guest post the Voelkels did on my blog last Thursday.  Without further ado, here is the interview:

ME: What's the most exciting or hair-raising experience you had while traveling to research your book?

J&P: It was a beautiful sunny day in Campeche, Mexico and we decided, on impulse, to try and find a remote site called Hormiguero. We soon discovered that the jungle had reclaimed the road, the remaining narrow track was bounded by trees on both sides and there was no way to turn around. It got very muddy, full of potholes and deep puddles, and we didn’t dare stop in case we got stuck. Then the sky began to darken and we knew that if the rains came, we’d be in serious trouble - no 4-wheel drive, no GPS, no cell phone signal and no one knew we were there. We learned a lot that day. The hard way. (But we made it to Hormiguero and it was spellbinding.)

ME: Sounds fun (and scary)!  Why do you think ancient cultures such as the Mayan culture are so intriguing to us today?

J&P: We tend to think of progress as always moving forward, but it’s obvious that the human race has had a few relapses. So much knowledge was lost when Diego de Landa burned  all the Maya books in 1549. It’s mind-boggling what the Maya achieved with no metal tools or wheels or telescopes – we all want to know how they did it. And who isn’t thrilled by tales of magnificent pyramids rising out of the untamed jungle? Throw in some secret passageways to explore and mysterious writings to decode, and what’s not to love?

ME: I know, makes me want to take a vacation right now! Are the Jaguar Stones based off of something that actually existed in ancient Mayan
culture or did you create them?

J&P: The Jaguar Stones are fictional; we invented them to embody some of the qualities that have sustained the Maya through the last three thousand years, such as agriculture, astronomy, creativity, military prowess, and kingship. The appearance of the Jaguar Stones was inspired by a poster we bought at Altun Ha in Belize, showing an amazing carved jade head of the Sun God. The actual artifact has always been kept under lock and key in its native land, so we saw it for the first time this year at ‘The Maya and the Mythic Sea’ exhibition at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.

ME: If you could ask an ancient Mayan king or queen one question, what would it be?

J&P: We’d ask them “What was in all those books that Diego de Landa took from you and burned?”

ME: Ooh, the librarian in me craves the answer to that!  What do you hope kids will learn or enjoy the most from reading your book?

J&P: Mostly, we want them to have fun reading it, and we hope they won’t be able to put it down. It’s a real page-turner with lots of twists and turns, but it has plenty of funny moments too. Along the way, maybe they’ll learn that there’s a lot more to the ancient Maya than just human sacrifice, that there are still six million Maya living in Central America today, and that we all need to look after the rainforest before it’s too late.

ME: I'm sure kids will be sucked right into the adventures in this book!  Thanks Jon and Pamela for visiting my blog and answering my questions!

Doesn't it just make you want to travel more?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Guest Post With Authors Jon & Pamela Voelkel

Today, I have a special treat for you!  I won't be filling this post with my own dreadful awesome writings.  Instead, I bring you my very first guest post from authors Jon and Pamela Voelkel!  Their first book, The Jaguar Stones, Book One: Middleworld, published in April of this year and is the first in a new middle grade adventure series.  It's a super fun and exciting story about a boy who travels to Central America to save his parents who are lost on an archeological dig.  I'll be reviewing the book next Tuesday [edit: here's the review] and also Jon and Pamela will answer a few questions as part of their blog tour then [edit: here's the author interview].  But for now, here's their guest post, where they relate one of the best experiences they had while doing research for their book: 

The experience that changed everything took place at a site called Yaxha in Guatemala.  Jon and I were with our three children and a guide called Jesus Antonio. We were the only gringos that day; the other visitors were all locals, mostly school parties. A group of Maya teenagers started shadowing us and taking photos of themselves with our son Harry who’s 6’ 6”. Jesus Antonio watched them for a while, then stepped forward and puffed out his chest, ready to make a speech:

“Yes, remember these people,” he said in Spanish, “but not because their son is tall. Remember them because they are writing a book about your culture and thanks to them, children in North America will be reading about you and your history.”

The giggling, gum-chewing teens stared at him in surprise. Then, suddenly, they gave us a standing ovation. To be in that beautiful place, receiving applause from the living Maya with the ancient pyramids towering behind them was a humbling moment. That’s when I knew we had to go the extra mile and write a book that would honor those kids, a book with strong Maya characters and impeccable research. Back home, we signed up a leading Maya expert at Harvard to check all our facts. My dream is that one day, when our books have been translated into Spanish, we’ll make school visits in Guatemala.

What an amazing experience!  I hope your dream comes true.  Thanks again to Jon and Pamela.

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Paneling is More Than Just Really Ugly Wall Covering

Second day of Armchair BEA, and apparently I really dropped the ball on this one.  Blogger interviews?  Oops.  Well, I've been enjoying reading all of yours and getting to know new bloggers.  

Instead of interviewing myself (which really sounds horrifying), I'm taking a page out of Marg at Adventures of an Intrepid Reader's book and mentioning some of the panels/events I would love to attend.

BEA Young Adults Editor’s Buzz
Blurb: Insightful and passionate, this intimate editorial exchange will provide you with an editor’s perspective on some of the Fall’s new YA discoveries and potential breakouts.

YA Authors of YA Editor's Buzz
See above - hearing the authors of said buzzing speak.  Excellent!

You're Reading That?
Blurb: How can booksellers and librarians supply the interests of their teenage customers yet stay connected with that crucial 18-35 year old demographic — the ones who still read and buy YA titles in great numbers? The recent success of Little Brown’s Twilight Series highlights the need for industry professionals to be proactive in supplying fresh and fascinating titles for this burgeoning market.

Dystopian Fiction
Hello, Ally Condie - local author with fabulous (well, I haven't read it, but I expect fabulous) new dystopian book coming out?  Why wasn't she on my author list yesterday?

Librarian's 2nd Annual Book Shout and Share!
Blurb: Two days, thousands of books, eight librarians!  Collection development librarians share their top picks (and best buys) direct from the floor of Book Expo America 2010.

And speaking of authors I forgot to put on my list to meet yesterday, why oh why didn't I include Maria Snyder?  I have serious love for her books.  All of them.  Sigh.

Anything you'd like to attend?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Adventures in BookLand

I figured I wouldn't post about the Kathryn Stockett book signing I went to Thursday night, but since it was so awesome, here's a little info about the fun.

Suey and I made our way to the distant land of The King's English (ok, not that far, but with traffic it sometimes feels far). We weren't entirely sure we would get in, since it sounded like all the tickets had been sold already, but we were willing to give it a try. Good thing, too!

We were able to even sit down, despite the standing-room only tickets we purchased. We were way in the back of the room, but still able to hear and see the lovely Kathryn Stockett. I could have listened to her speak for ages. With her soft-spoken southern-accented voice, she had us all under her spell. She talked a little bit about the story behind her writing this book, and it is always so fun to learn how authors were inspired. She was funny and she was real and that's the way I like my authors. When asked about how African-Americans in general respond to the book, she said it was mixed. Some feel like it tells their story, some feel uncomfortable about it. Just like any other book, really. No book I've read has universal appeal.

I was so pleased when she quoted one of my favorite parts of The Help (mentioned in my review here) about how the point of the book was to help us realize we're all just people.  Not that different.

We then got our books signed, much faster than expected - TKE really got us through the line fast! Then Suey and I headed out to dinner with two more lovely Utah bloggers - Sharla of WinterWrite (who wrote an excellent post about it) and Lyn of Barding Well. It was a pleasure to get to know them and chat about blogging and reading. Suey wrote up a much more organized and specific post about things Kathryn said and photos of the four of us. Be sure to read it, it's quite lovely.

Who's your favorite author to meet or listen to?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Yeah for Utah Bloggers (and Authors)!

I'm not a very outgoing person.  I think I mentioned it before, when we had the summer Utah book blogging social.  But, I decided to put more effort into mingling and socializing at our latest event.  I definitely improved, but I have a long way to go yet.  

We gathered because of the beautiful organizing skills of these fine ladies, who deserve our thanks:

Natasha from Maw Books
Suey from It's All About Books
Becky from One Literature Nut

Here's a list of many of the Utah book bloggers and there were lots and lots of them at the social on Saturday (as well as Utah authors).  I didn't meet nearly as many as I'd like, but I did talk to a few.  I was really happy to meet Suey from It's All About Books, Kim from Good Clean Reads and Alison from So Many Books, So Little Time.  I also met Brenda from Brenda Loves Books and a few others who I listened to, but didn't actually talk with.  I had a few minutes (or seconds) to chat again with Cari from Bookscoops, Becky from One Literature Nut, Angie from Angieville, and Natasha from Maw Books.  

Where I failed, however, was in chatting with the authors (I'd try to name them all, but I'm sure I'd leave some out). Seriously, I have an inability to approach them. One thing at a time, I guess. Anyway, here are some photos that other people took, since I didn't bring a camera.

This photo was taken from Suey's fabulous recap at It's All About Books (there are tons more photos there too and she names the people in them :)

I'd better not try to name everyone in this photo, since I don't know everyone, but that's me in the front (with the long hair) and that's as close as I got to Shannon Hale the whole evening :)

(photo courtesy of Natasha)

Lots of authors and bloggers here, all of them very cool.  And since he's the sole male in the photo, I'll point out James Dashner.

I'm already looking forward to our summer social! 

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

The Locals

I know I signed up for a few challenges already, but when Suey from It's All About Books started the Support Your Local Author challenge, I just couldn't resist (click here for others' local author reviews).  I love my local authors, so I'm all about supporting them.  Here's a list of authors I hope to read at least one book from for this challenge:

Arizona authors:

Lisa McMann (The Unwanteds) (my review)
Aprilynne Pike (Spells)
                       (Illusions)
Janette Rallison (aka C.J. Hill) (Slayers) (my review)
                                              (My Double Life)
                                              (My Unfair Godmother)

Utah authors:

Ally Condie (Matched) (my review)
                   (Crossed) (my review)
James Dashner (The Scorch Trials) (my review)
                       (The Death Cure)
Bree Despain (The Dark Divine) (my review)
                     (The Lost Saint) (my review)
Ann Dee Ellis (Everything is Fine.) (my review)
                     (This is What I Did:) (my review)
Jessica Day George (Princess of Glass) (my review)
                               (Tuesdays at the Castle)
Shannon Hale (Calamity Jack) (my review)
                      (Midnight in Austenland)
Mette Ivie Harrison (Princess and the Snowbird) (my review)
                              (Tris and Izzie) (my review)
Matthew J. Kirby (The Clockwork Three) (my review)
                            (Icefall) (my review)
Brandon Mull (Keys to the Demon Prison) (my review)
                      (A World Without Heroes) (my review)
Brandon Sanderson (Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia) (my review)
Emily Wing Smith (The Way He Lived) (my review)
Carol Lynch Williams (Glimpse) (my review)
                                  (Miles from Ordinary)
Sara Zarr (Once Was Lost) (my review)
                (How to Save a Life)

Super excited about this challenge!

On a totally unrelated note, anybody else struggle to write non-cheesy book summaries?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage,
I will get a very small percentage

Interrater Reliability

I was very intrigued by Shannon Hale's recent post about rating books. There are lots of interesting and insightful comments on the post and you should read over them. Here is a part of her post that I have been thinking about since I read it:

"So, I wonder if book evaluation is trumping self-evaluation. I wonder if we get so caught up in gushing or bashing, shining up those stars or taking them away, that the reading experience is weighed too heavily on the side of the book itself and not enough on the reader. After all, reader is more important than book. Reader is the one who changes from reading, not the book. Reader is the one who lives the magic of storytelling."

As a reader, I do feel like I haven't placed enough emphasis on self-evaluation. I should think more about reasons for my reactions to books, especially when I dislike a book. Those feelings and issues sometimes come out when I write a review, but I think those things are more appropriate in my head - not to mention they are much more difficult for me to express. Perhaps if I were a more skilled writer (and had more free time) I could make my reviews more self-evaluative. But, I'm not sure they would be all that helpful for someone looking for a book to read (which is one purpose for this blog).

I'd like to think my reviews are not so much "gushing" or "bashing" but more of an evaluation of what I thought of the book. I think that any review is going to be based mainly on the reviewer's subjective opinion. While I do think it is possible to objectively evaluate some elements of writing, those things are not usually why I want to read a book. I don't seek out books solely for the writer's ability to follow rules and guidelines (though good writing can be a draw, but then again what is good writing? etc etc). I read a book for enjoyment and escapism, knowledge and understanding. Those things can be found in books written with all kinds of styles and even all kinds of ability levels.

My reviews are subjective. I write them to let people know a little about the story, a little about what I liked or didn't like, and what types of possibly objectionable material may be in a book. The overall rating really is just how much I liked or didn't like it. It has no translatable objective purpose. The rating will differ from one person to the next, just as enjoyment will differ.

One of the things I enjoy about reading other book blogs is the huge range of opinions. I can read glowing reviews of a book and then mediocre ones for the same book. This doesn't confuse or aggravate me, it usually piques my interest. If a book has very strong reactions from both sides, I think that is a good indication that I should pick it up and try for myself.

Anyway, do any of you have thoughts on giving ratings or being more self-evaluative and less book-evaluative? Do you look at ratings or skip them over completely?

Children's Book Festival

I spent a wonderful day at the Provo Children's Book Festival! This was my first year going, and I will definitely be there again next year!

I first attended a panel of fantasy authors, including Shannon Hale, Jessica Day George, J. Scott Savage, Brandon Mull, Brandon Sanderson, and James Dashner. It was a lot of fun to hear their thoughts on the future of fantasy, particularly in middle grade and young adult. Unfortunately, the fire alarm interrupted the event, making it difficult to hear and concentrate. (No worries, there was no fire, just an unattended young mischief-maker. I'm sure if I had kids, they would have been equally as mischievous.) Also unfortunate was my lack of forethought in bringing a camera. While I would have loved to snap some photos, I am not the most photogenic person. I might not have even posted a photo of me with any of the authors, so you aren't missing out on much.

The highlight, of course, is meeting the authors as they sign your books. I have a really hard time striking up conversations with strangers, let alone strangers whose books I adore. Our conversations were not exciting enough for me to post. However, here are all of the books I got signed:

I will probably have to go six months before I buy another book to make up for my splurging. All in all, it was a lot of fun and I simply love having signed books.

Do you crave having books signed or do you not really care, as long as the book is good?

Oh, and stay tuned, because I am giving away one of these signed books on my blog shortly!