I always find that books containing cancer are some of the hardest to approach, and The Probability of Miracles is no different. There seems to be no “right” way to approach the topic, because an exclusive focus would be much too depressing while a mere mention would be inappropriate for something so serious. Wunder finds a good balance in her debut novel by acknowledging the enormity of Cam’s illness but also shifting the focus to other issues, such as Cam’s relationship with her family and her conception of love. This, as well as Cam’s irrepressible sarcasm, made reading such a tough story a little less tough to read. I didn’t love this book, but I do think it is a worthwhile read. Cam’s tough-girl act holds readers an arm’s length away most of the time, so it’s hard to develop a real connection with her character, but her personal journey and trials are undeniably somewhat cathartic. I applaud Wunder for her careful handling of such a delicate topic; The Probability of Miracles is a book that is sure to coax a few chuckles and infinitely more tears from all readers.
The Probability of Miracles should be read by readers who also liked Alive and Well in Prague, New York by Daphne Grab, Don’t Stop Now by Julie Halpern, and Life, After by Sarah Darer Littman.
Rating: 4.25
Review copy from publisher Penguin
The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder
Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber
Hieber has created a truly fantastic historical and paranormal tale in Darker Still. The story opens as many other young adult historical novels do, with a young woman concerned with her future prospects. Natalie is a well-to-do young lady who would be a willing participant in society if not for her muteness. Her worries for the sorry state of her future are quickly overshadowed when Lord Denbury appears in her life—because he seems to be trapped in a painting and Natalie is determined to free him. Readers will be swept along into Natalie’s world with each magical or otherwise sinister twist of the plot. In addition to a lovely and captivating story, I have to say that I really enjoyed Hieber’s writing and descriptions. Her tendency for the dramatic and theatrical really helps set the scene and makes the story, along with all of Natalie’s many issues, come to life. In all, I was quite enamored with Darker Still and eagerly await the next installment in the Magic Most Foul series.
Darker Still appeals to fans of Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle, A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray, and The Luxe series by Anna Godbersen.
Rating: 4.5
Review copy from NetGalley
Some book events from way back when...
A couple weeks ago, I went to three different and awesome book events three days in a row, but because of all my other scheduled posts, I haven't had a chance to tell you about them until now. So here goes.
On Tuesday, December 6, I headed on down to the Barnes & Noble in Union Square with author Kody Keplinger. We got there at around 3:30 or so because we wanted to be early for an event which started at 7:00. Why so extremely early, you ask? Well, because we knew that tons of people were going to show up because this event was the launch party for The Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare.
 |
| It's a giant book! |
Sure enough, Kody and I weren't even the first people in the store waiting on Cassie Clare. Fortunately, though, because we were so early, we got amazing seats in the second row. And even though we had to wait a really long time, we were amply rewarded for our efforts.
 |
| The fabulous Cassandra Clare herself! |
 |
| Cassandra Clare and, yes, that is Ed Westwick |
Guess who else decided to show up to the event? Only Ed Westwick, better known as Chuck Bass from the Gossip Girl TV show. Ed has done several audiobooks in The Mortal Instruments/The Infernal Devices series and was awesome enough to stop by for a few minutes and introduce Cassandra Clare. Needless to say, there were a lot of squealing girls in the audience.
 |
| Here's another pic of Ed Westwick, for your viewing pleasure |
As always, Cassie's event was full of fans and fun. She read a little bit from The Clockwork Prince and then took extensive Q&A from the audience. All in all, thoroughly enjoyable and well worth the two and a half or so hour wait. And I even got a signed book for a friend and some swag in the deal.
Then, that next day, I headed down to the NYPL Jefferson Market branch for December's Teen Author Reading Night. Since the weather was rainy and rather chilly, the turnout wasn't quite as good as it normally is, but the event, as always, was still fantastic.
 |
| Cecil Castellucci, Delia Sherman, Marie Rutkoski, Margie Gelbwasser, Julia Mayer, & Andy Marino |
Everyone read a little bit from their most recent book and then David Levithan, the organizer and moderator of this monthly series, had some interview questions before opening up the Q&A to the audience. Unfortunately, I had to leave the even early and had to awkwardly duck out during Q&A while saying goodbye to my friends Ruth and Sam from Living Little Women.
The day after that, I headed on down to Books of Wonder for yet another event. This one featured authors Cecil Castellucci, Daniel Nayeri, Paul Griffin, and Anna Godbersen.
 |
| Daniel Nayeri, Anna Godbersen, Paul Griffin, & Cecil Castellucci |
It was awesome getting to hear each of them read from their newest books, and the audience had lots of interesting questions during Q&A. As a result, I learned that Daniel Nayeri wrote the entirety of Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow on his iPhone, that research is one of Anna Godbersen's favorite parts of writing historical novels, that Paul Griffin has had many dogs and many horrible neighbors, and that Cecil Castellucci ordered a survival guide for contactees to write First Day on Earth. Fun stuff.
I had a lovely time talking to Nancy Mercado, a fantastic editor at Macmillan, and awesome Books of Wonder employee Adam. And of course, I was super excited to get my copy of First Day on Earth signed and chat briefly with the super cool Cecil Castellucci.
So, I hope you remember from my recap of Cassie's event that I picked up some swag. If you were hoping that some of that would be given away in a contest, then your hopes have been fulfilled!
(1) lucky winner will receive a Shadow Hunters poster and a rune pin
To enter this contest, please fill out this form:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFlQeUlyVWlPT0FLQ2dneVVtX3U1d3c6MQ
Other details:
- US mailing addresses only.
- Contest ends 1/06/12, at 9 p.m. PST.
Win a signed copy of The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder
Dry, sarcastic, sixteen-year-old Cam Cooper has spent the last seven years in and out hospitals. The last thing she wants to do in the short life she has left is move 1,500 miles away to Promise, Maine - a place known for the miraculous events that occur there. But it's undeniable that strange things happen in Promise: everlasting sunsets; purple dandelions; flamingoes in the frigid Atlantic; an elusive boy named Asher; and finally, a mysterious envelope containing a list of things for Cam to do before she dies. As Cam checks each item off the list, she finally learns to believe - in love, in herself, and even in miracles.
A debut novel from an immensely talented new writer, The Probability of Miracles crackles with wit, romance and humor and will leave readers laughing and crying with each turn of the page.
(1) lucky winner will receive a signed copy of The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder
courtesy of Alloy Entertainment
Other details:
- US mailing addresses only.
- Contest ends 1/06/12, at 9 p.m. PST.
Interview with Wendy Wunder
What has your experience as a debut author been like so far?
Hi Bookmuncher! Thanks for asking such interesting questions! My experience as a debut author has been exciting and scary. I've actually been 'authoring' for a long time, but to know that more folks will now be Reading what I wrote, while exhilarating, is also a bit intimidating. I want people to like me. Which is not the best personality for a writer to have. :) I don't recommend having that kind of personality if you can help it.
What has been the best part of the publishing process for you? The worst?
The best is just the process of writing. I love it. I have to do it. It's who I am. And with a publishing contract, I finally get to Be who I am, rather than the waitress who writes or the librarian who writes or the receptionist who writes. I can just be me. The worst is the waiting. There's a lot of waiting around to get notes and then between the different steps of the publishing process. Now that I finally have made a little inroad I want to keep things moving a little more quickly. But I'm trying to be more patient. I breathe in. I breathe out.
What is the most interesting thing you learned while writing The Probability of Miracles? (This can be about yourself, about writing, or anything at all).
I guess what I learned about myself as a writer/artist is that I'm not as 'visual' as I thought I was. My first drafts of the novel looked like movie scripts. I could easily hear what the characters were saying (the dialogue came easily to me) and I could SEE where they were, but I had a hard time describing the things that I saw in my mind. I could do it, but it took a lot of effort. I need to work on description. I also thought I was terrible at plotting, but that came more easily than it had in the past in the writing of The Probability of Miracles.
What was the most difficult part of writing The Probability of Miracles? the most enjoyable?
Whoops, I think I answered that in question 3. The most difficult was the description. The most enjoyable was the dialogue and letting the characters use their humor to get them through some intense moments.
What is the most rewarding part about being a young adult author?
Well... more than any other cohort, Young Adults need books, I think. It's important not to feel alone at that age and books are the perfect remedy for that. Also it's fun to write for folks who are just beginning their lives. You get to write with hope and joy instead of accurately depicting how dreary life can be, which is what some great literary fiction does. Don't get me wrong. I Loves me the literary fiction. I'm a strong devotee of contemporary adult fiction. It's just refreshing to be able to take a different, slightly more hopeful tone. Aside from teaching young adults (and raising my daughter) writing for young adults has been the most gratifying thing I've done.
If there was one thing you could change about The Probability of Miracles, what would it be?
Honestly, the first chapter... I worked for a while on composing a prologue. But the prologue never got powerful enough to work as a prologue by itself, so I incorporated it into the first chapter, and I think the blending of the two pieces might still be a little clunky. But, so far, I've been my worst critic, so I hope other people won't notice it as much as I do.
What are you working on next?
Oooo. I'm juggling a couple things. One of them is a magical Thelma and Louise story about the power of friendship, filled with action, romance, and the mysteries of the universe. Stay tuned...
Read the first 5 chapters of The Probability of Miracles below!
The Probability of Miracles - Chapters 1 - 5
Find out more about The Probability of Miracles and Wendy Wunder:
Official website: www.probabilityofmiracles.com
Facebook fan page: www.Facebook.com/ProbabilityofMiracles
Author website: www.wendywunderbooks.com
Author Facebook fan page: www.Facebook.com/wendywunderauthor
Author Twitter: www.Twitter.com/WendyWunder
The Book Muncher: 4 years and still going strong!
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday Dear Muncher, happy birthday to you!
Can you believe it?! I hardly can. It's been four whole years since the conception of this little blog. Four years of reading, munching, and loving it. In human years, age four would mark close to the end of toddlerhood, but in book blogging years, age four makes me feel like a bit of an old lady.
Four years. Wow. I'm still a little bit in shock. I've been in the business of book munching for four whole years.
I'm going to keep the celebration simple this year. So I have no party favors to give out, but I do offer my deepest gratitude to each and every one of you for visiting my little corner of the internet. Without you, The Book Muncher would be nothing.
First Day on Earth by Cecil Castellucci
First Day on Earth is a quick and thoughtful look at learning to accept and appreciate the hand you’re dealt, so to speak, in the context of science fiction. Everyone’s wished to escape from their life at least once, but Mal’s desire to escape is so great that he wants to even leave planet Earth. Castellucci’s sparse yet powerful prose really draws readers to the heart of Mal’s pain and desperation. What we get is a sad but ultimately sweet and hopeful story as Mal tries to figure out whether to try to escape with extraterrestrials or to keep living on Earth. Though I most certainly enjoyed reading First Day on Earth, I can’t say that the story or its ending particularly grabbed me in the way Rose Sees Red, another novel by Castellucci that I’ve read, did. I think this is due to the fact that Mal isolates himself so much, even from the reader, that I never felt entirely invested in his life, disappointed by the bad things that happened to him, or buoyed by his moments of optimism. Nevertheless, First Day on Earth remains a worthwhile read and a good pick especially for readers looking for only a dash of sci-fi.
First Day on Earth is sure to be enjoyed by fans of Life, After by Sarah Darer Littman, Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King, and other novels by Cecil Castellucci.
Rating: 4.0
Review copy from publisher Scholastic
Saving June by Hannah Harrington
Saving June is a truly beautiful and beautifully written story of loss and love. I always approach grief novels with some trepidation, because I’ve read so many of them and I’m always afraid I’m going to get a repeat of the same old, clichéd story I’ve heard already. This was a worry I quickly forgot as soon as I was introduced to Harper Scott. She’s smart and stubborn, and the thing she wants most is to find an explanation for her sister’s death. She doesn’t do this by conducting an investigation or by withdrawing into herself or depression. She tries to make things okay for herself by taking matters into her own hands, in this case, by stealing her sister’s ashes and taking them on a road trip. Harper’s character is undeniably real, and every new hurdle in her path is sure to have readers choking back inappropriate laughter or blinking back tears. I love the way Harrington develops the relationships between Harper and other characters in the book in such a believable manner, and I greatly appreciate her choice to make the plot realistic instead of exploiting opportunities for character twists. Saving June is without a doubt one of my favorite novels about grieving that is sure to win every reader’s heart.
Harrington is definitely an author to watch, especially for fans of contemporary novels. Saving June will be enjoyed by readers who also liked The Survival Kit by Donna Freitas, Putting Makeup on Dead People by Jen Violi, The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle, and A Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell.
Rating: 4.75
Review copy from NetGalley
Melody Burning by Whitley Strieber
The concept of Melody Burning sounded more bizarre than intriguing when I first heard about it, but I was hoping that Strieber could turn the bizarre into a good story. Unfortunately, he was not quite successful, and the story remains more bizarre than anything else. The novel has a couple of interesting points that propel the plot, such as the fact that Beresford has lived secretly within a building for much of his life and the dangerous project for which the building Beresford was created. My main issues, however, were with the points and views and voices from which the story was told. I found Melody’s voice to feel somewhat inauthentic; she came off as neither a wealthy pop star nor a moody teenager, two identities she is supposed to hold. This made it difficult for me to feel sympathy for her romance with Beresford because I couldn’t tell what these feelings were based upon. Beresford’s narrations were similarly a little off base; though I understand he has spent the majority of his life on his own without guidance or education, portraying him as so simple and sweetly innocent seemed a little strange. In addition, the switch in verb tense and first or third person narration for different points of view was pointless and irritating. Unfortunately, my inability to connect with the voices of each main character in this novel really prevented me from appreciating the story and left me feeling rather unsatisfied with the novel overall.
Melody Burning may still be enjoyed by readers willing to take a chance on its unique storyline, but I feel that I’m unable to provide suitable novels for comparison, perhaps because this one is so different.
Rating: 2.5
Review copy from publisher Macmillan
Pajants Party!
Last Saturday, I slept in til 11, not realizing that there was a book event I wanted to go to that day. After I remembered that, though, the next few hours of my life became a flurry of excitement because I was getting ready to attend a mega event: the Pajants Party at Books of Wonder.
Pajants, you ask? Yes, the Twitterhood of the Butt Lifting Pajants, in fact. Basically, it's a pair of pajama jeans that have been passed from YA author to YA author, decorated a bit by each, to promote butt-lifting action (and silliness and community and friendship and all that). You may remember seeing them a couple of times on The Book Muncher, since I have spotted them in the wild at previous events (see here and here).
And can I say that the Pajanters know how to throw a party! After a brief introduction to the Pajants, we all watched a brief slideshow (created and narrated by E. Lockhart) of various authors wearing the Pajants and then got to hear some more specific stories relating to the Pajants. It was quite amusing. I loved getting to hear from not only the 19 featured authors but also a few more Pajanters in the audience as well (including Alecia Whitaker, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Jess Rothenberg, and Rebecca Serle).
 |
| Elizabeth Eulberg, Courtney Sheinmel, E. Lockhart, Melissa Walker, Tara Altebrando, Alan Gratz, & Maureen Johnson (she's hidden behind the column) |
 |
| Jennifer E. Smith, Leslie Margolis, Adele Griffin, Robin Wasserman, Jen Calonita, & Dan Ehrenhaft |
 |
| Ann Brashares, David Macinnis Gill, Julia DeVillers, Lauren Myracle, Sarah Mlynowski, & Susane Colasanti |
 |
| the requisite group photo |
Perhaps the most touching part of the event was the fact that Ann Brashares was part of it. You know, the author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, the book that partially inspired the passing around of the Pajants. Yeah. She is so incredibly sweet and humble. I am honored to have met and had a short conversation with her (mostly about how much my sister loves her books and that I go to Barnard, the same college she went to!).
 |
| Me and Ann Brashares |
The rest of the time, I spent munching on yummy cupcakes and cookies and chatting with some of my favorite people, including: Genna from Reading, Writing, and the World of Words, Sam from Living Little Women, my favorite Books of Wonder employees Adam and Kaila, and authors Alecia Whitaker, Michael Northrop, Courtney Sheinmel, Adele Griffin, and Susane Colasanti. I was also excited to be recognized by authors Elizabeth Eulberg and Sarah Mlynowski and introduced to a Very Important Agent and soon-to-be-published author Jess Rothenberg.
All in all, it was an awesome time. Courtney Sheinmel even dubbed me the Official/Head Guardian of the Pajants. I know, what an honor.
And with that, I leave you with one last image of the Pajants in all their glory.
When books cannot be found in store
Every once in a while, something disastrous happens in the world of books. No, I’m not being melodramatic, at least, not really. It might not be completely disastrous, but there is no doubt that it can be very devastating and certainly disappointing.
Every once in a while, books are not stocked in bookstores.
I know I’m not the only reader out there who finds it upsetting to walk into a bookstore and not be able to find a favorite book. It means that other readers may not be able to access a story that I really cared about. It means that potential readers are less likely to stumble upon this book purely by accident. Ultimately, it means that this book may not be getting into the hands of some people who will love this story.
As I feel that this is not a topic that many readers know much about, I will do my best in my post to address how this sort of situation arises, how this affects authors and readers, and what we as book lovers can do to change things or at least make them better.
Why Books Are Not Stocked in Store
It is quite obvious that bookstores, even the smaller ones, carry a large quantity and variety of books. Yet, at the same time, no bookstore can carry every book; that would be economically unrealistic and physically impossible. So, how do bookstores figure out which books to stock out of the multitudes of books that are published each year?
The key is that every bookstore has a buyer whose job is to select which books to stock in the store. Now, what are the criteria for selecting books? Obviously, this varies by store, but here are a few of the factors that booksellers may consider:
2. Publishing trends
3. Potential audience
What’s important to remember is that selling books is a business. Booksellers may not find it worth investing time, money, and space in stocking a book if they think it won’t sell in their store. For example, someone strolling through a bookstore is unlikely to pick up a book with an aesthetically unpleasant cover because people do judge books by their covers. Likewise, this person is not very likely to pick up a book with a strange title. Booksellers may stock more books because of the popularity of a specific trend (think vampires and other paranormal creatures in YA) because these books are likely to sell well. Basically, if a bookstore thinks lots of people are going to buy a certain book, they are much more likely to stock it.
However, there is another side to this equation. Since so many books are published each year, it seems unlikely that a buyer has time to sort through all of these to determine which books are the best fit for which bookstore. This is where the sales and marketing people of the publishing houses come in. It’s their job to convince the buyer that he or she should stock their new titles. The success of the sales and marketing reps hinges upon the following:
Some publishing houses are so large that they produce hundreds of books every year. How are sales and marketing reps supposed to familiarize themselves enough with each of these books in order to convince buyers to stock them? The answer is a little ugly, because oftentimes, they can’t. And to be honest, it’s unrealistic to expect them to intimately know each and every one of the books they’re trying to sell.
There isn’t a specific party to blame in these situations, but these causes lead to the unfortunate effect where certain books are not stocked in bookstores.
How This Affects Authors
Not having books stocked in bookstores can have profound repercussions for authors. Perhaps the more obvious effect is on a psychological level. It can’t be easy for any author, especially debut authors, to find out that a bookstore, especially one as large as Barnes & Noble, will not be carrying their book. When you take into account the amount of work, love, and dedication that each author pours into his or her books, this situation is upsetting to say the least.
What makes this even worse is that many authors whose books are not carried by Barnes & Noble, in particular, never find out the reason why. They are left wondering which party in this chain didn’t have faith in their book or what little detail made someone think that readers would be less likely to pick up this book in stores.
Another way to look at this situation is from an economic standpoint. It’s pretty obvious that when books are not carried in stores, people cannot buy those books in those stores. This directly affects the sales of the books, which reflect, of course, back on the author. And when an author’s books sell poorly, they are less likely to have more books published. So, on top of the psychological disappointment and stress of not having one’s book stocked in bookstores, authors have to deal with the economic fallout.
Why We Should Care
Well, this is all good and well, but why should we as readers care? Why does it matter whether so-and-so’s book is stocked in our local Barnes & Noble or not?
A good starting place to answer these questions is probably our love for books. We like reading books. We like knowing that there will be more books that we will like. We like being able to walk through a bookstore, browse the shelves, and pick a book to read.
What we probably don’t normally take into account is what it takes for us to access these books. If we’re picking books out at a bookstore, we are limited by the selection of books that have been laid out for us. What if there’s another book that we might like better? Or, maybe we may have a favorite author. Maybe this person’s books weren’t stocked and didn’t sell well, and as a result, we won’t get that sequel we desperately wanted. And these are only the selfish reasons.
We should care because we care about books period, and we care about other readers getting to love the same books that we did.
What We Can Do
So what can we, as mere individual readers, do? Here are a few suggestions:
This list is by no means exhaustive or even proven to be effective. I am neither suggesting nor condoning making a huge fuss in order to sell a few books. Instead, I’m hoping that these options will provide a few alternatives to not buying a book merely because it can’t be found in Barnes & Noble.
Most of all, I greatly hope that this post has been informative and hopefully has enlightened a few more readers on an unfamiliar topic. Though I had help as I researched this topic, I take full responsibility for any and all of the information in this post that is in any way misleading or incorrect.
I want to give a big hug and many thanks to A.S. King, who was kind enough to share her story of when her second and Printz honor book, Please Ignore Vera Dietz, was not stocked by Barnes & Noble when it first released. I want to give a shout out to Kirsten Hubbard who was brave enough to blog about her experience when her debut novel, Like Mandarin, also wasn’t stocked in Barnes & Noble; though I have yet to read her first book, her second, Wanderlove, is a thing of utmost beauty. Lastly, I want to thank an author and friend for inspiring me to write this post in the first place (I owe you a cupcake).
For those authors out there who are unfortunately familiar with this situation: we care.
A long overdue announcement of contest winners
Congratulations to...
A long overdue event recap post
Hey all! It's been a little quiet but insanely busy (ha! isn't it always?) on the home front. Here's (finally!) a little recap of all of the events I went to earlier in the month of November.
The first event of last month was Teen Author Reading Night at the Jefferson Market branch of the NYPL. I arrived a little bit early and got to chat with awesome people, including my friend Sam from Living Little Women and author Alecia Whitaker, and meet more awesome people, including Australian author Sean Williams.
 |
| Nora Raleigh Baskin, Joanna Philbin, Lauren McLaughlin, and Stewart Lewis |
 |
| Barry Lyga, Leanna Renee Hieber, Donna Freitas, and Micol Ostow |
The event, as always, was thoroughly enjoyable. I didn't have a chance to talk much with any of the featured authors, but I had a great time listening to authors talk about books that I loved (especially The Survival Kit by Donna Freitas and The Summer Before Boys by Nora Raleigh Baskin) or that I couldn't wait to read (including family by Micol Ostow, You Have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis, and Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber).
Then, that very next day, I headed on down to Books of Wonder for another event. This one featured another awesome cast of authors, including Marianna Baer, Louis L. Buitendag, E. Archer, Jocelyn Davies, Karen Healey, and Andy Marino. Since I was running a little late to the event, I only got there just before it started, so I had to save all my socializing for after.
 |
| Marianna Baer, Louis L. Buitendag, and Andy Marino |
 |
| E. Archer, Karen Healey, and Jocelyn Davies |
One of the cool things about this panel was that everyone (with the exception of Karen Healey) was a debut author. The other was that everyone was just super funny: Karen Healey shared a story of how she gets her inspiration from mythical creatures in Central Park and E. Archer told us about his brief encounter with Fergie, the Duchess of York. Laughter abounded.
I had so much fun monopolizing Jocelyn Davies' time, chatting with her and author Michael Northrop, talking about waffles with Marianna Baer, and being gifted with a "Geek Fest" shirt by E. Archer and his splendiferous publicist. You all should be quite jealous of that last one.
That next week, I headed back to Books of Wonder for the NYC stop on the Stages on Pages tour. This unique event featured artists of all kinds, most of which have incorporated their loves for the arts in any form into their novels.
 |
| Gretchen McNeil, Stasia Ward Kehoe, Sheela Chari, Jessica Martinez, and Sophie Flack |
 |
| Elise Allen, Barbara Dee, Roseanne Parry, and Sara Lewis Holmes |
As I was hanging out in the back, chatting with author Michael Northrop, I was recognized by one of the authors of the panel, Stasia Kehoe. I was so surprised because she knew my face, my school, and my blog, but most strangely of all, she said we'd met in a bar. I was quite confused until I pieced it together: last February, after a book event in Brooklyn, I went to Kid Lit Drink Night with two book bloggers I had just met and spent a very long time chatting with an awesome woman whose name I promptly forgot. Lo and behold, that was Stasia! Weird but cool!
This event was a lot of fun, especially because of how it was organized. An audience member would pick a slip of paper from a bag and read a line from a book. Then, the author of the book whose line was just read would introduce and talk about said book. An hour breezed by. I can honestly say that I hardly noticed the time passing!
That next Sunday, I went back to (you guessed it) Books of Wonder for a signing featuring Rae Carson, John Connolly, Matthew Cody, Lauren McLaughlin, Delia Sherman, Leanna Renee Hieber, and the revered Tamora Pierce. Since Tamora Pierce is one of the biggest YA fantasy writers out there, and has been for some time, the event was super crowded.
 |
| Tamora Pierce, John Connolly, Rae Carson, Matthew Cody, and Leanna Renee Hieber |
 |
| Lauren McLaughlin |
I made sure to chat briefly with Leanna Renee Hieber before the event started, because, for another funny story, my dad had sat across the aisle from her on an airplane the night before. I was quite impressed that she was able to produce my name from that cute little story.
Finally, the Thursday after that, I went back yet again to Books of Wonder for another event. This one was for a group of 2011 debut authors, including Charlotte Bennardo, Natalie Zaman, Tami Lewis Brown,Victoria Schwab, Lia Habel, Kathy McCullough, Alissa Grosso, Christopher Grant, and Kiera Stewart.
 |
| Charlotte Bennardo, Natalie Zaman, Kathy McCullough, and Christopher Grant |
 |
| Tami Lewis Brown, Alissa Grosso, Kiera Stewart, Victoria Schwab, and Lia Habel |
I had lot of fun chatting with my friend Rachel from Bookshelf Lust as well as author Lia Habel, who is just hilarious. I didn't have any books to get signed (sadly, my copy of The Near Witch is in another state!), but it was awesome to get to hear about some pretty awesome-sounding books.
Can you believe I saw 37 different authors last month (some more than once)?! That's for an average of over 1 author a day!
