Archives for October 2013

REVIEW | Roar and Liv (Under the Never Sky #0.5) by Veronica Rossi

October 14, 2013 Leave a Comment

Roar and Liv (Under the Never Sky #0.5) by Veronica Rossi
October 30, 2012
HarperCollins
Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Before Perry and Aria, there was Roar and Liv.

After a childhood spent wandering the borderlands, Roar finally feels like he has a home with the Tides. His best friend Perry is like a brother to him, and Perry’s sister, Liv, is the love of his life. But Perry and Liv’s unpredictable older brother, Vale, is the Blood Lord of the Tides, and he has never looked kindly on Roar and Liv’s union. Normally, Roar couldn’t care less about Vale’s opinion. But with food running low and conditions worsening every day, Vale’s leadership is more vital—and more brutal—than ever. Desperate to protect his tribe, Vale makes a decision that will shatter the life Roar knew and change the fate of the Tides forever.

myreview First sentence: “I make my move when the tribe is asleep.”

For those who have never read Under the Never Sky (like me), Roar and Liv doesn’t go in-depth with the world the characters live in. We get glimpses of their society and what I have read interests me. I can’t say whether this novella adds anything to Under the Never Sky, but I can say that we get background on Roar’s and Liv’s relationship (who I assume aren’t as heavily focused in the first book) and we get to see how Roar, Liv, Perry, and Brooke are a family. Roar is dependent on them and that breaks my heart to see it all fall to pieces.

Roar and Liv’s interactions make me smile. (I’m a romantic, okay.) They are soo cute together. When they held each other, fangirling squeals emerged from my mouth. I just want them to have all the happiness in the world, but obviously, that is not going to happen, especially after what Vale, Perry’s and Liv’s brother, decide to do to save his people.

Vale makes me sooo angry. He was such a dick to Perry and Liv. I understand that he is Blood Lord so he has to put his people before his own family, but he doesn’t have to be cruel. I find him to be interesting because of what he does to Perry (beating him up) to show his dominance. He shows that he’s insecure about his position of power. He seems like he’s doing unnecessary preventive measures against his brother from usurping his role as Blood Lord. I don’t think that Perry has done anything that warrants this kind of treatment he gets from Vale. It’s actually really sad that there’s no trust between them (I can understand why from Perry, but not Vale).

There are a lot of things I want to learn about this series that this novella does not answer like the Blood Lord thing and the tribe and the powers aspect. Under the Never Sky, watch out. I’m gonna read you soon.

gradeB+

Events

BOOK EVENT | NYMBC Presents Gayle Forman & Tamara Ireland Stone

October 12, 2013 Comment : 1

Tuesday evening, I went to Not Your Mother’s Book Club (NYMBC)’s Awesome O’Clock event at Books Inc to see Gayle Forman and Tamara Ireland Stone. (It’s also called “She Said, He Said: Exploring Character, Story and Perspective in Duet Novels.” :D)

If you haven’t guessed it already, the theme of the event was about DUETS! (Y’know, because Gayle and Tamara have books written from the male and female perspective.)

Gayle Forman was wearing a double happiness t-shirt and she had on the loveliest Oxford shoes! She actually took her shoes off and set them on the table. Ha! (But she eventually put her shoes back on because it was too weird to leave it on the table.) She is such a hoot! She made me laugh a lot with her puns and pure awesomeness.

The two authors began talking about writing duets (companion books). The first question was about whether they knew ahead of time that they were going to write companion books. Tamara wrote Time Between Us, hoping it’ll be part of a series, but when she got to the end of the book, she realized she really wanted it to end. She ended the book in a way that allowed readers to not read a second book if there was one or if they didn’t want to read it. With If I Stay, Gayle didn’t know that she’d write a companion book. She didn’t think it was a viable book for a sequel, but the characters kept waking her at night. With Just One Day, it was going to be a standalone for like a week (and she was going to end it exactly where she ended it in the book. *gasp*). After she finished writing the book, she realized that writing the second book would connect the books together and take the story to a different level. She said it would be more ambitious and challenging.

They read parts from their books. In Time Between Us, Tamara read the scene where Anna goes to Bennett’s grandmother’s house and sees all the family pictures. In Time After Time, she read the scene from Bennett’s perspective of his family’s pictures. Gayle read scenes with the watch in it – in Just One Day, when Allyson tells Mrs. Foley what happened and Mrs. Foley inquires about her watch, and in Just One Year, when Willem goes to Celine, hoping that Allyson stopped by and when Willem tries to find Allyson by calling touring companies in England.

Both Gayle and Tamara are pantsers (they write by the seat of their pants. No planning. No outlines). Tamara writes whatever scene enters her head. Gayle writes in chronological order, but had to experiment with skipping around in Just One Day.

They talked about how they always have families in their books because it’s a big part of the characters. “Yay for good parents,” Tamara said.

They get a lot of calls for a third book, but Gayle doesn’t want to do a third book because it wouldn’t be interesting. It’d either be about their mundane day-to-day life or about terrible tragedies like Mia from If I Stay getting pregnant and then losing the baby. Nobody wants that. Oh, and Gayle says she’s done writing duets.

Gayle and Tamara talked about why they always start writing from the female perspective and how it was to write from the males’. Gayle asked why Tamara wrote from the female’s perspective when Bennett’s the one who’s struggling with his ability. Tamara said she liked the idea of a reluctant hero and found it interesting to show that by writing in the perspective of the girl who loves him (like if Spiderman was written from Mary Jane’s POV). She was scared to write from a teenage boy’s perspective. She had her husband help her with what guys would say and found it hard when she had to write guys interacting out with other guys because they say nothing. For Gayle, it never occurred her to write from the guy’s perspective. Adam was easy to write because Gayle is like him especially when Adams is being unpleasant in Where She Went. Gayle struggled with Willem because she didn’t know him and he didn’t use the slang that Americans do (because y’know, he’s Dutch). And she didn’t want Willem to have a Dutch cultural background and tried to find something that fits.

These are the questions I remember that was asked by the audience:

QUESTION: Any new projects they’re working on?
TIS: She sold a book “Every Last Word” that’s due to come out in 2015. She noted it was good therapy writing it.
GF: The book she was writing along with Just One Day was recently sent to the publishers. She said the guy in that story is “the hottest guy ever. The hottest of the hottest.”
(Both are working on standalones; no more duets.)

QUESTION: Do they have things they have to have to write? Any routines?
TIS: She can write anywhere, but she needs her headphones. She doesn’t have to play music, but when she does, she listens to a lot of movie soundtrack. She loves writing in coffeehouses and her office.
GF: She needs to get her kid out of the house and have coffee.

QUESTION: Do they write for a specific amount a day?
GF: She writes until she feels done or when the wine bottle is depleted.

QUESTION: Do they have a celebrity that they see playing their characters?
TIS: For Bennett, Jeremy from The Vampire Diaries and for Anna, Lorde the singer (Her son reminded her). And George Clooney as the dad. ;D
GF: She doesn’t think about it ’cause it’s hard. She said the guy from the Lumineers (Wesley) would be her Willem, but only if he was less pretty and had brown eyes and looked craggier. She said he looked too earnest. LOLLL.

QUESTION: What inspired them to become writers?
TIS: Wrote for herself. It’s cathartic. She credits Judy Blume.
GF: The romance answer is that the story inspires her, but poverty inspires her. ;D (She used to work as a journalist and that did not pay well.)

QUESTION: How do they name their books?
TIS: She wanted to name Time Between Us Möbius because she found the Möbius strip to be fascinating because it said that time could be manipulated. She liked the idea of events coming full circle. Her editor named Time After Time.
GF: She filed If I Stay as “Why Not,” then it changed to “If” and then to “If I Stay.” She said Just One Day came to her in a dream.

QUESTION: How do they name their characters?
TIS: She always liked the name Bennett and she chose Anna because it’s simple and a classic name. It’s also a palindrome!
GF: With Allyson’s name, she wanted an everyday name with a weird spelling. And with Willem, it’s a common Dutch name. (Note: she named him Willem before she knew William Shakespeare was going to be an element in the book.)

They sang a duet too! Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” and it was sooo awesome.

(*The two pictures of Gayle and Tamara were not taken by me.)

SIGNING

I told Gayle Forman I am living vicariously through her books since I can’t travel (even though I want to since it’s an absolute must after college but I haven’t yet). She said I still have time since I’m young. :D She gave me some free swag (the double happiness tattoo, two postcards, and a fucking awesome bookmark). I really love that you wrote “all the feels” in If I Stay. :D I wanted to take a picture with Gayle but my camera’s battery died :((((((, but luckily, Gayle use her phone to a picture of the two of us and emailed it to me. :’D So sweet of her!

I did not get anything signed by Tamara Ireland Stone. Only because I plan to see her and Veronica Rossi (again) on the 23rd. *crossing my fingers that I do!*

I’m so happy that I went. I just hope I like Just One Year.

Discussion

THE THREE C’S: CANDID CONVERSATIONS WITH CEE | Bad Note-Taking 101

October 10, 2013 Comments : 9

three c's

Note-taking is really important and convenient, especially when you read books and want to recall your thoughts or scenes that occurred. I wholeheartedly support note-taking. I’m a fairly good note-taker when I’m in class because I don’t want to miss anything the professor says (it may be important, which is always the case).

However, if you came in here under the impression I’ll teach you a thing or two about being a good note-taker when reading books —

You are sadly mistaken.

Didn’t you see the description for this seminar?

Bad Note-taking 101

An introduction to the history of Cee’s note-taking abilities (or lack of) for books. This course examines the benefits of note-taking with a journal or on a laptop, and the reasons why Cee note-takes and why she gets distracted a few sentences in. Particular focus will be given to the factors that prevent her from making proper notes like specific distractions as well as to how those distractions prolong her lack of productivity. This course will, hopefully, dissuade you from unhealthy note-taking habits. Students are required to take this course and are expected to engage in this discussion. (Note: This course is in no way trying to teach you how to be a good note-taker, per say.)

However, if you just do the opposite of the things I do (which is to avoid distractions), you should be fine. Maybe.

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Importance of Note-Taking for Books

Main point: To not forget important things you want to talk about! (It may be scenes that had you – on the edge of your seat in excitement or anxiousness, rolling on the floor from laugher, angry beyond belief, screaming like a fucking banshee, bored to tears, pondering about the themes and the symbolism.)

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Hand vs. Fingers
(or properly known as – Journals vs. TextEdit: Which Do I Prefer When Note-Taking?)

Hands (Journals)

PROS: Handwriting!, DOODLES, it’s extremely personalized, easy to take with you

CONS: Hand will cramp up after awhile (because I don’t write by hand as much anymore + I don’t hold my pen the proper way), having too many journals = clutter, can’t erase/delete whatever I wrote because I don’t like how it’s phrased (I’m a perfectionist!)

Fingers (Laptop/TextEdit)

PROS: Fast typing, “delete” is my best friend (it’s easier to erase sentences I don’t like so I can rewrite it), my hand never tires, I can sort of multi-task, less clutter in real life (since I don’t have to store the notes on my desk or bookshelf)

CONS: Bright screen + Internet = super distracting

So, have you figured out which I prefer?

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My Process

I have a book that I have to read – for school, for my blog, for whatever. It’s necessary that I finish the book (or attempt to) because if I don’t, I will eventually get behind schedule (ie. be screwed).
I grab my notebook or my laptop to take notes on whatever I’m reading. (I am extremely forgetful. I can’t recall shit even if my life depended on it. Hence, the usefulness of taking notes.)
I jot down a couple of notes about what I find interesting, what I think is important, or what I think the characters/images/themes symbolizes. (Bullet points are my friend.)
1. These notes tend to be proper sentences and the length of paragraphs, which actually distracts me from the text I’m reading. I like making my thoughts articulate. Also, if I take notes about my thoughts for a book review, I usually like to type out sentences I’ll use for that review. It kind of defeats the purpose of note-taking for later use. Whoops?
2. Sometimes, when I look back at the notes that aren’t full sentences, I get confused because I don’t understand what I wrote down. It’s like I wrote in a foreign language. And I’m extremely unorganized when it comes to note-taking.
3. It may be easier to highlight or underline things or write things in the margins of the book, but I don’t like desecrating the pages. It’s too precious to me (even if doing those things “adds character” to the book).
4. I’m a thorough person (when I try to note-take); I don’t want to miss anything, so I want to make sure I get everything down, which takes foooorrrreeevverrrr and then I give up.
I get distracted. Surprise, surprise. (Sarcasm, ya’ll.) I will only have a few sentences on the page. I feel like my mind does things the way a hummingbird moves (or jerks around), moving from one thing to another quickly even without finishing whatever I was doing before.
I stop note-taking and start doing something entirely different because my brain demands it.
Lack of productivity. Procrastination. FAILING.
The end results: Coming to class unprepared (’cause I can’t remember what happened in the book even though I read it the other night); having to reread the book again as I try to type up a review (this happens frequently, ie. The Beginning of Everything); having lots of text documents or notebooks that are left in a pile in the corner of my room, unfilled (which I really hate. Who wants a free composition books with two pages (or less) of notes written in it?). It’s not good.

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What Distracts Me (or What Goes Wrong)

A LOT OF THINGS. EVERYTHING.
My thoughts
The Internet – Twitter, Tumblr, blogs
BAD HABITS
Hunger/Food
People
Emails (I’m always checking it every 15 minutes.)
A need for my writing to be perfect
Bright screen
My sitting position
- I have a bad habit of reading in bed, so when I take notes, I am essentially juggling a book and a notebook (usually a laptop) on my lap. However, if I’m not reading on my bed, I sit down at the table, but the chair/seat is usually uncomfortable because I have no leg room to cross my legs or move them around. (Leg room is absolutely necessary when I work on a table.)
Books staring at me (they mock me!)
Knocked doors (I’m expecting books from the mailman.)
Text messages
Basically, if you snapped your fingers, I will begin to do something that sends me on a cycle of “doing things I shouldn’t be doing.”

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But seriously, note-keeping tips?

You’re asking the wrong person for advice.

I can only say: “note-taking is cool.” You can quote me.

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Do you take notes when you read? Or do you majorly fail at it like I do? (High fives for us, right? ;D) What does everyone do? How do you note-take? What’s your process like?

(I feel like this post somehow became about my distractions instead of note-taking. I did talk about note-taking, right? I would apologize, but I’m too tired to be sorry. )

Join in on other discussion posts over on Let’s Discuss!

Waiting on Wednesday

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY | Ashes to Ashes by Melissa Walker

October 9, 2013 Comments : 3

wowfestivo

Waiting On is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Ashes to Ashes by Melissa Walker
December 23, 2013
Katherine Tegen Books
Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Pre-order: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

If I Stay meets the movie Ghost in this first book in a teen duology about a teenage-girl-turned-ghost who must cling to the echoes of her former life to save the people she left behind.

When Callie’s life is cut short by a tragic accident, she expects to find nothingness, or maybe some version of heaven.

Instead, her spirit travels to the Prism, an ethereal plane populated by the ghosts she thought were fictional. Here she meets a striking and mysterious ghost named Thatcher, who is meant to guide her as she learns to haunt and bring peace to the loved ones she left behind.

However, Callie uncovers a dark secret about the spirit world: The angry souls who always populate ghost stories are real, dangerous, and willing to do whatever it takes to stay on Earth, threatening the existence of everyone she ever cared about.

As she fights to save them, Callie will learn that while it may no longer beat, her heart can still love-and break.

Why I’m waiting?

Dark secret about the spirit world? Although that is an extremely cliché description, color me intrigued! I’m not usually a fan of book that contains spirits or ghosts because those freak me out, but I’m interested in finding out the backstory of those spirits or souls, especially Thatcher who seems to be extremely important, and seeing what threat they pose to living beings by staying on Earth. It’s an interesting take on what it means to live (even after death).

I hope there’s a pottery making scene (Ghost reference, yeeahhh!).

What books are you waiting on?

Reviews

(ARC) REVIEW | The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

October 8, 2013 Comments : 4

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider
August 27, 2013
Katherine Tegen Books
Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
*Source: Won

Golden boy Ezra Faulkner believes everyone has a tragedy waiting for them—a single encounter after which everything that really matters will happen. His particular tragedy waited until he was primed to lose it all: in one spectacular night, a reckless driver shatters Ezra’s knee, his athletic career, and his social life.

No longer a front-runner for Homecoming King, Ezra finds himself at the table of misfits, where he encounters new girl Cassidy Thorpe. Cassidy is unlike anyone Ezra’s ever met, achingly effortless, fiercely intelligent, and determined to bring Ezra along on her endless adventures.

But as Ezra dives into his new studies, new friendships, and new love, he learns that some people, like books, are easy to misread. And now he must consider: if one’s singular tragedy has already hit and everything after it has mattered quite a bit, what happens when more misfortune strikes?

Robyn Schneider’s The Beginning of Everything is a lyrical, witty, and heart-wrenching novel about how difficult it is to play the part that people expect, and how new beginnings can stem from abrupt and tragic endings.

myreview First sentence: “Sometimes I think that everyone has a tragedy waiting for them, that the people buying milk in their pajamas or picking their noses at spotlights could be only moments away from disaster.”

I had expectations for this book – the kind that when I read this book, I will clutch it and all the characters to my chest as if they’re my cherish stuffed animals and thrust it into people’s faces, screaming, “you must read this. Your life needs Ezra Faulkner.” That is sort of the case, but not? Sure, I liked it…a lot (a lot A LOT), but something was lacking in it that prevented me from fully connecting with the story. A large part of that was the plot around Cassidy Thorpe (who didn’t really exist for me) and everything that happened after the debate tournament (because it was too fast-paced and unrealistic).

The Beginning of Everything is told from a male’s point of view, Ezra Faulkner (who has a pretty awesome name), about his life after a personal tragedy that leaves him unable to play tennis and without his so-called friends. He embarks “on a journey of self-discovery” (yes, I used that horribly cliché description) to find himself and his own place in the world with new friends and interests. Yeaahh, it’s more interesting than it sounds in my sum-up of the book.

whatiliked

Male POV!

I always get excited when YA books are written from a male’s point of view, especially if it’s contemporary (instead of the typical dystopia or post-apocalyptic type books) because those are kind of rare. I like getting inside their heads and seeing how authors portray them.

Friendships!

I love the friendships in this book. Ezra’s so-called friends (the jocks) ditched him when he needed them, and Toby Ellicott, Ezra’s childhood best friend, swoops in like nothing has changed between them even though they hadn’t hung out in years. Toby’s own friends accept Ezra into their group, teasing him the first time he sits down with them as if he’d always been apart of the group. Although every one in this group has different interests (glued together by being apart of the debate club), they get along. You know they have each other’s back even if they’ve known each other for barely a month.

Toby gets his own bullet point because he is fucking awesome. The two major things I love about him are: 1. He’s witty as hell! and 2. He’s a really good friend. He tells Ezra like it is. He warns Ezra about Cassidy and how she will break Ezra’s heart. He tells Ezra he’d been a shit friend to him during his time of need when they were younger. I was happy seeing him tell Ezra what needed to be said. A mopey Ezra is not a good look. Also, Toby’s tall, and wears bow ties and a blazer (very Eleventh Doctor). He doesn’t let his own tragedy at Disneyland define him. I like that he isn’t a stereotypical “geek” who’s quiet and hides away in a corner from jocks. He’s a normal teenager, who has interests that doesn’t pertain to sports. He doesn’t act like a different person to impress people. Toby is Toby.

The wit. (Particularly Ezra, Toby, and Cassidy)

These characters…I want to be friends with them. Realistic or not, I enjoy their wit. They’re clever and funny; they like to joke a lot! (I love that!) More bantering please! The witty writing kept me engaged in the story and it made me love everybody even more. And I love it when the characters made literary references. I always get excited because I actually understood it (even though I usually don’t). Who wouldn’t guffaw at “old sport” (from The Great Gatsby) or at Harry Potter anything?

Ezra Faulkner!

Why isn’t he in my life? Because 1. His name is fucking awesome, 2. I love his retorts, and 3. He is the type of person I would enjoy hanging, purely because of his wit and the jokes he makes. I like that he has flaws and insecurities. He’s spent the majority of his life being someone people expected him to be – the cool kid, the jock, Mr. Popular – that he fails to realize that he’s not actually himself and that he’s been a really shitty friend. When all that expectation is torn away, we get to see this insecure teenager who doesn’t really fit anywhere and is trying to find where he belongs. He’s just as lost as everybody else. Who doesn’t relate to that?

When Cassidy tells Ezra that he seems to be holding himself back, I find myself relating to him, especially when he thinks:

The way I figured it, keeping quiet was safe. Words could betray you if you chose the wrong ones, or mean less if you used too many. Jokes could be grandly miscalculated, or stories deemed boring, and I’d learn early on that my sense of humor and ideas about what sorts of things were fascinating didn’t exactly overlap with my friends. (ARC 66)

And that is me! I am the type of person who likes to joke around (ie. my sarcastic jokes and winky faces on Twitter), but I’m always afraid I’d say something that’ll offend somebody or say something that sounds ignorant, especially when I want to break the tension in a serious moment. I don’t have as many friends that could joke around with me like the way Ezra does with Toby and Cassidy and that sucks. This observation makes me love him even more and I didn’t think it was possible.

Not understanding Cassidy Thorpe

I don’t like Cassidy Thorpe. Only because I don’t feel like I know her after everything that’s happened. I don’t understand why Ezra likes her. I wanted something more to Cassidy, but as I continue to think about her character, I realize I was okay with not knowing more. This isn’t her story; it’s Ezra’s. I see what he sees. She’s basically a crutch for Ezra’s growth. I can see that Ezra puts her on a pedestal, almost like he’s idolizing her for being the reason his new life happened in the first place, and I see that he doesn’t know Cassidy as well as he thinks. That is so realistic, especially with first loves.

Quotes

I don’t usually include quotes in my reviews, but I found myself being in awe by some of Ezra’s thought process:

I still think that everyone’s life, no matter how unremarkable, has a singular tragic encounter after which everything that really matters will happen. That moment is the catalyst—the first step in the equation. But knowing the first step will get you nowhere—it’s what comes after that determines the result. (ARC 12)

[Cassidy] did add the elements that allowed me to proceed down a different path. She lent a spark, perhaps, or tendered the flame, but the arson was mine. Oscar Wilde once said that to live is the rarest thing in the world, because most people just exist, and that’s all. I don’t know if he’s right, but I do know that I spent a long time existing, and now, I intend to live. (ARC 335)

They were very profound and left me pondering about my own life – whether I’m living it or just existing.

whatiwanted

To get a deeper understanding for Charlotte (Ezra’s ex-girlfriend) and Luke Sheppard

I don’t really understand their significance to the story. Yeah, Charlotte is there because she’s the ex-girlfriend, and Luke is there because he’s another member of the debate club who doesn’t like Ezra. That’s it. I wanted more to Charlotte and Luke Sheppard than what we see – a cheating, inconsiderate ex-girlfriend and a jealous douchey film club president, respectively. I actually wish Robyn Schneider played up the tension between Ezra and Luke. Have a confrontation perhaps! I just need something because there’s no character growth for the two characters and no other reason why they keep coming back to the story even though they fulfilled their purpose earlier in the book. I feel like nothing would change if you take out these characters.

To connect with the story better –

One minute, I was enjoying the story and the characters, and then the next, something snapped in my brain and I wasn’t enjoying it as much. I think this disconnect occurred after the party in the hotel room when Cassidy switched her debate rounds with Ezra without telling him. Cassidy Thorpe is a big mystery to me. Yes, we eventually find out what happened with her, but I still didn’t understand her or really liked her. Everything after that was extremely fast-paced. Scenes that I didn’t care about passed by so quickly like a whirlwind. It was too unrealistic and dramatic. So many things happened in one scene that it was hard to process it all. I found myself rolling my eyes because c’mon, the coyote thing and the “we can never be together” reason was fucking stupid. It made me angry because I liked this book.

Experience Ezra Faulkner and Toby Ellicott yourself by reading The Beginning of Everything. You will find a witty teenage boy who’s figuring out what it means to be himself (and not what people expect him to be) and what it means to actually live. This book certainly made me think about how I present myself. Am I actually acting myself? Am I acting like what people expect me to be? Am I truly living my life the way I want? Don’t be fool by the grade I bestowed this book. I think The Beginning of Everything is worth reading.

gradeB-

Events

BOOK EVENT | Maggie Stiefvater at Mrs. Dalloway’s

October 5, 2013 Comments : 4

On Wednesday evening, I went to see Maggie Stiefvater at Mrs. Dalloway’s.

Maggie Stiefvater is an incredible storyteller, not just in her books but real life too. When the event started, you couldn’t help but hang onto her every word. It’s almost like she hypnotizes her audience with her awesomeness.

When the event officially started, the first thing Maggie did was unravel the mic cords from the stand and proceeded to tell us, the audience, that she bought a few baked treats from the bakery and ate them all in the bookstore’s back room so she’s extra energetic. She talked about how her books are getting difficult to describe and that it’s failing the elevator test (which you have to describe your book in the time it takes to get up two floors. Elevator conversation, you may call it). She went on to talk about how The Dream Thieves is about Ronan, whose good attributes are that he’s brave and loyal.

Maggie talked about new characters – Joseph Kavinsky and Mr. Gray. She told us that Kavinsky is basically Ronan, but 100 times more horrible, and that Kavinsky tries to lure Ronan further into the dark side (haven’t we heard of this before? ;D).

While she talked about Kavinsky, she somehow segued into a story about her launch party for The Dream Thieves in Kansas City. Let me tell you that it was fucking hilarious; I was shaking so hard with laughter. I don’t remember all the specifics, but it involves: a knife spray-painted on the side of Maggie’s car; readers spray paint her car (which was on purpose); drunk guys approaching Maggie while she’s signing books and telling her there is somebody more famous in town; “got milk,” “we love cows,” and a gang sign on her car; removing said gang sign from the side of the car whilst the landscaping guys shaped the bushes; her goats got loose, got high on the spray paint remover thingy, and ran into the car door when they saw their reflection. A day in Maggie-Stiefvater’s life.

Then, when she talked about Mr. Gray, she got a couple of volunteers to read the different roles when Mr. Gray is first introduced. It was pretty cute and funny, seeing Maggie and the volunteers speak the lines.

After the Mr. Gray reading, Maggie answered questions. I don’t remember the questions at all. So, I’ll go with fun facts I remembered Maggie Stiefvater saying during the event:

Maggie was part of a bagpiping competition for three years.
When she was in Paris years ago for a book tour, it snowed for the first time there in 18 years, but she didn’t stay in the city; instead, she took her husband to the cliffs of Normandy.
She is super into Maxfield Parrish, who you should Wikipedia because she said so.
She did research on a Mitsubishi by going to a dealership and “accidentally” buying one.
She raced cars. (She may or may not have said she raced that Mitsubishi she bought.)
She has a mean right hook.
She was “terrible” like Ronan when she was younger.
She had the idea of The Raven Boys and knew she wanted the whole Noah thing to happen since she was 19.
When she dined with her UK publisher and they asked her whom she’d want to play Sam (from The Wolves of Mercy Falls series) if there was a movie. Her answer was Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys and she proceeded to describe that he’s perfect because he has a big nose and a gangly body. She was later told that Alex Turner’s (then-)girlfriend was sitting behind them, so Maggie inadvertently insulted Alex Turner.
She chose the voices for The Scorpio Races’ audiobook – Fiona Hardingham and Steve West. Librarians were pretty much in love with Steve West.
She gets angry when she thinks about Blue’s name because Jay Z and Beyoncé named their kid Blue Ivy. ;D

SIGNING

FACT: I did not know what to say to Maggie Stiefvater.

I wanted to say something along the lines of “hey, I love the history and mythology in The Raven Boys,” but I felt like I would have to elaborate on it. Yes, I did study history in college, but nothing about Welsh kings.

You know what I did say? “I’m a ball of nervousness.” Yup. That’s what I said. Maggie jokily asked me if she was an intimidating person, and yes, she is because of this overflow of energy she has. She asked me if I had a dog (nope), a cat (nope but I do like them), allergies (nope), if I was an only child (to which I responded with “I think like two” and she teased me for not knowing how many siblings I have. In my defense, I was very flustered by all these rapid-fire questions!).

Majestic horse! I wish I gotten Maggie to draw a raven since there was plenty of time. Alas, I didn’t. I will settle for the pretty horse!

I’m happy I went (even though I spent hours before agonizing whether I should). Thank you to Ari, Kelly, and Hannah for urging me to go. I had a great time seeing Maggie talk.

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