The Novel Hermit

daydreaming about books

Archives for June 2013

Waiting on Wednesday

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY | Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender

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wowfestivo

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

MarieAntoinetteSerialKillerMarie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender
September 24, 2013
Scholastic Press
Website | Facebook | Goodreads
Pre-order: Amazon | Barnes & Noble |  The Book Depository

Heads will roll!

Paris, France: a city of fashion, chocolate croissants, and cute boys. Colette Iselin is thrilled be there for the first time, on her spring break class trip.

But a series of gruesome murders are taking place around the city, putting everyone on edge. And as she tours the sights, Colette keeps seeing a strange vision: a pale woman in a ball gown and powdered wig, who looks like Marie Antoinette.

Colette knows her status-obsessed friends won’t believe her, so she seeks out the help of a charming French boy. Together, they discover that the murder victims are all descendants of people who ultimately brought about Marie Antoinette’s beheading. The queen’s ghost has been awakened, and now she’s wreaking her bloodthirsty revenge.

And Colette may just be one of those descendants . . . which means she might not make it out of this trip alive.

Acclaimed author Katie Alender brings heart-stopping suspense to this story of betrayal, glamour, mystery, history–and one killer queen.

Why I’m waiting?
Marie Antoinette? As a serial killer? YES PLEASE. Marie Antoinette has always be a popular historical figure and this reinvention of her is absolutely fascinating to me. People always look at her in two ways: 1. she’s superficial or 2. we should be sympathetic. However, with this serial killer persona, we get a different persona that will surely put both views of her to rest. AND ALSO, FRENCH BOY. WIN.  

What books are you waiting for on this Wednesday?

Events

Armchair BEA | Day 6 – Wrap-Up

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armchairbea21

Today, I’m going to try to wrap this up! What? Why? It’s the end of Armchair BEA!

It has been a fun, but busy week. Armchair BEA has managed to distract me from the actual BEA. I’m sad this had to end, but what can I do about it?

Favorites

  • Discussion topic: Being able to talk about the two favorites in childhood literature.
  • Getting blog traffic, especially for the blogger development post (which really surprised me of the amount).
  • Being able to write an entry quickly. I always take forever to write a post because I want it to be absolutely perfect. However, with these post, I’ve managed to write exactly what I wanted and not fiddle with it as much. I hope that’s a trend that will continue to happen.
  • Learning that the themes that I’m interested in writing about stemmed from my favorites in childhood literature. Names and wit are extremely important to me.
  • Sharing with all of you!
  • Being able to commiserate together while BEA was going on.

I’m glad for the much needed sleep. Thank you to everyone who visited my blog and commented. You do not know much much I appreciate it. They really make me smile. If you enjoy my posts, please follow me on Bloglovin. :D

Check out my previous post in Armchair BEA:

Events

Armchair BEA | Day 5 – Children’s Literature

Comments : 3

armchairbea21

Today’s topic is about children’s literature! The genre that we’ve been waiting for.

Children’s literature is important. I hadn’t realize how much of an impact it had on me until after I finished writing this post. I don’t read a lot of children’s literature anymore so I couldn’t tell you which ones are my favorite. At least, for the ones that have been recently released. I don’t follow that. I do have two favorite childhood series – one is full of picture and short, the other is full of words and tragedy.

Kevin Henkes

For those who do not know who Kevin Henkes is, he wrote and illustrated the Mouse Books series and Kitten’s First Full Moon (which won him the Caldecott Medal). When I was a child, this picture book was my absolute favorite:

kevin henkes - chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum.

I am fond of this book. It’s about a mouse named Chrysanthemum who is teased by her classmate because her name is unusual. You can imagine how Chrysanthemum reacts – nobody likes to be teased, especially because of a name. The book deals with bullying and personal identity. I adored the pictures and the color scheme. Despite a couple of problems I have now, I thought it was a cute and lovely book.

Thinking about this book makes me nostalgic. When I was younger, I disliked my name. Kids teased me, but not to the extent that I cried about it when I returned home. I feel that most kids go through that stage where they dislike their names and want a new one. Seeing Chrysanthemum come to terms with her name helped me realize that I don’t want a boring name that every kid have. And I think that may have began my interest in names and meanings (which deeply influenced the stories I had written in workshop).

Lemony Snicket

Lemony Snicket holds a special place in my heart because of this series of books:

I loved A Series of Unfortunate Events and was completely invested in the lives of the Baudelaire orphans and the Quagmire triplets. It’s a fairly dark tale, especially for children. I remember reading these books and wanted something good to happen for the Baudelaire orphans, but when it did, you just know Lemony Snicket will taketh it away. 

I know that some people are completely put off by the writing style, but I am not one of them! I find it extremely charming. I feel like it’s Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket is his pseudonym) is making fun of this guy who writes nothing but horrible things to  children. Almost like satire on gothic theme.

I remember being in awe and envious when one of my classmates in elementary school had gotten an early copy of the newly released books. My heart pounded for the Baudelaire orphans, worried about how the Baudelaire orphans would escape from Count Olaf’s grasp. I was obsessed.

The Impact!

After I wrote this post, I realized, surprisingly, that the stories I create are influenced by these two books. Chrysanthemum started my interest in the naming and the importance of it. Every time I write a story, I always try to find a name that has a specific meaning because I like to see how their actions/attitudes are representative or atypical of their names. A Series of Unfortunate Events started my love for satire (making fun of people/things), wordplay, and the silly tragedies that seem utterly absurd. I feel a bit in awe that this post made me realize that even as a kid, I was interested in these type of themes. And it carried on to adulthood. Wow. 

What books did you read when you were little? What were your favorites? Did they leave a big impression on you?

Check out my previous post in Armchair BEA: