It’s a rainy and gross morning here, so this cheerful stop-motion video is just what I needed to start the day. In case you haven’t seen it yet:
Another reason to shop local: you never know when the books might come to live! (via Madigan Reads)
Category: Books
Launching the Stars
Last night was the launch event for John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars book tour, and I was lucky enough to go. The kick-off was hosted by Wellesley Books, a fantastic local bookstore. (Thanks to them, I’ve gotten to see Shannon Hale and Suzanne Collins, too.) Since John and his brother Hank are kind of internet superstars, the event was ticketed and was held at the Wellesley Middle School due to size.
I was toward the back of the line into the event, so by the time I made it inside the auditorium was pretty full. But it was so exciting to hear the cheers of the crowd before the event even started. Usually you get this kind of reaction at concerts or sporting events. Hundreds of teens and young adults were bouncing around at the thought that soon John and Hank would take the stage. The vibe was electric.
Since these are the vlog brothers, this obvious wasn’t your average reading. The event opened with a sock puppet show, followed by a brief reading of The Fault in Our Stars, included a couple of funny question-and-answer rounds (one of which ended with punishment–sorry Hank) and a couple of song sessions. Audience members sang along, shouted out questions, and cheered whenever the Katherine appeared. I went to a Green Brothers event a few years ago–for Paper Towns, I think–and the energy was even stronger here. It’s so awesome to see so many young people who are so excited by books, by making the world a better place, by connecting with one another, and by funny songs about Harry Potter.
Since I forgot my camera and my phone refused to be functional, I borrowed my husband’s phone and took these very sad pictures. I like to think that the problem was with my lack of knowledge about his phone’s camera feature, but I don’t think that’s really the problem. In any case:
Here’s John reading from the first couple chapters of The Fault in Our Stars. He wore a suit when he first came out but changed into jeans and a t-shirt later. Does that mean John suits up for his novels? Is this a comment about the sartorial aspects of the literary life? Am I thinking too much about pants?
Never.
Here’s Hank and his guitar. One of his songs was written for The Fault in Our Stars and it was really lovely. When he played “Shake-a-Booty” everyone got up and danced. It was a-dor-a-ble.
The line for signing was insane, so I got to read about half of The Fault in Our Stars before the evening was over. As a mini-review, so far it’s great. It might be my favorite of Green’s novels so far–a nice combination of witty dialogue, depth of character, and big ideas about life and death.
A few other fun things from the event:
- Lots of people talking about Doctor Who. My heart!
- Hearing other Nerdfighters befriend each other.
- Talking to people in line for the signing.
- John liked my scarf. And he says he doesn’t notice fashion!
- I think one of the Wellesley people hosting the event went to the same summer writing camp I did when I was in high school. Enter awkward book stalking?
I didn’t get home until almost midnight, but it was well worth it. I’m sure all the subsequent book tour events will be just as fun; Nerdfighters across the country are in for a treat.
Maybe a The Fault in Our Stars 15-word review on Friday forthcoming?
Writing on Writing
It’s almost two weeks into the new year, and your resolution is write more is lagging a little. If you need some writerly inspiration, check out these great books on writing. My favorite is Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. She’s encouraging, offers solid advice, and adds more than a dash of humor throughout.
A couple of others I’d add:
- What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers by By Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter
Pam was one of my professor in grad school, so I might be biased, but honestly it’s an excellent book with fantastic examples and exercises. I used it in an undergrad fiction class as well and loved it then. - Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose
More on the literary analysis side, but still very helpful. - Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
A workshop classic. Lots of great advice about writing as a practice. - 2012 Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market by Chuck Sambuchino
A fantastic collection of information on agents, publishing houses, magazines, and more. Plus lots of articles on craft. A new one is released every year, so make sure to get the most up-to-date info.
What are your books for literary inspiration?
Petition to Support School Libraries
From the The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance:
“We ask that the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provide dedicated funding to help support effective school library programs. Such action will ensure more students have access to the resources and tools that constitute a 21st century learning environment. Reductions in school library programs are creating an ‘access gap’ between schools in wealthier communities versus those where there are high levels of poverty. All students should have an equal opportunity to acquire the skills necessary to learn, to participate, and to compete in today’s world.”
Sign the petition here. Right now there are only about 5,000 signatures and the petition needs about 15,000 more. So spread the word! School libraries are an essential part of literacy development and deserve our support.
Book Week Power
Check out these cool Book Week posters of the past:
Don’t they make you want to curl up and read all day? (Although the last one makes me want to start a “Books Are Awesome” march.) More through the link!
Stories of Story of a Girl
One of my very favorite contemporary YA novels is Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr–which was published almost five years ago! (Five years exactly on Tuesday.) To celebrate, Zarr is sharing some of the novel’s journey to publication on her blog this week. After the first post alone, I’m stunned that Zarr didn’t just shoot to success. Her writing is so good! How could anyone have rejected anything she wrote?! But that’s the fun and inspiring part of the “inside scoop” from writer’s–as always, it’s a tough job and you never know when your work will find that right agent/editor. Loving the back story so far!
Plus, Tuesday she’s hosting a giveaway on Twitter:
“Tweet something about Story of a Girl–a favorite line or moment, a memory of reading it, a response to the story, a comment about a character, etc., and use the hashtag #storyofagirl (easy to remember). Little, Brown Books for Young Readers will randomly pick from these tweets and give away five signed copies of Story of a Girl.
Obviously, if you have a memory or favorite line or comment about the book, there’s a good chance you don’t need a copy. Play anyway, and if you win you could give your copy to a friend, or donate it to a school or public library. If you haven’t read the book, you too can play along. You can tweet something about one of my other books that makes you want to read Story, or straight up beg for a copy. Just be sure to use #storyofagirl in your tweet. Tomorrow. Tuesday.“
So get your tweets ready and help celebrate five years of this awesome novel. Congrats, Sara!
Links Galore
A few more links to start the week:
- Over at Literary Rambles, Natalie interviews author Marie Lu about her dystopian YA novel, Legend. (Plus a giveaway!)
- Why kids in literature always save the world.
- Spend the winter cuddled up with some YA romance.
- An architectural look at fairy tales.
- Literary crossover couples.
The Q&A Period
Outside of literary circles, I don’t talk a lot about my own writing. I never mention to my parents what I’m working on. I don’t bring up key points of my novel to my friends. Even here, most of my posts are about the general writing life as opposed to specifics about my work. Even with that reticence, questions about my writing comes up. So I thought this post about how to deal with questions about your novel over at Writerly Life was helpful and hilarious. My favorite:
Is it about your life? Am I in it?
Inevitably, this question is going to come up in varying forms — and I find it the most irritating. I don’t really want to go into how the novel relates to my most personal inner life, and I especially don’t want to flatter you by telling you you’re in it, uncle Fred, or offend you, Aunt Alice, by telling you that that cold, cruel character is you!How to deal
Most non-writers simply don’t know that novels don’t have a one-to-one relationship with reality. It’s difficult to characterize the complex, blurry way fictional worlds tend to overlap with our real lives. Again, the invasiveness of the question is unintentional, but I’ve found questions to be surprisingly pushy. For example, because I’m writing about Buddhism, I get asked point-blank whether I’m a Buddhist, and then I have to succinctly explain my feelings about religion. In cases like these, I think it’s fine to note (politely) that the question is a little more than you’d like to answer. Or else settle for “it’s complicated.” Sometimes it just none of the questioner’s business, and you’ve got to use your writerly verbal skills to find a tactful way of saying so.
That one is the worst! Even if I take bits and pieces from my real life, it’s called fiction for a real–it’s not real. It’s a novel, not a fun quiz about which character you’re most like. I’m sure lots of other writers base their characters/plot in real people and experiences, but I tend to stray far away from anyone I know in reality.
For the most part, people are very nice and just curious about the writing process. But I did get a good laugh out of this list.
Other questions I’ve been asked: Is it part of a series? Have you ever thought about writing about ___? Is it available on Amazon? Are you going to be like JK Rowling? (Um, I WISH.)
What novel questions are you asked and how do you deal?
First Friday Fifteen
Although I appreciate them, I don’t tend to write a lot of book reviews. I have some on Amazon, maybe one on Goodreads, and probably none on my various blogs. So I figured I’d try something a little different here. Instead of trying to craft thoughtful, well-worded reviews of recently read books, I’m going to write about every book I’ve ever read. In 15 words or less.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Friday Fifteen.
I figure this will be a fun way to share thought about books without too much pressure. There’s no particular order to this; it’s mostly just whatever books I remember in the moment. Plus I get to share all the embarrassing tween novels I read back in the day.
Onto the reviews!
1. Watership Down by Richard Adams
Lovely writing, compelling plot. And it’s about rabbits. Love!
2. Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell
History humor at its best. My jury duty book.
3. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
My long-distance relationship novel. The new Gone with the Wind?
4. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Probably read this ninety times in eighth grade. Still breaks my heart.
5. Watchmen by Alan Moore
Engaging twist on the classic superhero, plus the apocalypse. The movie was terrible.
6. Mountain Man Dance Moves: The McSweeney’s Book of Lists by McSweeney’s Publishing
Not all winners. but I cry with laughter at some of these.
7. Will You Please Be Quiet, Please by Raymond Carver
Read this for class. I’m sure we had a nice discussion about craft.
8. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
This is probably what it feels like when you’re the cute girl in ninth grade.
9. Letters from Amelia, 1901-1937 by Jean L. Backus
Research for a certain YA novel. Lots of thoughtful correspondence.
10. Angels in America by Tony Kushner
You can do a lot on stage, apparently. And a hopeful ending.
11. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Probably my favorite of the series, with a fantastic twist.
12. Mary Anne Misses Logan (The Baby-sitters Club #46) by Ann M. Martin
My first BSC book. I didn’t realize it was a series at first.
13. Help! My Apartment Has a Dining Room Cookbook: How to Have People Over Without Stressing Out by Kevin Mills, Nancy Mills
How to prepare a meal, with a side of humor and common sense.
14. The Hours by Michael Cunningham
Not as depressing as everyone said. Stunning writing.
15. Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business by Esphyr Slobodkina
We read this a lot when I was little. Still love hats, don’t trust monkeys.
And there you have it! Feel free to share your own fifteen-word reviews as well.
Just When You Thought Bridge to Terabithia Couldn’t Make You Cry More
Since we have a new National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, that means Katherine Paterson has stepped down. But her article on her experience as ambassador is just lovely. Just to get you started:
““Bridge to Terabithia saved my life.” The speaker was Trent Ready, a 6’7″ veteran of the war in Afghanistan. The 400 or so middle schoolers in the audience were staring up at the stage transfixed as he told them that reading a children’s book in the desert, during a time when he thought any day might be his last, had made it possible for him to keep going–to find beauty in the midst of the ugliness of war. “I just want you guys to realize how important reading is. How a book can save your life.”
Standing on the stage next to Trent as he made this plea for the vital importance of reading, I was as moved as the audience by his words. I’d been travelling as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature urging young and old to “Read for your life” and here was Trent delivering my message more eloquently than I possibly could have to this auditorium full of children. It was a culminating experience of two memorable years as Ambassador.“
My heart! The tears! The rest of the article is fantastic as well. Congratulations Katherine, and onto another great year of children’s literature ambassadorship!