Damosel by Stephanie Spinner

"WATER SPIRIT DAMOSEL, the Lady of the Lake, glides through Arthurian legend like a glamorous wraith, shimmering and shifting between the worlds of fairies and humans. Her knowledge is vast (magic, metal, men’s hearts) and leads to her greatest honor—and worst mistake. Damosel makes a promise to the wizard Merlin to protect young King Arthur, and then dares to break it—with devastating results. All the while, 17-year-old Twixt—a dwarf in a world where difference can be deadly—finds himself freed from his cruel masters and moving closer to the one place he never expected to see: King Arthur’s court at Camelot."

I'm a big Arthurian legend junkie. Kind of massively. I love BBC's Merlin, and recently checked out Camelot, which I really wasn't a huge fan of but which I liked solely because of Merlin and his ability to manipulate and control everything. Most people consider Arthur the star of Camelot (in general, not in the show), but I like to think it's actually Merlin because he was pretty much a background politician.

That was very well exampled in Philip Reeve's Here Lies Arthur, which is a very realistic version, stripped down of magic, of how Arthur and Merlin's tales really could have been spun.

I love love love that there's a basic storyline, but so many different ways to tell it.

In Damosel by Stephanie Spinner, of whose summary I've stolen and thrown up on the top of the page, the story is from the point of view of the Lady of the Lake. She's talked about in almost all versions of the lore, but she seems to be a very very elusive and mysterious character. It was very interesting seeing the story of Camelot unfold from a point of view that's so distanced from everything, but also simultaneously so involved. I love the enchanting, charming, mystical side of Avalon and Arthurian legend, and Damosel doesn't disappoint in that department, considering it's told from creatures instead of mortals.

I wasn't a huge fan of the duel narrative in this one, though - it seemed like a story within a story, which would be better if it weren't such a short novel to begin with. What I liked so much about the premise of this one was that it looked like it would enlighten and liven a story that was already so elusive, yet it split that perspective up. I'm sure it's hard trying to stay true to the lore, especially when a character is so varying, but it's already a big thing to tackle, and I wish there had been more exploration and challenge in the plot.

That said, I really enjoyed seeing a fresh, different take on this legend. It reminded me of why I love Arthurian lore so much and it was a very well woven tale.

Books on a Plane

I'm typing this from Oklahoma, a good five(ish) hour plane ride from home - unless it's broken up into two flights (one being a terminal with ONE gate and a very small, scary propeller plane, but moving along...)

I'm absolutely terrified of flying, and the advice everyone has for that is: read. Because it distracts your mind. Which, you know, I do. I read during flights. I'll read, say, a paragraph, and then look up and scope the plane out again (you know, in case it caught on fire in the last thirty seconds or something.) It's a very sporadic process unless I can get a book that completely sucks me in.

When I went to San Francisco, I read Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins and it was absolutely fantastic and hilarious and I completely fell into the book. It was like The Craft but way way better. It got my first, and so far, only, official Airplane Approval Stamp, which means it was epic enough to make me forget I was on a plane.

On the way back, I read Beautiful Creatures, which is also a good book but it took me a while to get into it and I ended up doing the whole grip-the-armrest thing.

I took Inside Out by Maria V Snyder on the way to Oklahoma - I ended up really liking it, but it also had some slow parts so I half-read-half-gripped. It all takes place in an enclosed area, no one knowing what's really "Outside," so it was kind of surreal to be reading while sitting in a giant piece of inescapable metal.

I only packed a few books for the flight back, but I'll probably pop out Tithe by Holly Black because I've heard it's fantastic and that there are evil faeries in it and what's not to freaking love about that? Hopefully it'll distract me enough to keep me from scaring whoever's sitting next to me. I was really smart on the way to OK and was all "I knew someone who had their plane catch on fire," blah blah blah and I think I gave the girl behind me a disorder. But, you know. It happens.

So. What are some good books to read on a plane - the ones that completely pull you in? And what have you read while flying? I think I'm gonna stay away from the apocalypse and dystopia genre until my feet hit the ground again.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

I've seen a lot of zombie movies and I've read a lot of books, but for some reason they haven't crossed enough for me to be considered a zombie novel professional. I read Generation Dead by Daniel Waters, but I'm not a huge fan of romanticized zombies. There's not a lot of hawtness when related to decaying flesh. So when I heard about The Forest of Hands and Teeth, publicized as a horrifying zombie novel with a fresh take, I knew I had to pick it up.

And this book? Yeah. It was scary. But what I loved about it was that it wasn't scary in a traditional sense. Instead of the zombie apocalypse occurring while the main character is alive, the Unconsecrated (which is what they call their zombies) were around long before the main character was born. They're always outside their village, moaning and shuffling and rattling the fences that keep them separated. The idea of this constant terror always present - and the idea of it being familiar to this village - is what's so horrific about this one. Because, while there's a relative idea of safeness in the beginning - mostly due to an illusion created by a group of people called The Sisterhood - all that's between the living and the dead is a fence. And while the town has precautions, like these giant platforms that villagers can barricade themselves in, it's almost imminent that the fence will break down.

It's all about the imagery with Carrie Ryan, let me tell you. She knows how to create an image and then firmly plant it in your brain. When I think of this book, I see flashes of red and rattling iron and the sea and the smell of the dead. When a book can throw flashes through your mind in remembrance, you know the writer did something right.

And the ocean. Mary latched on to the ocean (the idea of the ocean itself being a myth was as absolutely enthralling as the writing is) as her one hope. Above everything else - the relationships she has throughout the book, among friends and family - the ocean was the one thing that kept her grounded. It was like faith, in a differently disguised kind of way. Mary had this constant struggle over what was more important to her, half of her reaching toward the people surrounding her and the other half toward herself and her beliefs. It was less of a romance, which it's also publicized as, and more of a self survival journey, although it had it's heart-warming-and-wrenching parts. It was interesting to see someone struggle with such a humanistic, normal issue amid shuffling zombies.

And because of that, it had a realism that makes horror books that much scarier, and it's a hard thing to grasp and replicate in writing. You don't have to really suspend your disbelief that far on this one, and that's what makes this genre so terrifying.

I thought there were places in the book that the plotline lagged, which is really the only semi-negative thing I have to say about this one, other than a slight lack of connection to the characters. To keep my adrenaline pumping in a horror novel, I need something fast paced, and when this book slowed down, I felt myself getting distanced from it. But then there would be a brilliant section of writing and I would fall right back into it. I mean, this book held some of the most fantastic imagery I've witnessed so far, up to par with something like The Secret Garden (yeah, I never thought I'd reference the two of these together, either.) Carrie Ryan just has the ability to describe things in a way that's not over-descriptive, which I've seen a lot of before. The words just went straight into my head and ingrained something almost like a memory.

If you're a writer, it's definitely a book to study for the writing alone. There's not a lot of dialogue, which is probably why I had a harder time connecting with the characters, but this woman sure knows how to string words together.

Author Tours

There's been a lot of talk about author tours and how profitable they are. John Green was talking on Twitter about the fact that authors don't perform at signings - they talk, yes, but it's not like a rock concert (as is his example) where there's hours of in-your-face entertainment and dancing. So do people actually show up?

I've been to a lot of author events and yes, people show up, but not nearly as many as the # of fans that they have. I think this stems down to a couple things : one being that, yeah, people want to meet authors and hear them talk. But would you go to a concert just to hear your favorite singers talk and sign? Maybe, if you really really loved them, but what about a singer who you like but who isn't, say, 30 Seconds to Mars or Muse. Maybe they're Sea Wolf famous. I like them. Enough to go to their concert, absolutely. But I wouldn't go to hear them talk. Especially if there's traveling distance involved. (I've been to a lot of concerts, too, so I have double perspectives on this one.)

Authors' art isn't performable. You can't fist-pump to historical fiction. And I don't really think author dance-parties would help, because that stirs a lot of scary thoughts in my mind. But we can't write at a signing, right? That would be ridiculously snooze-worthy. So what can authors do to make their tour stops more interesting?

People who come probably love your books. Or at least are interested in them. So why not pull scenes from those books? I know Laini Taylor had a party with scenes from her book and even paid actors thrown for her. Obviously, that would be expensive to do at every stop, but having something with a little more simple set up might work.

Cassandra Clare and Holly Black are holding an Underworld Ball in San Francisco including masquerade masks and costumes. I would be more thrilled to go to one of these than just a Q&A (although with these authors, I'd be understandably thrilled regardless.)

Or even change up a theme every night. Make it different. Interesting. More of a party than a sit-down chair event, if the bookstores you host them at allow it. Because, if we're talking YA, the target audience is teens. At concerts, if the band gets boring, there's the bar. For author signings, there's the silver chair you're sitting in. Obviously, I'm not suggesting boozing up teenagers, but the point is that there needs to be a way to make sure people have fun. Being able to walk around and diverge attention, to book-related food or ways to step into the characters' world, makes for a more open, interesting setting.

But not every bookstore has room for that, so you might have to get even more creative. But for authors, who base their career on creativity, that shouldn't be hard. Bring different stuff for your audience. A CD of a playlist for your book. A signed deleted scene that only one reader will win. That stuff isn't expensive, but it will make your audience pretty dang happy. If your book takes place during the French Revolution, transport your readers there - tell them about someone who lived then, crafted from your research. There's a scene in Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly that really stuck out to me - a party in the catacombs of France, where everyone tied a red ribbon around their throats to signify those who had fallen under the guillotine. So give everyone red ribbons and make it a catacombs party.

And, you know what? Readers are there because they like stories. Stories. And authors are there because they're storytellers. Does it not make sense to tell stories? No, authors can't write on the spot as a performance. But back before there was paper to write on, there were storytellers. People who were revered and who sat around the fire and told things that they had crafted in their heads.

So don't just talk about the publishing process - yes, people are interested in that - but tell stories. And I'm not just talking fictional ones (that's the next paragraph), but real ones. Your story, and the tiny details that inspired the stories you wrote. I've been to a lot of author signings where authors talk about logistics - how long it took them to write the book, how they found an agent, etc. And people ask those questions. So it's obviously interesting to them. But those aren't the kind of questions that stir stories, and you can't expect the audience to ask the ones that do. You have to come with them in your brain, and make the audience leave with something new. I went to a David Levithan signing when I was in San Francisco, and my favorite part was hearing about how he himself was in NYC when 9/11 happened, and his perspective on that. The ash that was in the sky. That, to me, was far more interesting than hearing about a book I've already heard about. That's a story. Part of his story, which in turn became part of a story we could all read (Love is the Higher Law.) He also read a different portion of his book Lover's Dictionary far before it was released - a different part at every stop - which was something different and new for us.

And on that note, since readers are there to hear stories, why can't writers write short stories for tour stops? Before they leave? One-time, two or three-paged stories that leaves something on the audience. They could even be printed out and given to audience members afterward. Because sure, writers read from their books. But readers are there because they either a) have already read their books or b) will read their books. So read something they haven't read.

The bottom line is, there's a lot of thought that needs to be put into these stops. I'm the kind of person who usually writes without an outline, and when I've done events, I've been the same way. I write notes, go semi-prepared, answer questions, and sign. That's what most authors do. But, I think, to pull in more people, authors need to start thinking in different ways. Would rock stars go to a concert without tons of practice, soundchecks, carefully planned outfits, and props? No.

What do you think authors should do to make tour stops more memorable and pull in a larger crowd? Have you ever been to an author event that has stuck out to you?

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

It took me a while to work my way up to reading this book, even with all the buzz it was getting. It's one of those books, with the title and cover and synopsis alone, I would have overlooked. But everyone who read it literally raved and raved about it, including John Green. So we picked it as one of our book club picks, and I picked it up from B&N.

It's about a girl who moves to Paris, the city of love, and ends up crushing on a guy who has a girlfriend. Ah, the angst. (That's seriously the most underplayed, restrained, sucky summary you will ever read. But really, there isn't that much to summarize. Perhaps this is a better one: This is a book you will love if you have even an inch of heart under your ribcage.)

Because, wow wow wow. These characters are the realest kind of real you will ever read. I'm fully a character-driven reader, and the characters in this one drove me way farther than France. I wanted to shrink the book and inject it into my veins or something. I literally couldn't read fast enough or slow enough. I had to keep reading - I didn't sleep much once I started - but I also wanted to savor every word and phrase and laugh. And there were a lot of laughs. But there was also a lot of heart-seizing. I literally smiled the entire book, I think, even keeping the ghost of one at the sad parts.

It's just one of those books that makes you happy - to be alive, to be a human, to be reading a freaking amazing book. And also makes you want to move to France. It's about people being people, and the happiness and sadness and confusion that comes with that. It's about lights and movies and food and stars. As absolutely amazing as the book is, it makes you want to set it down and walk outside and experience the same thing. It also makes you want to curl up on your bed and read it again. And again.

I can't even adequately discuss this one, and neither could our book club, because this is pretty much how our convo went : I loved it. Yeah, me too. And that one part? Yeah, so good. Yeah.

And usually, I don't bug my family and friends to read books. I recommend books I think they'll like, and go from there. I've gotten a lot of family and friends to read that way. I mean, I'm not usually the kind of "bookseller" who wears creepy trench coats and says "Hey, kid, need a book?" in that scoundrel-y way knock-off purse sellers do. But with this book, I pushed. I stopped reading and read out loud several parts, called my friends and forced them to read it (and they, in turn, when finished, called me and raved about it.) Because I wanted to buy a million copies and leave them on people's doorsteps. Because it's just the kind of book that makes Earth a place you want to live on.

It's just...charming. Absolutely, crazily charming.

And I am ridiculously, ridiculously excited to read Lola and the Boy Next Door, the companion novel coming out later this year. Because Stephanie Perkins really, really knows how to write.