Highlights & Lowlights: Author Events / Book Signings

Highlight: Behind-the-scenes info on your favorite books. I love hearing from authors about the writing process. Kristin Cashore's process with Bitterblue was especially interesting to hear. It's always cool to learn more about how the novel came to be, plus more about the novel itself. 

Lowlight: Lines. LINES OF PEOPLE EVERYWHERE. Depending on how famous the author is, things might get a little crazy. And by a little crazy, I mean very crazy. Pushing, shoving, stepping on toes, it can get out hand and a little ridiculous (fortunately, I've experienced very little of this). 

Lowlight: No Seating. Yeah, I'll be the one standing in the back of the room awkwardly trying to hold a huge bag of books. 

Lowlight: You can't hear anything. This tends to only happen at big events, where nothing is done to ensure we can actually hear the author. Or when there's a technical issue with the microphone. 

Highlight: One-on-one time. I actually don't have much to say here. I did chat with Lauren Oliver a way back when she toured for Before I Fall, and that was fun. But even when the crowds are small, I usually have to leave early, so I normally miss out on having a quick chat with authors. But, if you can snag it, chatting with your favorite author (even for a short time) is so much fun! 

Kimberly Derting, Jessi Kirby, Suzanne Young, Sarah Ockler, Shannon Messenger, Morgan Matson

Highlight: Authors. SO MANY AUTHORS. Book signings are a chance to stalk and stare awkwardly at meet your favorite authors and some new-to-you authors. It's fun to be able to put a face and personality to a name, and especially wonderful if the event features more than one author. More authors = more fun.

Lowlight: Social awkwardness. Maybe it's just me, but I'm incredibly awkward at book signings. I usually only know one person, if I'm lucky, and I hardly ever know what to say to the author beyond YOUR BOOK IS SO AMAZING. I usually just stand quietly by them, and mumble something nice...*sighs*

Highlight: Meet other bookworms / have bookish conversations. You're already all there for the same reason, so the book is at least one conversation starter! It's nice being able to talk about the books I love with people who love them, too.

Lowlight: You forget to have an author sign your book. You see that picture with all of the authors? Yes? That is the event where I forgot to ask Morgan Matson to sign my copy of Second Chance Summer. Which I bought, in that bookstore, on that day. I became so overwhelmed with all of the authors, I didn't realize until I was home that I never actually handed it to her to sign. That's one of my many epic book blogger fail moments. *cries*

Highlight: Bookish swag. Author events are the best places to get awesome bookish swag. I attended a Gayle Forman + Jess Rothenburg + Nina LaCour + Stephanie Perkisn event back in 2012, and it was awesome. I went home with cool posters, buttons, and bookmarks! At another event, I received a tote bag. At a Leigh Bardugo event, I snagged some cool buttons! It's a nice thing that authors / publishers / bookstores sometimes do in order to reward people who come out and see the authors.

Lowlight: Q & A's, where you can't ask questions. Some Q&A's are great, but sometimes the questions are so boring and I wish they would allow a few from the audience.

Highlight: Q & A's, where you can ask questions. It's always nice when the audience can ask questions, especially since you never quite know what someone will ask.

Highlight: Finding out what the author's are writing next. And if you're super demanding lucky, they might even share a little excerpt, title, or some other secret information about their next novel.


What are some of your highlights / lowlights for author events? 

Let me know in the comments!

Highlights / Lowlights: LET'S GET LOST by Adi Alsaid

Title: Let's Get Lost
Author: Adi Alsaid (@AdiAlsaid)
Published: July 2014
Series: N/A
Genre: YA Contemporary
POV: five 3rd person narrations
Pages: 352
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Format: Print ARC
Source: Vine Program
Rating: The Royal Library, Middle Shelf

Five strangers. Countless adventures. One epic way to get lost.

Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most.

There's HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings…until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love.

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth— sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for is to get lost along the way.

Highlights: I'm incredibly critical when it comes to novels with multiple points-of-view. So, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself thoroughly enjoying each perspective in Alsaid's Let's Get Lost. In each story, the characters find themselves traveling down quite a bumpy road. Their lives are messy, and Leila's attempts to help sometimes complicate things further. Each mini-story stands alone, but the themes in each connect them all to one another. Sonia's story is my favorite, although all five mini-stories are very well done. The truth about Leila's past is heartbreaking, and it made many small moments with her make so much more sense. 

Lowlights: Despite the many messy beginnings, things work out a little too perfectly to be realistic. But, I'm a sucker for a happy ending, so it didn't bother me too much. And, even though the multiple POV's were well done, I didn't feel like I spent enough time with each character to fully connect with them and their situations.

Rating: The Royal Library, Middle Shelf: Highly Enjoyed, 4 out of 5. Heartwarming and well-written, Let's Get Lost is a wonderful novel filled with traveling, shenanigans, and strong emotions.

I received an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This is no way affected my opinion of the novel. 

Highlights & Lowlights: Brick-and-Mortar Bookstores

Highlight: BOOKS. BOOKS EVERYWHERE. Bookstores are pretty much like heaven for bookworms. You walk in, and there are books all over the place. How is that not awesome?

Lowlight:  If it's not on the shelves, they might not have it. Unlike the magical online bookstore that can hold all the books in the world, physical bookstores can only house so many books. Sometimes they hide a few books in the back rooms, but the odds are low. Certain books, possibly including that one you really want, might not ever make it to the shelves.

Highlight: Awesome bookish people. It's always fun to interact with other bookish people, and bookstores are the easiest place (besides a library) to find them.

Lowlight:  Snobby bookish people. You know the type - the ones that give you that LOOK when they see you head into your preferred genre section. Half the time I go through the YA bookshelves, I get the LOOK or even a comment like "you're not going to read that, are you?" - Yes. Yes, I will.

Kimberly Derting, Jessi Kirby, Suzanne Young, Sarah Ockler, Shannon Messenger, Morgan Matson

Highlight: Book signings / author events! I love my sort-of-local-but-not-really indie bookstores, because they host some fantastic book signings with authors I can fangirl over. It's so strange, but fun, to meet authors, other bloggers, and fellow readers. Thanks to bookstores, I've met authors such as Lauren Oliver, Leigh Bardugo, Marissa Meyer, Gayle Forman, Nina LaCour, Kristin Cashore, and more. 

Lowlight: Expensive. This is the biggest reason why I tend to buy most of my books online. It's so expensive to shop at a bookstore. If they offered more discounts, instead of forcing me to buy books at full price, I would buy all of my books at bookstores.

Highlight: Awesome salespeople. Booksellers are fantastic. They're willing to look high and low for that one book you really want, and if they don't have it in stock, they try their best to find a solution. *high five, awesome booksellers*

Lowlight: Pushy salespeople. I realize you're just trying to do your job, but if I don't ask for your help, it means that I do not need help. Fortunately, I've only had this problem a few times, since most booksellers are usually relaxed and kind. It's only in rare instances where a bookseller will refuse to leave me alone.

 

Highlight: Free swag! At some bookstore events, they might have free bookish swag (sometimes from the authors and publishers, although I've been to bookstores that have their own free bookmarks). I love posters / bookmarks / buttons / et cetera, so this is always a highlight.

Highlight: Atmosphere. I honestly do not know how to describe it, but bookstores have a great atmosphere. You walk in, and everything feels amazing. The mood is outstanding in bookstores. You can't replicate that with online bookstores.

Highlight: Book recommendations. Can't decide what to buy? Odds are, your bookstore has some sort of recommendation display. Other times, you can ask a salesperson and they'll usually have one or two books they can name off the top of their head. Or, you can just spy on other book buyers and see what they are buying...

Highlight: Reading is encouraged. I love any place that encourages people to grab a table, a book, and pull up a chair, so bookstores automatically earn my adoration. Not all bookstores encourage this, but some do tend to set up little reading sections for visitors to enjoy. 

In the end, I obviously adore bookstores. 

What do you love and hate about bookstores? Let me know in the comments!

Highlights & Lowlights: Blurbs on Book Covers

Anyone who visits YA Book Queen regularly knows that I love to look for the highlights and lowlights in every book. And, sometimes, I like to look for highlights and lowlights elsewhere, too. Last time, I discussed the Highlights & Lowlights of Sequels. This week, however, I'm going to focus on something different but still bookish. When it comes to books, one of the first things I notice is the cover. I also notice of other little details – such as whether or not the cover has quotes / blurbs on the front. Here are some highlights and lowlights when it comes to blurbs on book covers:

Lowlight:  They don't fit the book at all. I'm looking at you, paperback version of IF I STAY. I mean, really? These two stories are nothing alike, aside from having romance (Forman's novel is undeniably better written), so I think it's a strange blurb that doesn't do this novel any favors. It's kind of like saying CODE NAME VERITY will appeal to HARRY POTTER fans (because both feature friendship...and that's it). It just doesn't fit. 

Highlight:  They can be fun! Maureen Johnson gives the best example of this with her blurb for ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS (which is actually on the back cover of the original paperback): "Very sly. Very funny. Very romantic. You should date this book." When MJ tells you to date a book, you date the book. I always love reading quirky, odd blurbs. A blurb like that makes me laugh, and want to pick up the novel to check it out. 

Lowlight:  I'm not a fan of the author who blurbed the book. I might walk on by if I see Author X exclaiming about another writer's work, especially if I dislike Author X's writing. I tend to assume that if Author X blurbs Author Z's novel, then they must write similarly...which isn't always true, but I still tend to move on to looking at something else. 

Highlight:  They make me curious about books I would NEVER read. The MJ quotation, once again, is the perfect example. It's amusing, catches my eye, and makes me wonder about the novel - which is exactly what a blurb should do! I never would have read A&TFK, simply because the title is a bit ridiculous, but the blurbs and good buzz convinced me otherwise. 

Lowlight:  Blurbs with comparisons set me up for disappointment. Tell me a novel is going to be the next HARRY POTTER, and I get excited. Really excited, because I love HP. So, when it turns out to be a so-and-so or even good story, I'm disappointment. I might have enjoyed the novel more if the blurb hadn't of compared it to HP in the first place.

Highlight:  The blurb is written by one of my favorite authors. One of the reasons I became even more curious about SHADOW AND BONE was because Veronica Roth had a blurb on the book cover. And, since I'm a fan of Roth's work, it made me curious enough about Bardugo's novel to convince me to purchase it, and I wasn't disappointed.

Lowlight:  Some blurbs seem like lies or are all the same. I have a hard time taking blurbs seriously when they (A) come from someone that seems to love everything, (B) compare books inaccurately, or (C) recycle the same phrases over and over. If I hadn't of read and loved an ARC of BLOOD RED ROAD, I never would have picked up the new cover version that features a blurb from MTV'S Hollywood Crush. It doesn't catch my eye in a good way. 

Highlight: They give me another author's work to check out. When I pick up a book I like that has a blurb by an author I haven't heard of, I'll usually check out that author's novels on Goodreads. Sometimes it's a great way to discover an author that has a similar writing style as the book I originally picked up. 

Lowlight:  They ruin what would otherwise be an awesome cover. I actually wish blurbs were mostly on the back cover of books, that way they don't ruin a lovely cover with unnecessary font. The THRONE OF GLASS cover, for instance, would look incredible if it didn't have the blurb on the front cover. 

Highlight: They describe the novel perfectly.  For example, Miranda Kenneally's blurb for TORCHED - it's short, sweet, and completely accurate. It's not an overly exciting blurb, but it does fit the story. 

Highlight: They add to the overall cover design. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS is one cover that really makes the blurb add something extra to the cover. The quotation doesn't look out of place, it fits in perfectly. I feel like this is pretty rare, though. Can anyone else think of a cover that uses the text from a blurb in an interesting way? 

While I, for the most part, dislike seeing a blurb on the front cover, I do love to read them! What are your thoughts on book covers with blurbs on the front? 

Highlights / Lowlights: Review of THE MOON AND MORE by Sarah Dessen

Title: THE MOON AND MORE
Author: Sarah Dessen
Published: June 4th 2013
Genre: YA contemporary
Publisher: Viking
POV: 1st, past tense
Pages: 435
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4 out of 5

Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline's mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going?

Highlights: THE MOON AND MORE is not Dessen's best story, but it does have that standard Sarah Dessen charm lingering in each and every line. Emaline is a fantastic narrator, and her coming-of-age story was interesting to watch unfold. Side characters are Dessen's strong point (sweet little Benji!), especially in regard to Emaline's BFF's Morris¹ and Daisy. I loved Morris and his simplistic but meaningful observations. Family and friendship are important in this story, and Dessen expertly shows the ups and downs of both. All in all, THE MOON AND MORE is a great story about friendship, family, small-towns, dreams, and growing up.

Lowlights: Dessen is well known (or should be) for her swoonworthy love interests: Wes, Eli, Dexter, Owen...oh, sorry. I got a little carried away there. So anyway, I was surprised to find myself disliking both love interests in this novel. Theo even inspired a list called characters-I-want-to-slap-or-punch-in-the-face¹. I also had a hard time enjoying Luke's character, because of something he does early in the story. I also wish there had been more scenes with Emaline's family.

Allusions: Appearances by Maggie, Heidi, Auden, Esther, Clyde, Wallace, and includes establishments such as (no, no, no to) Tallyho, Clementine's, and The Washroom from ALONG FOR THE RIDE. Last Chance Cafe and possibly Coley (but I'm not certain about her) from KEEPING THE MOON. Quick mention of Wes¹ and Bert, along with the game gotcha! from THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER. The worst-band-ever, Spinnerbait, gained a brief mention and they are from THIS LULLABY. There might be more that I didn't catch or simply forgot to jot down on paper. 

1  How awesome is it that he and Emaline are friends, and only friends? No romance involved!
2 I feel like Theo was that kid who tripped other children during a race back in elementary school, just so he could get ahead of everyone else and win -- his personality is so unattractive and selfish. I don't know how Emaline could stand him and his better-than-all-of-you-small-town-hicks attitude. 
3 Oh, Wes. I wish you were in this book. *swoons*

My reviews of other novels by Sarah Dessen:

ALONG FOR THE RIDE

KEEPING THE MOON

THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER

WHAT HAPPENED TO GOODBYE

Highlights & Lowlights: Sequels

Lowlight: I cannot remember anything that happened. Who are you people? What is going on? When did they start dating? So and so died?! This is definitely a biased issue, but I hate it when I can't remember those small (or big) details from book one. It'd be nice if every sequel came with a quick one-page recap. This is one of the reasons why I was glad that Veronica Roth created the "But I Read DIVERGENT a Year Ago" guide - very helpful. 

Highlight: More time with old and new characters! More of the awesome characters that I love? This is, undeniably, one of my favorite parts about series. There's nothing quite like curling up with a sequel and getting the chance to see all of your favorite characters again. Plus, then there are the newbies! Scarlet. Thorne. Sturmhond. And so, so many more. I love new awesome characters.

Lowlight: New love interest or love triangle. Very few writers can actually pull off a well-written love triangle/square/whatever, so I rarely find a love triangle to be fun or interesting. They can be especially annoying when, after all of that struggle to get together in book one, the MC finds a new love interest to swoon over. No thanks. 

Highlight: New and intriguing revelations. I love it when a sequel reveals new secrets, especially when it ties into the first novel. Because then I can be all "WHY DIDN'T I NOTICE THAT IN THE FIRST BOOK? OMG!"

Lowlight: The novel ends on a cliffhanger. And I want to cry, because that is just cruel. This is one of the many reasons why I'm a fan of JK Rowling's HP series - she wrapped up each novel's story arc, perhaps with one or two lingering questions, but never left her reader's with a big cliffhanger.

Highlight: Character development. Elisa and Alina, I'm looking at both of you. There's nothing better than watching a character grow, change, and evolve over multiple novels. 

Lowlight: Nothing happens. And I mean nothing. Just random and meaningless wanderings. Throughout the entire story, nothing significant occurs because it's a filler book. Who wants to read a book where the only obvious goal is to get to the third novel? What a waste of time. 

Highlight: More amazing settings. Like Hogwarts. I want to live at Hogwarts. Plus, sequels give readers a chance to view different settings. SIEGE AND STORM begins in a completely different area than the first story left off, and INSURGENT introduces readers to different factions and their homes. It's interesting to read about different settings, especially for fantasy or futuristic novels. 

Lowlight: The MC or Love Interest change from awesome to annoying. Which is always a shame. Character development works both ways, and sometimes, they develop in all of the wrong ways. I loved Four in DIVERGENT, but I really wanted to slap him (and Tris) by the time I was done reading INSURGENT. It drives me crazy whenever characters I loved in the first novel start acting like idiots in the sequel. 

Highlight: New perspectives. I loved BITTERBLUE, a sequel / companion novel to GRACELING, so much because it gave me insight into a different character and part of that world. The title character in SCARLET was a fantastic addition the cast of main characters, even though I was wary at first. 

What do you love and hate about sequels?