Awesome Book Event! Richelle Mead!

Richelle Mead

Last night I attended a Powell's book signing event featuring the fabulous Richelle Mead!  It was awesome to meet her and to hear more about her writing process and upcoming projects.  She read a bit of Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy #5), answered several questions from the audience, and signed lots of books!  If you would like a signed copy of Vampire Academy, be sure to check out our giveaway post HERE.  Candace from Candace's Book Blog will also be giving away a signed copy of Vampire Academy, so you can enter both contests to double your odds.  :-)

Rather than summarize the whole event for you, I decided to record Richelle's Spirit Bound reading and most of her Q & A session to share with you guys.  (My apologies for the shaky camera work and my noisy camera that creaks and clicks while attempting to focus.)  You can find all seven clips on TheEagerReaders' YouTube Channel.

Part 1 - Richelle responds to a question about whether her characters are based upon real people. She describes the inspiration for Abe's wardrobe in her Vampire Academy series. She also answers a question about whether she would rather be a Dhampir, a Moroi, or a Strigoi.

Part 2 - Richelle responds to a question about which scenes she enjoys writing the most.  She also discusses the challenges of working on a scene repeatedly throughout the editing process.

Part 3 - Richelle talks about the possibility of a Vampire Academy movie now that the film rights have been optioned.  She describes how little input authors have in the movie-making process once the rights are sold.

Part 4 - Richelle responds to a question about why she chose to have her vampires hail from Russia and Romania.

Part 5 - Richelle discusses the way short story anthologies typically come together and mentions her story about Lissa's parents in the upcoming Kisses from Hell anthology.

Part 6 - Richelle responds to a question about where she gets the ideas for her books & mentions a metal dragon sculpture she recently stumbled across in Leavenworth, Washington that captured her interest.

Richelle reads an excerpt of Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy #5).  This excerpt is from chapter three, and Richelle pauses part way through the excerpt to explain a bit more about how Rose came to be eating a popsicle in that scene.  :-)

The Vampire Academy series is one of my favorite discoveries this year!  I don't know how it took me until May to pick up the first book, but as soon as I finished the first book I couldn't wait to devour the other four.  It is definitely in the running for the most addictive series I've read all year.  Rose is a fantastically  tough and snarky heroine, her best-friend Lissa is charismatic and complicated, and the guys in this series are DELICIOUS!  If you haven't picked up the Vampire Academy series yet, you may want to read the first five books before the sixth and final book, Last Sacrifice, is released December 7th.  To learn more about the Vampire Academy books or Richelle's two adult urban fantasy series, visit Richelle's website, blog, facebook, or twitter.

Vampire Academy

Buy it:  IndieBound | The Book Depository | Powell's | Amazon

Add it to your:  Goodreads | Shelfari | Library Thing | Visual Bookshelf

Frostbite - Vampire Academy #2

Buy it:  IndieBound | The Book Depository | Powell's | Amazon

Add it to your:  Goodreads | Shelfari | Library Thing | Visual Bookshelf

Shadow Kiss - Vampire Academy #3

Buy it:  IndieBound | The Book Depository | Powell's | Amazon 

Add it to your: Goodreads | Shelfari | Library Thing | Visual Bookshelf

Blood Promise - Vampire Academy #4

Buy it:  IndieBound | The Book Depository | Powell's | Amazon

Add it to your:  Goodreads | Shelfari | Library Thing | Visual Bookshelf

Spirit Bound - Vampire Academy #5

Buy it:  IndieBound | The Book Depository | Powell's | Amazon

Add it to your:  Goodreads | Shelfari | Library Thing | Visual Bookshelf

Last Sacrifice - Vampire Academy #6

Pre-order it:  IndieBound | The Book Depository | Powell's | Amazon

Add it to your:  Goodreads | Shelfari | Library Thing | Visual Bookshelf

I am excited to check out Richelle Mead's two adult series, her Georgina Kincaid books and Dark Swan books.  In addition to meeting Richelle and having fun visiting with Candace, it was wonderful to see local authors Lisa Schroeder and Suzanne Young again.  Lisa Schroeder has a children's book called Little Chimp's Big Day coming out September 7th.  It looks completely adorable, and I hope to be able to attend her signing event next month.  Suzanne Young's third Naughty List book, A Good Boy is Hard to Find, will be in stores November 25th.  And she also shared a bit of info regarding her upcoming YA novel, A Need So Beautiful (which I cannot wait to read)!  Lisa and Suzanne are seriously the sweetest and friendliest authors ever, and it is always a pleasure to visit with them.  If you haven't pre-ordered their upcoming books yet, be sure to check out the links below.

Lisa Schroeder's:

Pre-order it:  IndieBound | The Book Depository | Powell's | Amazon | B & N

Add it to your:  Goodreads | Shelfari | Visual Bookshelf

Suzanne Young's:

Pre-order it:  IndieBound | The Book Depository |  B & N

Add it to your:  Goodreads | Library Thing  

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Finished Reading:

Frostbite & Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

Brief thoughts: Could this series be more addictive? I don't know how it took me ages to stumble across the Vampire Academy series, but I was completely hooked by the middle of the first book. I stayed up late reading Frostbite one night last week, then promptly rushed out to buy Shadow Kiss the next day (immediately putting the rest of my reading on hold). One sleep-deprived night later, and I hurried back to the bookstore to pick up Blood Promise. Eeek! I had grand plans for catching up on a few book reviews over the weekend, but somehow every spare minute was stolen away by Rose & Dimitri.

Kenny & the Dragon by Tony DiTerlizzi

Brief thoughts:  Such a cute book!  My daughters loved this sweet story, which is strongly inspired by Kenneth Grahame's The Reluctant Dragon.  Unlike the human cast of the original story, Kenny & the Dragon is brought to life by a wonderful cast of woodland animals, much like Kenneth Grahame's other classic The Wind in the Willows.  Tony DiTerlizzi's illustrations have long been favorites in our household, and Kenny & the Dragon features some of his most charming work.  We read this book together (meaning that I read the odd-numbered chapters aloud & our six year old read the even-numbered chapters aloud).  Occasionally, that can be a slow process if her interest in a book wanes halfway through one of her chapters.  But this book not only captured her interest, it had her volunteering to read my chapters aloud too!  Fun!  Definitely a 10/10 flower review from Primrose.  :-)

Currently Reading:

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

Brief thoughts:  Reading this series one book right after the other has been really fun, and I am already beginning to dread the seven month wait that is approaching once I finish Spirit Bound and have to wait until December to read The Last Sacrifice.

 

Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris  Brief thoughts:  I am halfway through Once Upon a Marigold, and so far it is a very heart-warming, innocent love story.  This was shelved in the YA section at our local library, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to middle-grade readers. 

The Lost Conspiracy by Frances Hardinge

Brief thoughts: The Lost Conspiracy is such a richly-woven and original story. I love Frances Hardinge's beautiful imagery & clever characterizations. I started reading this book aloud to the whole family last week, and we are still thoroughly enjoying reading it this week.  It is definitely the kind of book you want to take your time with and savor.  Three sample quotes:

"For a moment Skein wished that he did not know that every town was really a thriving hive of bitter, biting two-legged animals, full of schemes and resentment and hidden treachery." (page 3 of Frances Hardinge's The Lost Conspiracy)

"As it happened, the girl supporting Arilou had a name too. It was designed to sound like the settling of dust, a name that was meant to go unnoticed. She was as anonymous as dust, and Skein gave her not the slightest thought.

Neither would you. In fact, you have already met her, or somebody very like her, and you cannot remember her at all."  (page 5 of Frances Hardinge's The Lost Conspiracy)

"Both thought that they could use words to make people do what they wanted, and one of them was right. The younger man with the scarred face tried to gust people along with a fussy logic, pelting them with reasons like fistfuls of feathers. The lean older man with the plausible smile used words to gloss and slope the ground so that people slithered quite naturally in the direction he wished, not even knowing why." (page 217 of Frances Hardinge's The Lost Conspiracy)

A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

Brief thoughts:  My husband and I love this series and were pleased that Primrose chose this as our next 'read together' chapter book after finishing Kenny & the Dragon.  It has been many years since we first read this book, and so far I am enjoying the reread as much as Primrose is enjoying discovering the story for the first time.

Up Next in my TBR (to-be-read) pile:  

Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev

Brief thoughts:  I cannot wait to pick up a copy of Perchance to Dream when it is released tomorrow!  In fact, I may be stalking the bookstore shelves this afternoon just in case they happen to put out their new releases a little early.  ;-)

The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan

Brief thoughts:  My pre-ordered copy of  The Demon's Covenant still has not arrived.  *pout*  I am trying to be patient but can't help watching our mailbox with eager eyes.  

                                       

What are you reading today?  What's up next in your TBR pile?

This fun meme is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books.