Books Are Jazzy

Since I now live in the U.S. I can purchase Owlcrate boxes at a reasonable price. Ever since the "Wanderlust" box was released back in July of 2017, I have had my eyes on it. Thus over winter break, I finally grabbed myself by the neck and ordered the box. When I arrived back on campus, I had a fun package waiting for me.

The full contents of the Wanderlust Owlcrate box

Because this was a "past box", I already knew what was going to be in the box. The box contained so many amazing items, all of which I have put to use in some for . Of course, I was most excited to finally get my hands on The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee. Along with the book, the box also contained a signed bookplate, a letter from the author, and a map of the world of the book.

Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for a review of The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue!

-Laura

I've been buying some books over the past month and I'm so excited to share them with you!

1. Frost Like Night by Sara Raasch: This was the last book in the Snow Like Ashes-series and I read it as soon as it arrived in the mail! If you haven't read this series yet, I'd highly recommend it!
2. The Odds of Lightning by Jocelyn Davies: I actually don't know too much about this but I know it's magical realism which I love so I'm interested to see what this will be like.
3. The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace: I've been hearing about this wonderful little book of poetry ever since it came out and I loved it so much!! I'll be posting a full review once I get a chance to read through it again.
4. The Bronze Key by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare: I am so obsessed with this series and can not wait to read the newest instalment.
5. Unravel Me and Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi: After going to the Furthermore event in New York, I decided to read everything Mafi has written as quickly as possible.
6. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson: I thought it would be fun to sneak in a graphic novel as well and this should be a quick read. 

Furthermore is the newest novel by bestselling author Tahereh Mafi. It's a cute middle school fantasy book. It follows the story of young Alice Alexis Queensmeadow as she explores the land of Furthermore in hopes of finding her missing father. Simultaneously it explores important themes of friendship and individuality.

It was released on August 30th, while I was traveling in New York. As soon as I heard I got myself a ticket to the launch event hosted by Books of Wonder at the New York Public Library. When the day of the event finally came, I stumbled in wild-eyed and nervous, not knowing anyone there. Within minutes I felt comfortable. Something about being surrounded by people who are like you makes it easy to strike up a conversation, and thus I spent the time before Tahereh showed up chatting with other fans.

The event was so well planned it was amazing! I got there quite early and thus got a good spot in the line to get your cop of Furthermore personalized. Unlike other similar events I've been to you were assigned a number and they only had 10 people line up at a time. Thus you didn't have to spend the entire event waiting in line and miss all the other organized activities. Beyond the autographing portion, there was an interview with Tahereh moderated by her husband and fellow author Ransom Riggs! The couple was so cute and I loved their chemistry. Beyond that, there was a lot of merch that was given out as well as an airbrush tattoo station. Finally, they were selling copies of all of Tahereh's and Ransom's books all signed, but Ransom wasn't personalizing any during the event. Overall it was a lot of fun and I'm extremely happy that I happened to be in town while it happened!

-Laura

Science Fiction Bokhandeln -a book store.