Read an Excerpt from HEIR OF FIRE!

Is this cover awesome or IS IT AWESOME?!  Correct answer: all of the above.

I've got good news and bad news, Smithies.  Bad news first:  I'm leaving the spectacular Smith Public Library.  That means I won't be at book club meetings anymore, I won't be writing this blog anymore, and you won't see my smiling face around the library.  I'll be working at my new job at another library nearby(ish), so if you want to come visit me there (please do!), then talk to Veronica - she can tell you which library to visit.  But Jenn will be taking over the blog (yay!), so credit for all future witty remarks belongs to her.

I know, I know - but contain your hysterical sobs for my departure, because there's good news, too!

In case you haven't already found and devoured this on your own, a sneak preview of Heir of Fire has been released online!  Heir of Fire is the latest installment in Sarah J. Maas' Throne of Glass series, and it's due to be published September 2, 2014.  Make sure you're sitting down when you read this excerpt - as I like to say, it's like a fire at a circus:  INTENSE.  (Get it? "In tents" = "intense", har har har puns.)

CLICK HERE TO READ THE EXCERPT

I know a few of you (by which I mean a lot of you) are as big fans of Throne of Glass and the sequel, Crown of Midnight, as I am - we've read both books in book club (read all our Throne of Glass-related posts here) and skyped with Sarah Maas a few times - so if you want more extras as soon as they're available, check out Sarah's blog and the official Throne of Glass facebook page!

There's also info on the Throne of Glass facebook page about how you could be a part of the Heir of Fire book trailer!  Click here for the official rules and etc.

Bloomsbury (the publisher) has also released this synopsis for Heir of Fire:

Celaena has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak—but at an unspeakable cost. Now, she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth . . . a truth about her heritage that could change her life—and her future—forever. Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. Will Celaena find the strength to not only fight her inner demons, but to take on the evil that is about to be unleashed?

The bestselling series that has captured readers all over the world reaches new heights in this sequel to the New York Times best-selling Crown of Midnight. Packed with heart-pounding action, fierce new characters, and swoon-worthy romance, this third book will enthrall readers from start to finish.

That's it for me, Smithies!  It's been real, it's been fun, so I guess that means it's been real fun; I'll miss you!  Play the video to hear my official exit music - as you listen, imagine me walking away, putting on sunglasses as something explodes behind me.  Or driving fast cars.  Or whatever.

Alyssa out.

December Highlights: SKYPE-tacular!

Sarah Maas with the German cover for Throne of Glass!  Celaena's wearing some sweet threads, no?  Photo credit: magazin.dtv.de

So last weekend's weather was a little bit incredibly intense (Winter-pocalypse 2013!)...

Fortunately, Skype still works in bad weather, so we still got to talk with Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight author Sarah Maas during our meeting last Thursday (the weather was fine in California, apparently)!

In case the ice kept you away from the library, here are some highlights from our conversation with Sarah:

• She started out writing fanfiction: Sarah didn't start out writing bestselling books.  Back in the day, she wrote fanfiction for fun - even mash-up fanfiction about, for example, Harry Potter with Sailor Moon!  "It was terrible!" she says.  Read some fanfiction on the site Sarah used to post hers:  Fanfiction.net

• She started writing Throne of Glass at 16!: She had the idea while watching Cinderella - the music was so dramatic when Cinderella runs away from the ball, it sounded almost as if she had done something criminal.  "So I started thinking, 'What could she have actually done that would deserve being chased from the ball like that?'"  Like... try to assassinate someone?  Hm... 

• Throne of Glass had tons of fans before it was even published:  Before it was called Throne of Glass, Celaena's story was titled Queen of Glass and was posted on a website called Fictionpress.com, where people can publish original works of fiction online.  At one point, Queen of Glass was the most read story on the website!  "It was my refuge," says Sarah.

Unofficial cover art.

• Cool background info on the Crown of Midnight cover art:  Sarah says that Celaena was originally illustrated as being craaaaazy thin on the cover art for Crown of Midnight, and Sarah took a stand to have her illustrated at a healthier weight (is Sarah awesome or what?!).  Besides being an unhealthy image for teens, she says, it's also untrue to Celaena's character*!  

• She's working on a new series: Aside from working the Throne of Glass series, Sarah's working on a new series called A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES.  It's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast in which the character Beauty is a huntress.  It's for an age group a little older than teens called "New Adult", and it'll be out in Winter 2015!  For more info on the story, click here; for more info on this series, click here; to read a snippet, click here.

• Check out her new online project, The Starkillers Cycle!:  After some vacation-fueled brainstorming, Sarah and her BFF, Susan Dennard (author of the Something Strange and Deadly YA series - visit Susan's website here), have started a collaborative work of fiction that will live online and can be read on the series' tumblr.  Titled The Starkillers Cycle, it's a type of sci-fi called a space opera (think Star Wars, kinda); read the authors' intro and disclaimer about content, then read the first chapter (also this hilarious interview with the two of them).

• WE GOT SOME INFO ON Throne of Glass BOOK #3!!:  ... very little info, though.  No, she didn't tell us the title of Book #3, but we now know that it will have three narratives following three different storylines: one for Celaena, one for Chaol and Dorian, and one for a new character - someone who is connected with the Iron Witch Clan of the Western Wastes.  Remember Yellowlegs, the witch with iron teeth in Crown of Midnight?  Oh yeah.  THOSE Iron Witches.

• She's got some book recommendations: Looking for something to read until Sarah's next book is out?  She's got some suggestions:  Sabriel by Garth Nix, Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta (Sarah told us the hilarious story of when she met the author... and got a little too excited: "I was crying hysterically"), Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, and, of course, the Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien (she went to all see all the movies at midnight when they came out - and dressed up. As who?  "Eowyn!").

A ginormous THANK YOU to Sarah for skyping with us!!  We got so much good info and insight into her inspirations, being a writer and her new projects (I'm definitely checking out both of them)! ... although I'm such a fan of this series that she could have just read aloud from the phone book and I'd still call the meeting a win.

Did you enjoy Crown of Midnight, and are you looking forward to Sarah's next projects?  Are you a fan of fanfiction, or a writer yourself?  Let us know in the comments!

* So why wouldn't Celaena be super-skinny, as she was first illustrated for the Crown of Midnight cover art?  Celaena was malnourished as a slave in Endovier in Throne of Glass, and if there's something Celaena DOES NOT LIKE, it's slavery.  Being skinny was a reminder of her time as a slave, so she's unlikely to have stayed that way on purpose once she was freed!

A Real-Life Crown of Midnight

The Midnight Tiara.

While you're finishing up reading Crown of Midnight for tomorrow's skype sesh with Sarah Maas, chew on this:  there's a real, non-fictional "crown of midnight"!

More specifically, it's a tiara of midnight - the Midnight Tiara, worn by Crown Princess Mary of the royal Danish court*.  Don't be fooled by the twigs, leaves and berries: this tiara's 31 flower buds are made of over 1,300 small diamond brilliants and polished moonstones, and its leaves and branches are hand graved in 18 carat rose gold, white gold, and black oxidized silver (nope, none of that creepy black substance from the Crown of Midnight novel). The colors are meant to look like a starry moonlit sky at midnight, hence the name "the Midnight Tiara."



Crown Princess Mary wearing the Midnight Tiara with matching earrings and broach.

*Call me immature, but this is what I think of

 every time I read "Royal Danish Court". Mm,

 danishes.

It was designed by Charlotte Lynggaard of the jewel firm Ole Lynggaard, a jeweler to the Danish royal court.  It's a more modern-looking tiara, and it has an unusual, modern ownership deal; instead of the Danish royal court owning the tiara, the jewel firm, Ole Lynggaard, retains ownership of the tiara, but Princess Mary is the only person allowed to borrow it from them. It's a pretty sweet deal - Princess Mary gets another cool tiara to wear, and Ole Lynggaard gets publicity.  The tiara even has a matching broach and earrings - fashion win!

That's it for now!  Don't forget to come to tomorrow's meeting (6pm @ SPL) to skype with Sarah Maas herself (tiaras are optional).  Have your questions for Sarah ready - see you then!

Weird Wyrds? CROWN OF MIDNIGHT Pronunciation Guide

Feeling tongue-tied?  If you've been reading our book for this Thursday's meeting, Crown of Midnight (or its predecessor, Throne of Glass), then you've probably noticed that spellings of names and places are a bit... different.  And hard to pronounce.  Seriously - "Eyllwe"?  "Anielle"?  No idea how to say those.

Lucky for us, author Sarah Maas has provided a super-helpful pronunciation guide for the tricky bits!  Check it out here on the blog to learn all the lingo just in time for Thursday's meeting.  You'll sound like a native of Adarlan in no time!

Are any of the pronunciations different from what you'd expected? Which words, and what was your pronunciation?  Let us know in the comments! Don't worry - since these are all made-up words, there isn't really a wrong way to pronounce them.

And don't forget to come tell the author what you think of these pronunciations when we skype with her at the next meeting - this Thursday, December 5th, 6-7pm at the library!

Prequel Stories for CROWN OF MIDNIGHT - read them NOW!

Have you started our book for December's meeting, Crown of Midnight?  Already finished and want some more?

Sarah Maas has written two prequel short stories for Crown of Midnight, which you can read online for FREE!  These are "bridge" stories, meaning they take place after Throne of Glass  and before Crown of Midnight. 

Both short stories have been posted in little pieces on different book blogs, a.k.a. a blog tour.  You can read each part by clicking on the links below.

Here's the first story -

The Assassin and the Princess

Part 1                    Part 7

Part 2                    Part 8

Part 3                    Part 9

Part 4                    Part 10

Part 5                    Part 11

Part 6                    Part 12

But that's not all! The second short story one isn't exactly a "bridge" story; instead, it takes place right at the beginning of Crown of Midnight, though it's not included in the book, making it more of a deleted scene! Use the links below:

The Assassin and the Captain

Part 1                    Part 3 

Part 2                    Part 4

Be sure to snoop around these blogs once you finish reading the short stories     you might find a review for a new book to read!

And don't forget to come to our next meeting on December 5th at 6pm to skype with Sarah Maas!

December: Crown of Midnight

Thanks to everyone who came to our meeting last week!  We talked about Kelli London's Uptown Dreams and ate Halloween candy.  Oh yeah, I'm talking about gummy Crabby Patties.  Mmmmm.

On to the next book!  Get excited - it's time to read Crown of Midnight, the sequel to last December's read, Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas!!!

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes.

Keeping up the deadly charade—while pretending to do the king's bidding—will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon -- forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice. 

Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she most willing to fight for?

.  .  .

Um, YESPLEASE.  If you haven't signed up yet, get to the library stat - we still have several FREE COPIES of Crown of Midnight to give away when you sign up for the next meeting!

The fun begins with Throne of Glass; check out a library copy from the teen room, then get caught up with all our so be sure to read it first - check out all our previous posts about Throne of Glass!  Keep watching the blog - I'll be bringing you some special content for Crown of Midnight soon, as well as a SUPER AWESOME ANNOUNCEMENT about the next meeting!  [EDIT:  click here for the announcement!]

One Week Until CROWN OF MIDNIGHT!

Girlfriend could SO take honey badger in a fight.

Remember our book from last December, Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas?  (Remember when we got to skype with her last April?!)  Well, the sequel to Throne of Glass, which is called Crown of Midnight, is out August 27th, aka ONE WEEK FROM TODAY.  Srrsly, just one more week! Are you excited yet?

But it gets better:  if you're like me and you JUST CAN'T WAIT, I found a ton of online prequels and previews for Crown of Midnight that you can read RIGHT NOW    FOR FREE!!  Keep reading - I'll get you hooked up with all the goodies (there are a lot!).

NEW PREQUEL SHORT STORIES!

Sarah Maas has written two prequel short stories, which you can read online NOW!  These are "bridge" stories, meaning they take place after Throne of Glass  and before Crown of Midnight. 

The first is titled "The Assassin and the Princess", and it's been posted in little pieces on different book blogs, a.k.a. a blog tour.  You can read each part by clicking on the links below:

Part 1                    Part 7

Part 2                    Part 8

Part 3                    Part 9

Part 4                    Part 10

Part 5                    Part 11

Part 6                    Part 12

But that's not all!  Sarah's got another short story for us:  "The Assassin and the Captain".  This one isn't exactly a "bridge" story; instead, it takes place right at the beginning of Crown of Midnight, though it's not included in the book, making it more of a spoiler-free deleted scene! You can read this scene in pieces across several book blogs, or just use the links below:

Part 1                    Part 3 

Part 2                    Part 4

Be sure to snoop around these blogs once you finish reading the short stories     you might find a review for a new book to read!

THRONE OF GLASS STORY GENERATOR!

Bloomsbury, the publisher for Crown of Midnight, has created an AWESOME Throne of Glass story generator which lets you become a character in the series!  There are four scenes (three from Throne of Glass, one from Crown of Midnight); choose one, then answer the fill-in-the-blank questions the site asks you, and shaZAM! you're a character in the scene!  In a way, it's like fantasy-assassin-themed Mad Libs.  You can try filling in the blanks in a serious, fantasy-story-appropriate way; I had fun putting in really stupid answers (name:  Millicent Snarkface de Whifflington).

Have fun playing around with it!  Click on the examples below for ideas, and be sure to share the answers you put in the story in the comments.  You can even share your entire story with us: once your generated your story, click the "permanent link" button, then copy and paste the link into the comment section below!

Fill in the blanks; try to make your
answers super awesome, like mine

Share on facebook or tumblr,
or save as a pdf FOREVAR

Generate your story

READ AN EXCERPT from CROWN OF MIDNIGHT!!!

If you've clicked on the link for the story generator above, you may have noticed that there's also an EXCERPT FROM THE NEW BOOK on that same website!  You'll have access to the link for the excerpt only after you've used the story generator, but if you just can't wait, click here to read the excerpt from Crown of Midnight!

* * *

Hhhhhhawesommme.  What did you think of the short stories and excerpt?  Are you as excited as I am about this book?!!  Don't forget to share your thoughts (and your answers/results from the story generator) in the comment section!    

Oh     here, have a book trailer.

Reading, Reviewing, Arithmati -- jk, it's a quiz!

Listen to Bill.  Bill is wise.

In case you missed it, we're skyping with author Sarah J. Maas tonight!  She's the author of Throne of Glass, which was our book club pick back in December, and its sequel, Crown of Midnight, out August 27, 2013!

And I know - December is kinda a long time ago, especially with school and homework and everything you've read since FIVE MONTHS AGO OKAY CHILL.

F'reals - your Throne of Glass review starts here!  I know you want to look cool and totally in-the-know when we talk to her - duh, me too - so get reviewing by way of one of the your fav ways to waste time (hey, not judging) on the interwebs - a QUIZ!!!  Check out any of these three quizzes, then post your score in the comments section:

Throne of Glass Quiz 1!

(on one of our favorite sites, Goodreads)

 

Quiz 2!                               Quiz 3!

Need to review a bit before you take these schwaiz quizzes?  Here are some sites that'll have you up-to-speed in no time:

• The Throne of Glass Wikipedia page gives you all the basic info (plots, characters, etc.)
• The "Extras" section on Sarah J. Maas' website - she's got character histories, a map of the world of Throne of Glass, and a pronunciation guide for all the tricky names in the book.  
• All our blog posts about Throne of Glass - especially make sure you read what everyone had to say at the meeting back in December!
• Throne of Glass on facebook and pinterest!  You can also have a look at "Bythewyrd", a tumblr made by fans.

Easy-peesy lemon-squeezey-mac-'n-cheesy-don't-be-queasy!  See you at the meeting!  Have your questions ready - see the previous post for some suggestions on this - and don't forget to be at SPL tonight, Thursday, April 4th at 6pm!!!

Skype with Sarah J. Maas TODAY!

Aaaiiii!! Sarah Maas - her face is full of secrets! Also some sweet shades.

Get ready, smithies - our skype-a-palooza with Sarah J. Maas is this Thursday!  Bring all your awesome questions to get some awesome answers.  Still unsure what to ask?  Keep reading for some ideas to get you started:


SUGGESTIONS TO ASK THE SARAH:

• Ask questions about the book:  Think about the characters.  Are you still wondering why they acted the way they did? Were there other parts of the story that didn't make sense?  
• Get crafty for some spoilers: Throne of Glass is the first book in a series, so the book leaves you hangingUGH.  You can ask sneaky questions to try to  get Sarah to give us some hints about the next book... Watch out, though - she looks seriously crafty in almost every picture I can find, so I don't think she'll slip up easily. You'll have to read the sequels to find out more!
• Sarah's Throne of Glass inspiration: Did you know that Throne of Glass is based on the story of Cinderella?  F'reals.  Try asking about how this became her inspiration and how she came up with her spin on the story with Cinderella as an assassin!
• Fantasy world creation and... stuff:  Since the world of Throne of Glass is entirely made-up, the author had to dream up, like, an ENTIRE WORLD for the book, with different countries, geography, languages, history, everything, with enough details to make it realistic.  Um... how?!  Where do you  start when making up a completely new world?  How did Sarah come up with the creepy supernatural mythologies in Throne of Glass? And how did she dream up names like "Eyllwe" and "Chaol"?!
• Ask about being a writer: If you dream of being an author, now's your chance.  Why did she want to be an author? How does she get ideas - is there a certain place or activity that's especially inspiring?  Does she have a favorite method or place to work on writing?  
• ...plus a gazillion other questions:  Feel free to ask something that isn't mentioned here!  Even random questions are okay:  What's her favorite ice cream?  What's Celaena's favorite ice cream?

That's it - get to brainstorming!  You can also read this interview Sarah did for more ideas.  If you still need a refresher on the book, see the last week's post for a review on Throne of Glass, read this blog post for a short summary or look here for detailed summary and character info; for some background on Sarah Maas, check out this post or her website.  And don't forget - the meeting is TODAY, Thursday, April 4th, 6pm @ SPL!!  

Skype with author Sarah J. Maas!!!

Sarah Maas: dreaming up a plotline... or schem-
ing how to get someone to bring you ice cream?

Okay clubbies, this is really cool.  I'll try not to use too many exclamation points, but I make no promises.

So remember Throne of Glass, that sweeeet book we read for our meeting in December? An awesome teen girl/assassin, an intense competition, creepy supernatural forces, plus a hot prince, a bad king, and dreamy captain - ringing any bells?  Hello?

Well, better start remembering soon, because we're skyping with the author at our next meeting!! F'reals, kids - we'll be skyping with Sarah J. Maas at our next meeting (Thursday, April 4th at 6pm)!!!

OMG THIS IS AWESOME.

Throne of Glass is actually Sarah's first novel, and she's younger than most authors (she's a young Young Adult author... a Young Adult author who is young... whatever). Check out her bio from Amazon:

"Sarah J. Maas was born and raised in New York City, but after graduating from Hamilton College in 2008, she moved to Southern California. She's always been just a tad obsessed with fairy-tales and folklore, though she'd MUCH rather be the one slaying the dragon (instead of the damsel in distress). When she's not busy writing, she can be found geeking out over things like Han Solo, gaudy nail polish, and ballet."

Not gonna lie - she sounds pretty adorable. Check out her website for more about her and to get Throne of Glass extras! She also has a blog and is on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. There's also a Throne of Glass Facebook page!

So get reviewing!  Or remembering. Or re-reading.  Or whatever works for you - just get ready!  Keep checking this blog:  there'll be info to refresh your memory on the book, Throne of Glass trivia and quizzes and other cool extras.  Get started now by taking a look at the summary for Throne of Glass, or click here to see all past blog posts on about it.  You can also have a look at this sweeeet book trailer:

Oh yes, this is happening.  The meeting's Thursday, April 4th, 6pm - BE THERE FOR AWESOME.

See, that wasn't too too many exclamation points.  Haha, tutu.

December After-Meeting Mint: Heads Will Roll! ... Maybe!

This is classy monocle cat.  He would never be
 late with a blog post. Sorry, classy monocle  cat. 

Remember reading Throne of Glass?  Yeah, I know, that was a while ago (SO last month).  Sorry.  See the previous blog post for my reason for putting off this post (it's actually a pretty cool reason).  But if you still want to talk about Throne of Glass, here's a summary of December's meeting for Throne of Glass and your opportunity to sound off in the comments.

Apparently, like me, most of you liked Throne of Glass - yayforbooks. But a lot of you had trouble getting into the story because of the crazy, hard-to-read names (note to the publishers:  include a pronunciation guide with the book).  Also, this was the second book we've read that's an adaptation of the story of Cinderella, though most of the club didn't realize this about Throne of Glass; anybody spotted similarities between Cinderella and this book since the meeting? (Comments!)

Celeana, an assassin, was the heroine of Throne of Glass.  Most of us liked Celeana - she's fierce and independent like Katniss from The Hunger Games and isn't whiny and insecure like Bella from Twilight.  And despite being REALLY fat-headed, she's just so likable: she's fashionable, she's cool, she's super deadly - basically, she's a female Han Solo.

Speaking of Celeana being deadly: even though we're used to NOT rooting for assassins - they're usually villains - the club didn't have a problem with an assassin as a heroine, as long as she only killed the bad guys.  What we DID have a problem with was an assassin who didn't do any assassinating.  Seriously, I think Celeana's kill record for this book was something like "mythical creatures: 1, humans: 0".

The club didn't really mind that there was a love triangle, or how that story played out.  Celeana is in a relationship with another character for only a short time in the book before dumping the guy; most of us thought that this was a pretty accurate picture of real-life teen relationships.  Bigger question, though: Prince Dorian vs. Chaol, Captain of the Guard? Most of the club turned out to be Team Chaol: he's flawed, he's gruff-with-a-gooey-nice-guy-center, he's swoon-worthy - basically, he's totes dreamy. 

So what did YOU think?  Did you love or hate Throne of Glass, and will you be looking out for the sequel?  Are you Team Dorian or Team Chaol (quick, make your t-shirts NOW!)?  How to feel about the whole assassin-who-doesn't-assassinate thing?  Is Celeana your new literary BFF, or did she totally get on your nerves?  Sound off in the comments!

And keep watching this space - a summary of our January meeting for A.C. Gaughen's book Scarlet is coming soon!

Tongue-Tied? Pronunciation Guide!

Fantasy-genre books are great; in a different (made-up) world, there are different rules, giving you a sense that anything is possible.  The downside: the geography is different, the language is probably different, so the names of people-places-things can make for some REALLY HARD pronunciation guesswork. 

Throne of Glass definitely is no exception.  Seriously, who's going to guess correctly how to say "Eyllwe"? Seriously?

Lucky for us, Throne of Glass author Sarah J. Maas has provided a super-helpful pronunciation guide for the tricky bits!  Check it out here on the blog just in time for tomorrow's club meeting, or head to the author's website (sarahjmaas.com) and look for the guide under the "Extras" tab.

The pronunciations are... enlightening(?)... though a few of them aren't what I had in my head while reading about something for the ENTIRE book.  Did this happen to you? And if it did, which words, and what was your pronunciation?  Don't worry - since these are all made-up words, there isn't really a wrong way to pronounce them!

And don't forget to come talk about it in person at tomorrow's meeting - Thursday, December 5th, 6-7pm at the library!

Throne of Glass Novellas?! Um, YES PLEASE

So when I finished Throne of Glass, there was a little more than the usual grieving process of shucks, that was a great book, what am I going to read now; I really enjoyed this book, so it was more like OH MY GOSH IT'S OVER and THE SEQUEL'S OUT "FALL 2013"?!  THAT'S NOT EVEN A REAL DATE I NEED IT NOW SARAH J. MAAS I WILL FIND YOU AND--"*

You get the idea.  It was a bit traumatic.

So if any of you are also undergoing Throne of Glass-withdrawal, check out the Throne of Glass NOVELLAS!   These are four prequel stories about Celaena's missions as an assassin before she's captured and imprisoned in Endovier (where we meet her at the beginning of Throne of Glass).  They explain a lot more (almost 400-total-pages more!) about Celaena's backstory and Throne of Glass:  how she dealt with the Pirate King and his slave trade, her training with the Silent Assassins, who "Sam" is, and best of all, who betrayed Celaena and ensured her capture. Yes, you definitely want to know this. 

Bad news: they're only available as ebooks, and they're not free.  Good news:  they're really cheap! Only 99 cents each.  I read them on Google Play's site for books and downloaded the free app so I could read them on my phone; you can do pretty much the same thing with Amazon and a Kindle app or get the novellas in Spanish (!) at Barnes & Noble and use the Nook app (or just use a Kindle or Nook, if you're so lucky). Just click on any of the nice blue links in this paragraph - you can preview the first few pages for free!

From right to left, the order in which they're supposed to be read.  Y'know, if you're into following rules.

That's it!  And don't worry, you won't need to read these novellas for the book club meeting discussion - this is just an opportunity to get more Throne of Glass if you NEED MORE NOW like I did. Don't forget to come to the meeting, next Thursday, December 6th at 6pm.

*NOTE: I do NOT encourage threatening authors, either to get a sequel sooner or for your own crazy reason.  Authors are people too, and threatening them won't get a sequel to you sooner. F'reals.

December: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Ready for another great book, smithies?  Sure hope so, 'cause this is a book club.  In case you weren't sure. Y'know.

Anyways, December's pick is Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas.  Not that we'd pick out anything not good for you to read, but srrsly, this one is LARGE AMOUNTS OF WIN.  It's like The Hunger Games meets Game of Thrones.  Or, if you've already read The Selection by Kiera Cass (think Hunger Games + The Bachelor TV show), it's like The Selection, but with ninja skills.  Yeah, awesome.

Check out the cover and summary:

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Though Celaena's bored stiff by court life, things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Mmmmmmawesome.  Sounds like a good way to spend your Thanksgiving vacation, no?  And don't forget to come to the meeting (and if you didn't get to read the book, come anyway): December 6th, 6pm.  BAM.