Marissa Meyer, author of Cinder, in Irving TONIGHT!

Remember Cinder, the book club pick for November?  Seriously, I KNOW you remember - some of you were CRAZY about that book (but if you don't remember, click here).

If you fall into that category - or need something free (and awesome) to do with your Friday night - you are so in luck.  Straight from Cinder's author herself, Marissa Meyer:

So looking forward to tonight's #ScarletTour2013 signing at the @irvinglibrary in Irving, TX! Come see me at 7:00!
— Marissa Meyer (@marissa_meyer) February 8, 2013

Awesome, right?! Okay, so Irving isn't exactly close, but compared to... Austin, or... Tulsa or whatever, Irving is kinda close, so I thought I'd fill you in just in case somebody's a fan of Cinder (and has a car).  Here's the official word from Irving Public Library's website:

"Marissa Meyer... provides a look into the world of Cinder and a sneak peek at its sequel, Scarlet. Ms. Meyer will be available for questions and autographs. Refreshments will be served and both books available for purchase."

The event for adults and teens and is my favorite admission price - FREE. It'll be held at Valley Ranch Library in Irving, tonight at 7:00pm.  To learn more, visit Irving Public Library's webpage for the event.

Are you going and super excited?  Need a ride to Irving (or already have a ride and need a friend to come with you)?  Can't go but want to go and in need of a place to vent about it?  Sound of in the comments!

And don't forget about our own SUPER BIG DEAL AUTHOR EVENT in March - bestselling Delirium author Lauren Oliver is coming to Smith Public Library, March 11th at 3:30pm!

UPDATE: In case you couldn't go, looks like Marissa Meyer posted pics from the event on her Facebook page.

LIKE OMG, A QUIZ

THIS IS IS THE BEST THING SINCE KEYBOARD CAAAAAAAAAAATTTT!!!

Ermigeersh, who loves quizzes?!  Quick, tell the computer all your hopes and dreams and eyecolor and birthday and it will tell you where you will DIE!!! Wait, no, that's really morbid. 

Seriously though, Veronica's put together a quiz of Cinder trivia - test yourself to see how well you remember the book!  Click on the pretty blue words in the last sentence to take the quiz:  eleven questions in two minutes or less.  Aaaaannnnnddddd... GO. 

And don't forget to post your scores below if you want to brag.

November After-Meeting Mint: Ballgown [Not] Required

She's good with a wrench? Seriously?
NEVER saw that coming.

Thanks to everyone who came to the meeting to discuss Cinder last Thursday - my sources say the convo was excellent!  If you couldn't make the meeting, keep reading to catch up on the club's take on Cinder:

This book is set in the future, but it's set in future China, which is unexpected but works really well - a change of scenery did us good? - and it had some cool future tech, both good and bad; Cinder's cyborg abilities (lie detection) and the "portscreen" devices are great, but the ID chips that were implanted in everyone are way creepy, seeing as the government could always know where you were and what you were doing and everything else in your life, ew.  

And speaking of technology, the whole prejudice-against-cyborgs thing was no good; the reason behind this wasn't clear either, but we all agreed that it's not surprising that prejudice could exist in the super-future as much as now.  It's pretty hard to define what it means to be "human", though.  And as cyborgs are defined in Cinder, "cyborgs" probably already exist today (nerds, rejoice! Your sci-fi dreams are coming true!), so we could face this ourselves someday.

Everyone seemed to really like this book because it so unusual - even people who don't like to read loved this book!  If teens spread the word, the book could be pretty popular  - really, it's that different from other dystopian novels.  But we mostly thought that this book would be more popular with girls than guys, even though the main character, Cinder, is a mechanic (the luuuvvv aspect of the book was a hit). 

So if you still can't get enough of Cinder  - the sequel's not out for A.  WHILE.  - then keep talking in the comments.  Tell us what you thought about the cyborg-superpowers, the ID  chips, the  cyborg hatefest and prejudice in general, whether or not cyborgs already exist (!), or just what you thought of the book in general.  Or tell us something else random - it's a free country, do what you want.

And get ready for next month's book, Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (more on that later)...

Meeting Tonight!

... in a galaxy far, far away... wait, wrong story.

Tonight's the night!  The night for November's meeting!  We'll be in the conference room (off to the left side of the library's lobby) at 6pm to discuss this month's book, Cinder by Marissa Meyer, and to sign up for next month's meeting.  Be there like share-ware.
Speaking of which: if you're already signed up for the book club this month, we have a FREE COPY OF THIS MONTH'S BOOK (Cinder, like I said) with your name on it waiting for you in the teen room!  Just ask at the teen reference desk for your copy.

Also, here are some basic questions about Cinder to be thinking about for the meeting: 

• Was the plot predictable (snoozefest), or did it take you by suprise?
• Could you see someone make the same decisions as the Cinder and Prince Kai in real life?
• Were there any decisions made by Cinder, Prince Kai, etc. that you disagreed with?
• Did you like the ending (no spoilers!)? And did it suprise you?
• Did the book have larger meanings to think about?
• Like it? Hate it? Meh? Recommend the book to friends?

Come by tonight and argue about it.  Nicely. Or just discuss.  Conference room, 6pm, be there, be square, comb your hair.

November: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Our first meeting has come-and-mostly-gone (you can still discuss it in the previous post)! If you missed the first meeting - you were busy, sleepy, avoiding the potential for an awkward first-date club meeting vibe, whatever - you won't want to miss our second meeting, because the book we've picked for November is GOOD.  Check out this sweet cover-art-eye-candy (and the synopsis):

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

"Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future."

Hmm... smells a bit like a certain fairy tale.  But before you start thinking about singing mice and pumpkin carriages, this book is far from the fairy tale you grew up reading/watching. Like, lives-on-the-moon far.  (Inside-book-joke intended.)  And before you get all oh-no-I'm-not-reading-ANOTHER-dystopian-novel, just chill; this book is just as different from other dystopia-set books as it is from other fairy-tale-retold books - in a good way.  

So come by the teen room and check it out! Or put the book on hold early - the next meeting is November 1st at 6pm.