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 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.

Lauren Oliver Event TODAY!!!

Ah dang kids, Lauren Oliver will be at the library in, like, an hour!  If you're not already at the library, what are you waiting for? Get over here - this is going to be awesome!  How often do you meet a New York Times bestselling author?  Yeah, that's what I thought.

So get to the library post haste! - people are already lining up.  Get yourself a numbered wristband to secure your place in line for the book signing/photo op; the wristband doesn't secure you a seat for the talk, though - another reason to get here soon - and, if you don't already have one of Ms. Oliver's books, buy one from Barnes and Noble's table in our lobby.  And get excited - the event starts at 3:30pm TODAY in our multipurpose room!

Check out this fake propaganda-style poster we made for the event - Lauren Oliver
herself re-blogged it from our teen tumblr!!!

Two More Chances to Win a Copy of REQUIEM!

OMG DOES THIS BOOK COME
IN SUPER-LARGE PRINT?!!!!

Need one more chance to win one of our beautiful copies of Lauren Oliver's Requiem before it's released? Lucky you - we'll give you TWO*.

The trivia questions on this blog and on our facebook page have been answered - congrats to Mariah at Wylie East for answering the question here on the blog! If you didn't win, don't worry - we still have two more copies of Requiem to give away! Details:

• Two websites, two more questions: Check out our tumblr* for the next question, then go to our figment page on Friday for the last question
• Two ways to answer: come to the teen room at the library and answer in person OR leave a comment with your answer online on the site where the specific question you are answering is posted
• The first person to answer one of the remaining questions correctly wins!  Pick up your book at SPL in the teen room.

I think the question on tumblr is going up SOON - and there is no shame is sitting at your computer, constantly hitting the "refresh" button until it's posted.  

Annnddd don't forget to come meet Lauren Oliver here at SPL on Monday, March 11th, 3:30pm, BAM.

*UPDATE AGAIN!:
The trivia question on our tumblr has already been answered and the book has been claimed (by someone in Canadawhat?! Wow!).  There just one chance to win a copy of Requiem left!  Check our figment page on Friday (tomorrow, March 1) for the last trivia question and your last chance to win!

... aaannnndd may the odds be ever in your favor(?).

ZOMG! Requiem Book Giveaway

HEY GUYS THIS IS SO COOL.

WE'RE GIVING AWAY A COPY OF REQUIEM.

F'reals: we - Smith Public Library - are giving away a hardcover copy of Requiem, the not-yet-released third book of Lauren Oliver's Delirium trilogy.

Yes, not-yet-released, meaning you can get a FREE copy of the book everyone else is dying to read but can't even buy yet.

Yes, that's the Lauren Oliver who'll be HERE, AT THE LIBRARY, IN PERSON, OMG.

... buuuutttt we couldn't just make it too easy for you - first you have to answer a little trivia question from the trilogy's second book, Pandemonium.  Here it is:

TELL ME THIS, TELL ME TRUE: 

In Pandemonium, what was the number of the tattoo on Lena's mother ?

Know the answer?  Veronica (and Jenn, another Smithie you might recognize) will be at Wylie High tomorrow morning - the first person to tell her correct answer gets the super-awesome copy of Requiem!

And don't forget to bring your copies of Delirium, Pandemonium, and Requiem (if you're lucky) to Smith Public Library on Monday, March 11 at 3:30pm and have Lauren Oliver herself sign your books!!

UPDATE:
This trivia question has been answered and the book has been claimed - congrats to the winner!  If you didn't win, you still have one more chance to win - see the next post for more info!

Long Time, No See... er, Blog

Geez, you call this a BLOG?! Doesn't that mean there should be regular posts 'n stuff?  Lame.

Okay, so I haven't posted anything in, like, forevar.  Mea culpa.  Honesty, sorry about that, kids.  But I have a good reason!  I've been working on posters and such for something REALLY AMAHZING coming soon to Smith Library - brace yourselves, dystopian-lit lovers! Check out this sneak peek at one of the posters:                   >

That's right - Lauren Oliver, author of Delirium, Pandemonium, Before I Fall (which are New York Times bestsellers, by the way) and the soon-to-be-released Requiem, is COMING TO THE LIBRARY.  F'REALS. It's kind of a big deal.  And we may even have a special, extra (or extra special?) Teen Book Club meeting to read Ms. Oliver's book before she comes.  Tell your friends!  Tell your frenemies!  Tell your pretenemies! Tell that creepy kid across the street!  Tell EVERYONE!  We're a little excited - it's gonna be awesome.

And watch this space, and tell Madonna - because THE BLOG IS BACK. Check back soon for our regularly scheduled blogging.

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.

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.