Last night Sarah and Kristan were very excited to attend the first stop on Marissa Meyer's book tour! Cincinnati, Ohio...who would have thought?!? But Joseph Beth has consistently brought in some fantastic YA authors for readings/signings. (And adult authors too, like Erin Morgenstern at the end of the month!) For those of us not in NY or other highly-concentrated literary areas, it is MUCH appreciated.
(Sarah, Marissa Meyer, Kristan)
If you haven't heard of CINDER, where have you been?!? This book (and series) has gotten a lot of attention for not only securing a four-book deal, but because it's a Sci-Fi take on Cinderella (and subsequently other fairytales), which is, in a word, brilliant! As Marissa said herself, she was really surprised (and perhaps relieved?) no one had thought of it before. We're so glad she did!
One of the people in attendance asked about the setting for CINDER, which is a futuristic Eastern nation that encompasses what we know in the real world as Japan, Korea, China, India, and parts of Russia. In fact, the character names reflect a fusion of these cultures. Meyer explained that she partly chose this setting because she started her career writing Sailor Moon fanfiction (how cool is that?) In fact, a lot of her inspiration comes from this and from wondering "What is Disney not telling us?" in regards to fairytales.
When asked about books she read as a child, she mentioned getting a copy of Hans Christian Anderson fairytales and her excitement upon seeing the first story--"The Little Mermaid." She had just seen this at the movies, but quickly found out that the real tale ends quite differently. CINDER, of course is not a Disney version of the tale either. As a heroine, Cinder is part human, part machine and faces a lot of slack for it. Here's hoping she gets the Prince (but you just know she's not leaving a glass slipper behind...)
Marissa did a reading from page 42 (randomly picked by the audience), which is always great to hear from the voice of the author. The way she read it gave just a hint of the fun and uniqueness of the story.
I can't wait for Kristan to read this book so I can get my hands on it...of course, there's now a stack of autographed copies in stock at Joseph Beth. I might have to run back down there and get my own!
Speaking of books...congrats to our winners of our Holly Jolly Giveaway: Roro won SHATTER ME, Ashley won DASH & LILY'S BOOK OF DARES, and Jackie won THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE. Thanks for entering and you should be receiving them soon!!
glad you girls had a gr8 time
ReplyDeleteSuch a perfect recap of our wonderful night! (Well you left out the chatting afterward, but that's okay. That's our little secret. ;))
ReplyDeleteYou're so lucky you got to meet her! I can't wait to read Cinder. (:
ReplyDeleteOh, how fabulous! I truly loved this book and it's always a thrill to meet the author (authors = the serious readers' rock stars). Lucky y'all! Thanks for sharing your good times.
ReplyDeleteAhh I'm so jealous!!!
ReplyDeleteSounds like so much fun!! I wish more authors came to Canada.
ReplyDeleteOkay, now that I know (briefly) what Cinder is about, I'll have to try to get that one, too. The list keeps getting longer...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the write-up!
Looks like such a great night :) I wish I was able to see Marissa Meyer while she is on tour. She is actually coming near me, but I am leaving the week prior to go back to school.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a blast! I love it when authors visit town. I'm really excited about Cinder. I would have never though of a Sci-Fi Cinderella but it sounds amazing. I'm glad you guys had a great time :)
ReplyDelete@everyone...thanks so much for the comments! Kristan just finished CINDER and passed it on to me. I know Kristan thought it was really good, but I'm just a few chapters in and I can't help but grin like a fool! It's my kind of book.
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