Julie Berry author event: The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place Book Launch

I had the privilege of attending the book premiere event for Julie Berry's The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwilow Place at Once Upon a Time bookstore in Montrose. It was a fantastic event that drew a bit of a crowd.

Julie started off the evening by talking about her path as an author and her other books (The Amaranth Enchantment and All the Truth That's In Me are two notable examples of her previous work).

This all led up to her journey in creating the Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place. She explained how she researched for the book, everything from looking up the saint of maidenhood (Saint Etheldreda, for those wondering) to choosing a unique adjective for each girl that would precede their first names to form a unique moniker used to refer to each of the girls - Smooth Kitty, Dear Roberta, Dour Elinor. Ms. Berry read an excerpt from her latest book, described by Holly Goldberg Sloan as “Stunning. Hilarious. And wholly original. If David Sedaris and Agatha Christie had a child, it would be Julie Berry".

The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place, a tale of seven young women, who upon facing the death of the severe headmistress of their boarding school, take it upon themselves to cover up the murder (in order to form a sort-of haven for themselves, rather than go back to their oppressive families). All the while they must discover the identity of the murderer and fend off the quickly-growing suspicion of their pushy neighbors. The book is a hilarious conbination of classic British comedy and the severe, dour Victorian setting. I particularly enjoyed the almost over-the top comedy and the juggling of various responsibilities (finding the murderer, fooling the townspeople, and ensuring that each girl doesn't wholly embarrass herself in front of the respective boy she fancies), but the characters, each of whom have a specific backstory, really made the book great. The comedy was terrific and overall the book is a fun, satisfying read.

The event was great fun for everyone who attended and it was lovely to have Julie Berry at the store.  ~ Carolyn 

Halloween Thrillers to Give You Chills

Happy Halloween! Here are some great mysteries to read in between handing out candy to trick-or-treaters.

Any Agatha Christie novel

I'm a huge Agatha Christie fan, and any of her novels would do well if you'd like a good mystery. For some particularly thrilling adventures, I'd recommend The Murder of Roger Ackroyd or And Then Were None.

Sherlock Holmes

I would highly recommend reading one of the longer Sherlock Holmes stories (A Study in Scarlet or The Sign of Four) or a couple of the shorter stories (The Five Orange Pips, The Adventure of the Speckled Band, and A Scandal in Bohemia are all favorites of mine, and are all in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes). 

 The Maisie Dobbs mysteries

If you'd prefer mysteries with a side dish of philosophic musings on the grave societal impact of the Great War, then Maisie Dobbs is the sleuth for you. There's plenty of danger afoot, though, so don't worry about missing out on action.

The Stoker and Holmes novels

The Stoker and Holmes novels are both great mysteries with paranormal flavors. However, the second book, The Spiritglass Charade, is especially appropriate for Halloween, as it explores séances and vampires. 

Northanger Abbey

This tale of a young women so obsessed with gothic novels that she becomes convinced of a murderous plot is sure to please those who take a more skeptic view towards outlandish mysteries.

Ten

Ten is thrilling in a breathless-terror-at-every-creaking-floorboard kind of way. A modern retelling of the Agatha Christie classic And Then There Were None, this is the book to read if you want to stay up all night with every light on. 

What are your favorite mystery novels? Are any of you factoring books into your Halloween celebrations?

Birthday Books!

My birthday was last week, and since my friends and family know me quite well, I received lots of books. Here are some of my favorites of those, in no particular order, as well some I'm planning to order (yay for gift cards to local independent bookstores!):

Ruin and Rising

The conclusion of the Grisha Series, Ruin and Rising was a superb read. It was hard to say goodbye to such a wonderful series, but the fact that it was so well-executed certainly eased the pain. No spoilers, but Leigh Bardugo may have just written the most satisfying (if not the most perfect) ending I've ever read.

Night Circus

After hearing raving reviews of Night Circus, I was thrilled to receive a copy for my birthday and thoroughly entranced when I read it. Every single component, from the fantastical nature of the circus itself to the secrets of those involved in it, created a completely magical and enchanting story.

The Hobbit: Illustrated Edition

I already have a very, very beat-up copy of The Hobbit, but it was lovely to receive a beautifully illustrated copy. I've read the Hobbit so many times, and I so look forward to experiencing such a beloved story in a new way (although I think I'll wait until after the last Hobbit movie has been released to reread the Hobbit...).

Fairest - audiobook

Fairest is one of my favorite fantasy books. Since most of the plot revolves around singing (the fictitious country the book is set in, Kyrria, is obsessed with singing), I've always felt that simply reading the text doesn't quite fully encapsulate the story. To my utter delight, a close friend of mine informed me that the audiobook for Fairest has every song actually set to music and sung aloud. Yep, everything that's supposed to be sung is actually sung. I'm eagerly anticipating being able to listen to the audiobook.

So We Read On

The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books of all time (and F Scott Fitzgerald is one of my favorite authors). I'm excited to read So We Read On, which explores the different components of the Great Gatsby and the varying influences on the classic novel. My grandpa actually recommended it to me, which makes me very excited – my grandfather has excellent taste in books.  

Overall, I had a wonderful birthday. Thanks to all the books I've received, it feels like my birthday hasn't ended at all. 

Literary Halloween Costumes & Cosplay Ideas

`111111Yes, it's already October, and you know what that means! Time to be bombarded with pumpkins and everything Halloween. It's never too early to get started on Halloween costume ideas, though. Many of my favorite costumes that I've ever seen, whether for Halloween or other events, were book related. Here's a list of potential literary costume ideas, ranging from easy to quite complicated: 

Dressing up as a character:

Cath from Fangirl

Skinny jeans, cute flats, a cozy cardigan, a geeky t-shirt, and voila, you're the most loved Simon Snow fanfiction author on the internet. If you want to put out a bit more effort, screen printing your own Simon Snow related shirt would be perfect. I would also recommend a (slightly sloppy) ponytail and glasses, if you're looking to match the depiction of Cath on the cover. A protein bar would also be a nice touch.

Maisie Dobbs from the Maisie Dobbs series

`Late 1920s and early 1930s style skirt suits would probably work well, or an early 20th century blouse and a simple skirt. A cloche hat and a notebook are also definitely a must. Other accessories, like an umbrella or a document case, would be nice too.

Any character from The Grisha Trilogy

The wonderful Alethea Allarey made a quite impressive kefta (shown below). A soldier's uniform would be far simpler as Grisha Trilogy costumes go, but either way I would recommend hand-making a costume. If that's not an option, it could be cobbled together with just the right pieces of clothing. Sadly, no adorably fluffy cat included.

I'd also be thrilled if someone crafts Morozova's collar or any of the amplifiers. Basically, if anyone makes a costume for a character from the Grisha trilogy, I will be one happy book blogger.

She also made a stunning Anna Dressed in Blood costume, perfect for creepy yet literary outfit:

You can read more about it here.

Any character from The Lunar Chronicles

Scarlet would probably be the easiest - a red hoodie and jeans - but there is the question of her Merida-esque hair. Cress would also be fairly simple, assuming it's after her hair has been cut. Cinder's cyborg hand and foot would be quite complicated, but if executed correctly, would be amazing. 

Mina Holmes or Evaline Stoker from the Holmes and Stoker novels

A full-on cosplay for either of these heroines would take lots of effort - a complete Steampunk/Victorian dress, shoes, jewelry, and even small wooden stakes for Evaline - but it would be incredible if someone did. Either a handmade costume or something ordered from the likes of Etsy or Clockwork Couture would be the best bet.

Of course, other book characters would also be fabulous.

Dressing up as a famous author:

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Jane Austen, Harriet Beecher Stow, or any other famous author would make for a great costume. I actually had a Jane Austen costume in 6th grade:

...or you could just go as a book, like my sister did. 

Have you ever made a book-related costume? Are you planning on making one this year? I'd love to know in the comments or on twitter @yalitfrenzy .

Why I read Banned Books - and Why You Should, too.

This week is Banned Books Awareness week. For me, when I grew up, my parents tried to be supportive of me as a voracious reader, and one way that they did so was to not limit my access to a wide variety of books. They would try to check everything I read (although that quickly became a Sisyphean task), but they never outright said that I couldn't read a book.  My parents would either ask that I have a discussion with them about the book after I read it (usually on a specific part of the content that they didn't agree with), or (less frequently) would tell me to wait a couple of years to read it. As I was a fairly easily frightened child back then, I do think that forcing me to wait was a good course of action. However, my parents always let there be a future opportunity for me to read a book - they believed that I deserved to have access to all different types of books, including those that presented radically different views and philosophies than what they'd taught me.

I understand that not all parents hold this view. I understand that there's content in books, particularly YA books, that many parents believe is inappropriate for kids and teens. However, those aren't good enough reasons to remove a book from libraries and classrooms. While some books have more value than others, a couple of upset parents shouldn't be allowed to arbitrate what content the students of an entire school have access to. Some of the books most frequently challenged are some of my favorites, and are often taught in schools because they have a brilliant thematic value. If those parents don't want their child to read a specific book, many schools allow alternate books to be assigned. Though access to a book is theoretically only a couple of clicks on a smartphone away, many children (myself included) discovered their favorite books in schools and libraries.  Additionally, if they think that reading one questionable book will completely subvert their efforts to raise an upright child, then there are bigger issues at hand. 

So read banned books. Go to local school board meetings and advocate against banning books in our schools. Parents, have discussions with your children instead of censoring their content. Go to a bookstore, pick up a challenged book, and enjoy the fact that in the pluralistic society we live in, access to books isn't - and shouldn't be - controlled by an indignant minority.

For more information on Banned Books Week, visit the website of the Office of Intellectual Freedom of the American Librarian Association and the website of the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC). For resources on how to combat censorship, see Judy Blume's Resource Guide/Toolkit on Book Censorship in Schools.

What are some of your favorite banned books? Have you had experience in combating censorship in local schools?

YA Fridays are brought to you by Carolyn. Carolyn is an AP student, voracious reader, competitive archer, nerd, and foodie. In the event that she is unable to become a companion of the Doctor or Sherlock’s blogger, she hopes to pursue a career as an editor in the future. You can find her on twitter at @YAlitfrenzy.