Once Upon a Book Signing

This is a new meme from Once Upon a Twilight and I thought it would be fun. I've been to a lot of book signings and most of them happened before I even had a blog. This is my opportunity to share one really memorable one. I'm picking Neil Gaiman's book signing on his tour for The Graveyard Book.

The event was at an auditorium in a middle school in Santa Monica and set up by Barnes and Noble. My boyfriend and I showed up really early and were only the second people in line to go in. We waited for about an hour and were finally greeted by the strains of Camille Saint-Saens' Danse Macabre and a mock-Vincent Price announcer to introduce Mr. Gaiman. He was incredibly witty and made me laugh a lot. Everyone filled out one question to ask and he chose a few to answer in front of the audience. My particular day isn't posted on the website, but an audience member caught one question on tape where he is compared to a swallow.

Afterwards, Neil Gaiman told us about the poem he made for Tori Amos when she was pregnant called the Blueberry Girl. He recited it to us and I taped it with my camera. Sorry in advance for the shakiness.

After that, he read an excerpt from the Graveyard Book. At each stop on his book tour, he read one chapter, except for mine and the one afterwards because Chapter 7 is very long. All of his readings are available on his website, so you can listen to the book for free and with an awesome reader. Neil Gaiman is an incredible speaker and author. I didn't even realize how long he spoke, but according to the video it's over an hour. When we left, I had sworn I had seen a film because the descriptions were so vivid. I was lucky enough to be in the group that had a half chapter read that ends on a cliffhanger. If you don't listen to the whole thing, just fast forward to the end and you can hear the funny sound everyone made at the conclusion of the reading. It was a mixture of agony, amusement, and delight.

Then, we were shown a sneak peak and a trailer for his upcoming movie, Coraline. If you haven't seen this movie yet, you should. It's directed by Henry Selick, the man who directed my favorite movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas.

After everything was over, my boyfriend snuck me backstage. I knew we weren't supposed to be there, but there was a line of people waiting to talk to him. I tried to look nonchalant and like I belonged there. When it was finally our turn, I handed him my sister's copy of Good Omens (previously signed by Terry Pratchett) and asked if he would sign it because my librarian sister couldn't make it. He was very nice and let us stay there even though he could have easily told us to leave. He personalized my copy of the Graveyard Book and gave me a hug. It was probably the most awesome author even I've ever been to.

How about you guys? Have you been to a super awesome author event that you'd like to share? If you make your own post, please link it back here so I can see it. :)

What Are You Reading Mondays 3

Bleh! I'm still reading Alice I Have Been from last week. I'm really enjoying it, but I have so much school work that I haven't really been able to read it. I really want to know what happens! I will be posting a review of this book and Hatter M Volume 2 when school work decides to slow down a bit

This is what I read this past week:

* Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

and that's all :(

Books coming up!

* Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin

* Dark Visions #3: The Passion by L.J. Smith

and hopefully some more. I hope to get started on my RIP IV challenge some time soon.

Upcoming events

I'm so excited about some events coming up soon!

* The First Annual Long Beach Comic-Con is going to be at the Long Beach Convention Center on October 2-4. I'm going on Saturday October 3 with my boyfriend to see Kirby Krackle, Steve Niles, the Robot Chicken panel, and a screening of Trick r Treat (I've been waiting for this movie for over a year!!).

* The West Hollywood Book Fair is going to be on October 4. Many great authors are going to be there, such as E. Van Lowe, Amber Benson, Seth Grahame-Smith, Francesca Lia Block, and S.G. Browne.

* At the Borders in Torrance on October 7, Scott Westerfeld and Sarah Rees Brennan will be signing. I have wanted to meet Scott Westerfeld ever since I started reading the Uglies series, plus Leviathan looks awesome. My favorite of his books is Evolution's Darling, an adult sci-fi novel. My sister loves Sarah Rees Brennan, but unfortunately can't go with me because of work. Sarah's novel The Demon's Lexicon looks really great and I can't wait to read it!

BBAW Reading Meme

I saw this on Alea's blog and decided to steal it.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?

I like to read while I eat meals or eat snacks. I pretty much read at every opportunity. My favorite reading snack is yogurt.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?

I only mark in books for school. Writing in my other books is a horrific notion.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?

I use Magic Cards for bookmarks. They are the perfect size and shape.

Laying the book flat open?

Never!

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?

Mostly fiction, but the occasional nonfiction is ok.

Hard copy or audiobooks?

Hard copies and eBooks for my eReader

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?

I can put a book down at any point, but if I really need to know what happens, I'll keep reading and forget to eat and sleep.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?

Nope. Then I usually forget what the word was.

What are you currently reading?

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse and Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin

What is the last book you bought?

Crashed by Robin Wasserman

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?

I usually read a couple of books for pleasure at a time, plus school reading.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?

I like to read during the day in the comfy recliner chair in my living room. It's peaceful because no one else is home and my kitty sits with me. :)

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?

Both are good.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?

Watchmen by Alan Moore

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)

There's really no sort of organization. I just put them wherever they fit. I have 2 bookcases plus books on top of the bookcases, on top of my desk, and on my keyboard.

What Are You Reading Mondays 2

It's Monday! This is what I read in the past week:

* Equus by Peter Shaffer
* Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

* The Lost Steps by Alejo Carpentier

* Hatter M Vol. 2: Mad with Wonder by Frank Beddor

* Dark Visions 2: The Possessed by L.J. Smith

* Princess Alyss of Wonderland by Frank Beddor

* How to Take Over Teh Wurld: A LOLcat Guide 2 Winning

Books I plan to read in the next week:

* Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin

* Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

* Dark Visions 3: The Passion by L.J. Smith

and I have no idea what else. I have a to read list about a mile long and have recently bought a whole bunch of books I want to read right now. I guess we'll see!