Midnight Bloom Reads: November 2010

Book Trailer

Book Trailer! - Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg

9:33 PM

Recap

Suzanne Collins Signing in Toronto!

9:44 PM

Amy Plum

Waiting on Wednesday (21) - Die for Me by Amy Plum

12:00 PM

Alexandra Monir

Book Trailer! - Timeless by Alexandra Monir

4:00 PM

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox (14)

2:00 PM

Announcement

Some Good News... and Bad News...

12:03 AM

Simone Elkeles

Spotted! Cover of Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

9:00 AM

Lisa McMann

Waiting on Wednesday (20) - Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

8:31 PM

4.5 Stars

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

12:00 PM

Announcement

Suzanne Collins is Coming to TO - Details on Event and How to Get a Ticket!

4:00 PM

4 Stars

Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen

12:00 PM

Kim Harrison

Spotted! Cover of Something Deadly This Way Comes by Kim Harrison

10:37 PM

Rosemary Clement-Moore

Waiting on Wednesday (19) - Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

12:00 PM

Book Trailer

Book Trailer! - Vixen by Jillian Larkin

6:00 PM

Cassandra Clare

Cassandra Clare and Holly Black Signing!

11:00 PM

This past Friday night (Nov 5), I had the opportunity to attend the Cassandra Clare and Holly Black signing in Toronto, and it was such an awesome event with so many people coming out to meet the dynamic pair!

I arrived at Chapters Queensway at around 5:00 p.m and quickly grabbed a seat because even though I managed to make it there two hours early, there were already many people waiting as well! I ended up striking a conversation with two other girls, and we talked most of time about our love for Jace and The Mortal Instrument series, plus how much we loved reading YA in general. It was a total bookworm moment! As time passed, more and more people arrived, and soon a line was zigzagging though the aisles.

I met The Paperback Princesses and it marked the first time meeting some of my fellow bloggers! I also had a chance to talk with them about books and I have been convinced that I must try listening to an audiobook some day! It was really funny because they overheard me chattering away with the other girls and handed me their card, and I was like, "Wait a second... I think I follow you!" lol.

When Cassandra and Holly appeared shortly after 7:00 p.m., they were greeted with loud applause and even some screaming! They came out all smiles and you could tell just how happy they were to meet some of their Canadian fans!

They began by telling us about the hands-on research they've done for their novels, which included Holly being locked in the trunk of a fellow author's car (which is actually more comfortable than you would think!) and Cassie accidentally taking a picture of a naked man while she was England, doing some research for Clockwork Angel. Then, they proceeded to teach us all a con which somehow involved a stuffed toy octopus being a dog and how they could some cheat some poor store-owner out of some money. Aren't they such a good influence on the younger generation, lol? There were lots of laughs and I loved how they kept the audience so engaged.

Next, Holly read a bit from White Cat which was released earlier in May and is the first in the Curse Workers series (the second novel, Red Glove, will be released April 5, 2011). I haven't read it yet because I'm probably going to wait for the paperback, but it sounded good! Next, Cassie made sure everyone turned their cameras off because she had a special treat for us- she was going to read from City of Fallen Angels! This cued many excited squeals and the scene was over way too soon, but it was basically a short scene between Simon and Isabelle. I absolutely can't wait for CoFA, which will also be released on April 5, 2011.

After that, Holly and Cassie answered questions from the audience which had been written down and submitted before they appeared on stage! One of the weirdest questions was probably, "Is Magnus Bane fully gay?" with the answer, of course, being that he is bisexual. We also learned that Church is based on Holly's cat Fizgig because she wrote much of City of Bones in her home, and that she never knew just how popular he would be! Team Jace fans were also told that they had a bumpy road ahead of them. *cue nervous gulps* Cassie also said that for those who thought Jace and Will were too similar, they're supposed to complement each other that way since they are distantly related. She also said that if she were to write another Shadowhunter novel after The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices were over, she'd probably center it in Los Angeles.

Holly also answered questions, including the inspiration behind White Cat which she said is actually loosely based on the fairytale The White Cat. Since many of us had never heard of it before, she quickly launched into a retelling of it! Everyone was enthralled and smiling as she spoke of a prince who somehow falls in love with a cat while trying to complete a few seemingly impossible tasks for his father. It was pretty funny to hear and involved nuts, and when I later asked her where I could read it, she told me to simply Google it and I would easily find it (and she was right!).

After the questions were finished, it was time for the actual signing! Since I was in the seated section, I was part of the first group to go up and meet the authors! At this point, there were over 500 people in line waiting to meet them, so it was with great credit to the store employees and Simon and Schuster Canada reps that they made sure the line moved along so efficiently and quickly while everyone patiently waited for their turn. You can't tell in the pic, but the line stretched through the aisles as well as to the very back of the store.

It seemed in no time at all, I was at the front and having my fan-girl moment. I was so nervous and excited at the same time! A guy was taking people's cameras from them to pics, so I had to hand my camera off... but the guy who took these next two pics for me had some resemblance to Jace! (I kind of giggled about it with those two girls I earlier mentioned, tehehe.) So thank you blonde stranger!

Cassie is signing the stack of books I brought along with me. Can you see Cassie's Teen Read Award for Best Hottie on the table? She joked earlier how she liked to take it everywhere to protect herself from muggers since it's so heavy.

What a trooper both them were though! I had heard there might be restrictions but nope! Holly and Cassie were signing every book of theirs which a person brought along!

That just goes to show how awesome both of them are! I only had to wait in line for maybe an hour before I met them, but I heard on Twitter that both Holly and Cassie continued to sign novels and meet their readers until well past midnight, which is well past when the store even closes! They met everyone that turned out for the event and I'm sure they made all their readers very happy people!

It was such a fun evening and I hope to one day attend another signing featuring the pair of them! Thank you so much Holly and Cassie for coming to Toronto and meeting with all of us!

YA Love Triangle Week

YA Love Triangle Week - My Team Jace Post!

3:00 PM

YA Love Triangle Week, hosted by Amber at Down the Rabbit Hole, is now over but you have until November 14 to cast your vote for your favourite pair of arguers and the chance to win a prize!

This was my argument in favour of Team Jace!

I’m here to plead my case for you all to support Team Jace!! He is one of favourite guys in YA lit, and if you don’t already love him as much as I do, all I can say is, “Well, then… more for me!” *cue girly laughter* I’m not kidding about the ‘girly’ part either- Jace has the ability to turn me into a complete fan-girl. Before talking about him melts me into a complete puddle after talking about him so much, I’m going to share a bit about why I LOVE him and why YOU should too!

Name: Jace Lightwood (most preferable last name)

Age: 16/17

Species: Nephilim

Status: In a Relationship (with Clary Fray)

Occupation: Kick-A** Shadowhunter

Appearance: So Gorgeous It Should Be Illegal

Profile:

Everything about Jace sparks a reaction- whether I’m laughing at his wicked witty sarcasm, growing teary-eyed at the level of protectiveness he feels to those he loves, his loyalty, his fearlessness in the face of danger, his intelligence in knowing so many facts, and well… I could go on and on. Sure, he could also infuriate you at times like any other boy, but that never stops you from loving him and it is certainly an aspect of his charm.

The first time Jace made me swoon was almost in the very beginning of the first novel, City of Bones, when he rescued Clary from her apartment, literally sweeping her off her feet when she was losing consciousness and then later taking her to the safety of the Institute. Jace can be my knight in shining armour any day, just saying. By the time I first read about his tragic past and his father who taught him that “to love is to destroy,” I was already a goner. How could anyone resist a bad boy with a mysterious past?

Because of Jace’s past, he has a tendency to keep people at a distance… even his closest loved ones. However, he would never, ever abandon them in times of need and would do anything he could to help- to the point of self-sacrificing himself. He gives his whole heart to those he loves with a passion that just leaves you breathless and wishing the pages would come alive so he would feel that way about you too.

Indeed this was certainly the case as the series continued. Whenever there was a scene involving Jace (and thank goodness there’s a lot!), my eyes were constantly glued to the page. There are times when Jace feels so tormented about the way events have come about, certainly in the case of City of Ashes and in City of Glass, which make your heart totally go out to him and make you wish that you could do something to make the pain fade away.

How many characters make you respond this way? Sure, there are some pretty great guys in YA that I love, but Jace is a rarity who shall always have a special place. I know there’s still plenty more I can say and that this summary doesn’t probably come close to serving him justice, but he has this magnetic pull on readers that refuses to let you get away.

Famous Last Words (ie. Just a few of my fave lines by Jace because there are too many otherwise!):

“If you wanted me to rip my clothes off, you could have just asked.” (City of Bones)

“It means ‘Shadowhunters: Looking Better in Black than the Widows of our Enemies Since 1234.’” (City of Bones)

“Usually I’m remarkably good-natured. Try me on any day that doesn’t end in y.” (City of Ashes)

“Every time you almost die, I almost die myself.” (City of Ashes)

“I love you, and I will love you until I die, and if there is life after that, I’ll love you then.” (City of Glass)

The thought of supporting anyone else never crossed my mind while reading The Mortal Instruments novels because seriously, I had already given my heart to Jace. For me, it has always been and will always be TEAM JACE all the way, and I really do hope you guys feel that way too!

So please, please, PLEASE support Team Jace this week!

Have I done enough to convince you to side with Team Jace? If yes, please support Ava (who's supporting Team Simon) and myself, and vote for Team Jace vs. Team Simon as we're being judged as pairs. The voting form can be found on Amber's blog post here and there are many ways to gain extra entries. I'll still like you even if you don't end up voting for us, lol! ^.~

And don't forget to also check out the awesome Cassandra Clare interview on her blog too! I even learned a few new things about the characters in The Mortal Instruments that I didn't know before!