Kathryn Stockett Speaking at The King's English SLC, UT

Thursday night, Lyn from Barding Well and I went to see and hear Kathryn Stockett talk about her book The Help.

The event was held at The King’s English in Salt Lake City, UT.

I’d been planning on attending this for weeks. I had the emails. I’d been checking The King’s English site. I shared the invite with all of my Facebook friends. I had even talked Lyn into coming with me.

As I was double checking the time, I saw something new: tickets were required.  I don’t know if I had just missed the ticket requirement, or if it was imposed at the last minute.

Anyway, when I called the bookstore, I was told I could show up after Kathryn had spoken and try to get my book signed after everyone else, but I wouldn’t be able to hear her speak because I didn’t have a ticket. I was so disappointed!  On top of that, I felt bad because I had already talked Lyn into attending the event with me a few weeks earlier.

After discussing the situation, Lyn and I decided to continue on with our plans, and if anything, we might get our books signed by a fantastic author, and if that fell through, then at least we could scrap it, get some dinner and discuss the book ourselves. What else is a pair of bookaholic blogger-friends supposed to do? Then, the day of the signing, I started tweeting with Suey at It’s All About Books, and I shared my frustration with her. Turns out, she was going to have the same problem.

Suey was attending the event with Melissa from One Librarian’s Book Reviews, and they didn’t know that they would need tickets either. Anyhow, they came to the same conclusion as Lyn and I had—at least it would be an adventure, right?

Top: Sharla, Suey, Lyn; Bottom: Melissa, Kathryn Stockett

So, we crashed the reading and book signing not knowing what was going to happen. We were able to get blue tickets, which meant standing room only, and you had to be at the back of the line.

Lyn and I found a spot to sit on the stairs, so we didn’t have to stand the entire time, but some people couldn’t stand that long, and were leaving.  It was difficult at times to see from the angle we were sitting at, but what do you do? We felt lucky to even be there.

Anyhow, for the most part it was fantastic. When Kathryn spoke, she seemed sweet, funny, and just over-all wonderful.

I also got to meet Suey, whom I’ve only previously known through her blog and Twitter.  And I met Melissa as well.

Left to Right: Sharla, Lyn, Suey, Melissa

The four of us ended up at the back of the line at the signing, but that may have helped us get a good picture together. I’ve never seen a signing line go so fast!

Anyway, after that, we had an impromptu book-blogger party where Lyn, Suey, Melissa, and I all went to the Olive Garden for dinner. It was so fun. Lots of food, fun, and bookish conversation.

It truly turned out to be an adventure.

I’m so glad we decided to crash the party and show up anyway!

P.S. If you’re still reading, then you’ll probably be interested in this reading of The Help at Warwicks that I found online.

Enjoy!

The Amanda Project: Book 1: invisible I
By Stella Lennon, Melissa Kantor
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Invisible I is the first of eight books in a YA series called The Amanda Project. There are four main characters: Callie, Nia, Hal, and Amanda. The book begins when the school principal’s car has been vandalized, and all four teens are implicated. However, there is one problem: Amanda is missing, and no one knows where she’s gone. Callie, Nia, and Hal have never hung out together before, and their only connection is that they are all friends with Amanda.

As they band together to figure out what is going on, they follow clues Amanda has left for them. They must work together toward this common goal, and they soon discover that they are not so different after all.

This book is told from Callie’s perspective, and it doesn’t take long to figure out that her mother has abandoned Callie and her father. While Callie and her new friends are hot on Amanda’s trail, Callie finds clues that lead her to believe there might be more to her mother’s disappearance than anyone knows. While the book doesn’t make the connection, you have to wonder whether or not Amanda’s disappearance is somehow related to the disappearance of Callie’s mother.

Invisible I is full of mystery and possibility.  The plot and subplots have been nicely interwoven. I wish there had been more of a conclusion to at least one of the big mysteries in this book. After finding all of the clues along with the characters, I was hoping for some sort of resolution, and I was a little let down when it didn’t come.  However, the lack of resolution is also what makes this series so interesting. When you’ve finished reading the book, check out the website:

theamandaproject.com

On the website, you can offer up your own ideas of who Amanda really is and what could have happened to her. If your ideas help to tell Amanda’s story, they will be included in future books.

I liked this book. It keeps a steady pace, and there is always something else spurring the plot forward. I really enjoyed seeing Callie’s character unfold and develop as she deals with her clique and then decides what type of friends she wants to hang out with. I also really like the idea of incorporating the reader’s ideas into future books.  It’s very creative, and I’m excited to see the direction the authors and publishers are taking with this.

Check it out. Let me know what you think.