Erin Morgenstern brings the circus to town...

On Friday night, September 20th, I had the pleasure of attending one of the most festive author events I've ever seen. It was hosted by the wonderful Booksmith on Haight Street in San Francisco in celebration of Erin Morgenstern's debut novel, The Night Circus. Careful readers of this blog may have seen me mention this book once or twice before. ;-)

Actually, the folks at the Booksmith could see exactly what I see--that The Night Circus is a very special book, Erin Morgenstern a special author, and they deserved a special event. The staff were thinking outside the box. The invited in a tarot card reader and performers from San Francisco's nearby Circus Center, a "circus-oriented performing arts education facility." Every town has one of those, right?  So, even as you approached the bookstore, you could see that something special was going on.  Click the short video above and you'll see what I mean. 

Here's a little more of the festivities before the reading started:








Unfortunately, I never did shoot footage of the tarot card reader (who seemed to stay busy all evening), or the fun decorations and yummy food and libations that were behind the curtains you'll see in the footage below. Some things will have to remain a mystery.

Happily, I did get the entire book event on film. Readers of this blog have watched a lot of sub-par video in the past. For once, I did a fairly good job with the filming.  First, a Booksmith staff member introduced both Erin, and children's book author Lisa Brown. While she's speaking, you'll see a man come out from the curtains behind her. That's Daniel Handler, AKA Lemony Snicket, AKA the husband of Lisa Brown. He was sitting next to me. All of the store's staff were dressed in black--with a red scarf, of course. (Read the book.)





Lisa did her own entertaining introduction of Erin, which included a top ten list of what a book must contain in order for her to want to read it. The man's voice you can hear saying, "Hear, hear!" and other comments is Daniel.





Finally Erin takes the stage, and as she notes, this is only her second reading ever. She does an amazingly good job! After some brief introductory remarks, she reads from the novel. In the second segment she reads the brief prologue. In the third, she reads the first chapter. And in the fourth, she reads a later chapter featuring the secondary character Bailey.














In these last segments you'll see the Q&A session. There's a lot of interesting information about Erin's writing process, the circuitous path the book took while being written, a potential film, Erin's all-time favorite book, and more.











(Oh, and if you wondered why I panned over to the waving, giggling ladies during the final applause, it's because my book group was well represented in the audience that night. Including me, there were six of us in attendance, and so that's who those lovely ladies are.)

We're so lucky to get amazing speakers coming through San Francisco pretty much every day of the week. I'm delighted to be able to share this footage with folks that don't have the advantage of living in a major city. I hope you enjoyed the evening as much as I did!

Oh, one more thing, if you haven't purchased The Night Circus yet, I heartily encourage you to do so. I'm a Reveur; it's my favorite book of the year!  (In addition to my pre-pub galley, I've purchase both an American first edition and the stunning British first edition. And it's only a matter of time before I pick up the audiobook narrated by Jim Dale.)  If you'd like your very own signed copy, I know that the Booksmith will be more than happy to hook you up.

HUMPDAY GIVEAWAY: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

So, did you happen to see the love letter of a review I posted for this novel yesterday?  I've read about 80 books so far this year, and this is far and away my favorite so far!  And I'm thrilled to have a trade paperback galley of the novel to give away.  Plus, I'm looking forward to seeing Ms. Morgenstern on Friday, so hopefully it will be a signed galley!

Oh, and if you don't believe my raves, check out this starred review from Publisher's Weekly:

Debut author Morgenstern doesn't miss a beat in this smashing tale of greed, fate, and love set in a turn of the 20th-century circus. Celia is a five-year-old with untrained psychokinetic powers when she is unceremoniously dumped on her unsuspecting father, Hector Bowen, better known as Le Cirque des Rêves' Prospero the Entertainer. Hector immediately hatches a sinister scheme for Celia: pit her against a rival's young magician in an epic battle of magic that will [Spoiler redacted for your own good.--ST] What neither Hector nor his rival count on is that Celia and Marco will eventually fall in love. Their mentors--Marco's mentor, Alexander, plucked him from the London streets due to his psychic abilities--attempt to intervene with little success as Celia and Marco barrel toward an unexpected and oddly fitting conclusion. Supporting characters--such as Bailey, a farm boy who befriends a set of twins born into the circus who will drastically influence his future; Isobel, a circus employee and onetime girlfriend of Marco's; and theatrical producer Chandresh Christophe Lefèvre--are perfectly realized and live easily in a giant, magical story destined for bestsellerdom. This is an electric debut on par with Special Topics in Calamity Physics. (Sept.)

I've become a rêveur.  And I already want to read the book again.  So, the usual rules apply, and I wish you all good luck!

• The giveaway is open to anyone with a U.S. mailing address ('cause I'm footing the postage).
• To enter, all you need to do is post a comment below by Wednesday, September 21, 2011.
• At my discretion, if there are less than five respondents, I can cancel or extend the giveaway.
• Winner will be chosen by me with the help of a random number generator, and will be announced in the comments section of this thread.
• Please check back to see if you've won. If you have left a way to contact you, I will do so.
• The winner has one week to respond to me at suetu@yahoo.com with a mailing address, or I will choose a new winner.
• If a second winner fails to respond, the book automatically goes to the lovely members of my face-to-face book club.
• Previous giveaway winners are welcome to enter.
• Finally, if at all possible, please comment below only if you're entering the giveaway.

“It sounds rather like magic, doesn’t it?”

The Night Circus
by Erin Morgenstern

If there is magic, in the world as I know it, it is found in the pages of books. And Erin Morgenstern’s debut novel, The Night Circus, is the most magical, transporting experience I’ve had in quite some time. It opens in 1873, backstage in a New York theater with these words, “The man billed as Prospero the Enchanter receives a fair amount of correspondence via the theater office, but this is the first envelope addressed to him that contains a suicide note, and it is also the first to arrive carefully pinned to the coat of a five-year-old girl.” And so it is that Hector Bowen learns of the existence of his daughter, Celia. Hector’s response to his change in circumstances is unenthusiastic, but he soon discovers that Celia is a chip off the old block. You see, Hector only pretends to be an illusionist on stage. The magic he practices is entirely real—and Celia has inherited talent.

Hector is not content to merely mentor his daughter. He contacts his associate, Mr. A. H— about a wager. A deal is struck, after which that gentleman returns to London and adopts a protégé of his own, the orphaned Marco. These two young people are raised unconventionally, studying magic under their tutors’ philosophies, all the while knowing there will be a competition between the two of them some day. Enter impresario Chandresh Lefèvre, who has imagined something wondrous. He explains:

“More than a circus, really, like no circus anyone has ever seen. Not a single large tent but a multitude of tents, each with a particular exhibition. No elephants or clowns. No, something more refined than that. Nothing commonplace. This will be different, this will be an utterly unique experience, a feast for the senses. Theatrics sans theater, an immersive entertainment. We will destroy the presumptions and preconceived notions of what a circus is and make it something else entirely, something new.”

And so the venue for the magical competition between Celia and Marco is born. And there you have the bare bones of Ms. Morgenstern’s story. There’s no need to tell more. The magic of this tale is in the language and the characters and in Ms. Morgenstern’s infinitely rich, romantic imagination.

The circus, it is said, “arrives without warning.” Not so this novel. There have been all kinds of pre-pub buzz and hype for this title. There’s a reason; this book is so special that almost all who read it take note. Ms. Morgenstern’s tale transcended the page and brought true enchantment to my oh-so-ordinary life. As it happens, one of the characters could be speaking for the author herself:

“I find I think of myself not as a writer so much as someone who provides a gateway, a tangential route for readers to reach the circus. To visit the circus again, if only in their minds, when they are unable to attend it physically. I relay it through printed words on crumpled newsprint, words they can read again and again, returning to the circus whenever they wish, regardless of time of day or physical location. Transporting them at will.

When put that way, it sounds rather like magic, doesn’t it?”

Oh yes, it does! And I expect to be returning to this circus for many years to come.

Mailbox Monday: All James Rollins all the time edition

A quick note at the top of this Monday's post to again welcome all the new visitors to the blog.  I have been so excited about this blog hop all weekend!  Seriously, thanks, Judith, for the invite to participate.  This is awesome!

So, I fear this Monday's edition is a bit of a misnomer, as there were no James Rollins books in my mailbox...  Wait!  I did acquire a James Rollins novel this week.  I'm covered.  No, the reason why it's "all James Rollins all the time" is that his novel The Devil Colony was published last week.  In addition to reviewing the novel, I took and posted silly photographs, participated in the Dance with the Devil online release party, and then spent the entire past weekend with him on book tour.  I'll post video from the tour and write about our adventures this week.

Mr. Rollins isn't so solicitous to all bloggers.  Jimbo and I have been good friends for more than a decade now.  Everyone who knows us knows the story of how we met, but I'll have to blog about that some time.  Anyway, this week's theme of monster mailboxes is in your honor, Jimbo.  I'm sure that you will appreciate them, LOL.

Other than that, I'm not aware of any other major literary events on my horizon for the coming week.  No, I'll be working frantically at the job that pays my rent before I head out to New York, again.  This time for Thrillerfest.  I'm looking forward to seeing all my friends (which is what T-fest is about for me) but I have to admit that I'm so tired I could curl up in a ball and cry.

One thing that would make my life less stressful is if my sister would recover from her c-section and not be threatened with more surgery.  Because that would be very, very bad for all concerned.  Especially the young children that would need my care.  Please send any spare healing energy her way.  And with that, let's get to the mailbox!

Map of Bones
by James Rollins
Release date: April 26, 2005
Source: Free download at Audible.com

Just between you and me, this is my least favorite of the Sigma novels.  (I'm just not a big fan of religious thrillers.)  It's also the first official book in the series.  Listening to Jim and his readers speak of it this weekend, though, it made me want to reread it.  It would be nice to revisit how it all started.  Maybe reread both Sandstorm and Map of Bones.  I said it was my least favorite (I mean, one of them has to be), but I still loved it. 

Go the F**k to Sleep
by Adam Mansbach
Release date: June 14, 2011
Source: Free download at Audible.com

This book is six minutes long, and I haven't found time to listen to it yet.  But I should totally send a copy to my sister.  Or my mother.

Buried Secrets
by Joseph Finder
Release date: June 21, 2011
Source: Audible.com credit

This is Joe's follow up to Vanished, the first Nick Heller novel.  I enjoyed that one, and have been looking forward to this one.  I made the best discovery ever last night, BTW.  Listening to Audible books on my new hand-me-down iPhone, I can listen to them at one and a half times speed!  I am sooo happy!  (I'm all about the speed, and many audiobooks move at a glacial pace for me.)

A Bad Day for Scandal
by Sophie Littlefield
Release date: June 21, 2011
Source: Audible.com credit

Yay!  This is Sophie's third Stella Hardesty mystery.  The only thing I enjoy more than the books themselves are the awesome covers!  How much was I looking forward to reading this book?  I've already finished it.  I LOVED hearing the voices of these indelible characters.  Reader Barbara Rosenblatt did a great job, and I seriously think this series gets better with each book.

Rebirth
by Sophie Littlefield
Release date: July 19, 2011
Source: Galley from the publisher

Speaking of Sophie Littlefield, I believe it's been mentioned on this blog that she has a split personality?  Yes, just a month after her nice mystery comes out, the second book in her zombie apocalypse series (following Aftertime) comes out.  She also writes YA fantasy in her "spare" time.  She's the hardest working woman in show biz!  I wish you could see this crazy manuscript her editor at Luna sent.  I can't wait to read this thing.

The Night Circus
by Erin Morgenstern
Release date: September 13, 2011
Source: Galley from the publisher

Do you recall me kvetching about the impossibility of acquiring this hugely buzzed book at BEA last week?  Well, guess what showed up in the mailbox this week?  I smell a giveaway!  Meanwhile, I can't wait to read this, but probably won't find the time for a while.

Thirteen Fugues
by Jennifer Natalya Fink
Release date: May 3, 2011
Source: Galley from the publisher

This is a very short novel from a very small publisher.  I shall try to read and review it, as their marketing budget has to be non-existent, and I'd hate to have them waste a galley on me.  Have no idea what the book's about.

The Gashlycrumb Tinies
by Edward Gorey
Release date: October 1997?
Source: Gift from David--Thank you!

So, websites say that this book was published in 1997, but there must have been earlier editions.  I had a good friend named Jim Blakely back in high school in the 80's, and I vividly recall the two of us laughing over "J is for James who took lye by mistake" and "S is for Susan who perished of fits."  I picked up a copy in a bookstore this weekend to check how "K is for Kate" died (Because it will be the headline of my review for Killing Kate.  How can I resist?) and my friend David insisted in purchasing it for me.  I was touched.  It is truly a life-long favorite, and it shall have pride of place next to The Curious Sofa on my coffee table.  Edward Gorey is the best!

Dominence
by Will Lavender
Release date: July 5, 2011
Source: Galley from the publisher

At dinner on Friday night, I was telling Jimbo about this (hopefully) awesome thriller I was looking forward to reading by this writer, Will Lavender, that somehow neither of us had heard of.  The next morning, I go to the post office to pick up a package, and lo and behold, it's an extra galley of the very book I was telling him about.  So, of course, I gifted it to him.  Mr. Lavender, I've got James Rollins reading your novel.  You owe me one, LOL.

The Maid: A Novel of Joan of Arc
by Kimberly Cutter
Release date: October 18, 2011
Source: Electronic galley from publisher

I'm not sure if I want to read this or not.  Part of me is very interested in knowing more about a fascinating historic character.  Part of me wants no part of reading about a hallucinating religious lunatic.  I will start reading the book and see what I think.

We The Animals
by Justin Torres
Release date: September 1, 2011
Source: Electronic galley from publisher

This debut family drama and coming-of-age story was another of the big buzz books at BEA.  I'm looking forward to checking it out!

The Black Stiletto
by Raymond Benson
Release date: September 5, 2011
Source: Electronic galley from publisher

Raymond Benson, who is perhaps best known for writing James Bond novels, has been a friend since the very first Thrillerfest, five or six years ago.  I am looking forward to seeing him again next week, and I am looking forward to finally reading one of his books.  Best. Opening. Ever.  "My mother was the masked vigilante known as the Black Stiletto.  I just found out today, and I've been her son for forty-eight years.  All my life I knew she had some secrets, but needless to say, this is a bit of a shock."

Books finished in the past week:

The Uncertain Places by Lisa Goldstein
Blood of the Reich by William Dietrich
Before I Go to Sleep by S.J Watson
A Bad Day for Scandal by Sophie Littlefield

Currently reading:

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
A Map of Time by Felix J.Palma

So, what books have you acquired this week?  What are you reading?  What monsters are living in your mailbox?  Let me know in the comments!

Mailbox Monday: Wish I felt better edition

As far as I'm concerned, there are few things worse that feeling ill on a Monday.  I was sick all weekend.  :-(  So, this Monday I'm indulging myself with an entire series of puppy in the mailbox photos.  They almost make me feel better.  Hopefully you'll enjoy them, too.

• Speaking of not feeling well, I was a bit premature when I pronounced my sister and new nephew well last week.  My family had failed to keep me in the loop.  Grrr.  The baby is reasonably well, but my sister could use some healing energy sent her way, if you've got any to spare.
• Ann Patchett's event at Bookshop West Portal was awesome!  I've got some fun video to post later this week.  And, I got to run into my friends Sue and Rachel at the signing, which proves that Ms. Patchett attracts all the best people.
• On Thursday night, I wound up having dinner with Jacob and Rina Weisman of Tachyon Books, and novelist Michael Kurland and his wife Linda.  Lovely couples both.
• On tap this week, my face-to-face book group meets tomorrow night.  I run it, so unless I'm at death's door, I'll be there.
• And guess who I'll be spending this coming weekend with?  James "Jimbo" Rollins, whose book The Devil Colony goes on sale tomorrow.  At long overdue last, I'll be posting a review today.  And Jimbo doesn't know it yet, but I'll have my borrowed video camera on-hand as we hang out all weekend.
• Speaking of James Rollins, he's having an online world-wide book release party for The Devil Colony.  Details can be found here.  They're calling it Dance with the Devil, and if I can get the energy together, I'll be there wearing the light up devil horns given to me by author Joe Hill (on the occasion of the release of his novel Horns).  Pics if it happens.
• Also, I'm slightly embarrassed to admit this, but I've recently joined the Twitterverse.  You know how I'm always a month behind blogging about interesting things I'm doing?  Like BEA, the Book Blogger Con, and the rest of the shows I saw in NY?  If you want to hear about stuff in real time, please follow me @SusanTunis.  I'm generally about a decade behind the rest of the planet when it comes to technology, so I'm still learning about the medium, but this would be an excellent time to follow me.  I'm off to NY again in a couple of weeks for more theater and Thrillerfest--and there is always something exciting and/or scandalous to comment on there!  (I'm not joking.)

As for what's in the mailbox, here's a loose collection of books that have come in from sources other than BEA in the recent past.  I'm sure it's incomplete.  Nonetheless...

The Devil Colony

By James Rollins

Release: June 21, 2011

Source: finished hardback from publisher

Thank you, Shawn!  I was thrilled to see this in the mailbox!  It's my very favorite book by one of my favorite authors.

Folly Beach

Dorthea Benton Frank

Release: June 14, 2011

Source: Finished hardback from publisher

I think this one will be a giveaway some week.  I may have a copy of the previous book to package with it.

Sister

by Rosamund Lupton

Release: June 7, 2011

Source: The Amazon Vine program

I'm hearing good things on this novel, and I'm looking forward to reading it!

Blood of the Reich

by William Dietrich

Release: June 28, 2011

Source: The Amazon Vine program

I've been a Dietrich fan for years, and this book feels like he's getting back to his early roots.  Ice Reich was the book that made me a fan.  I'm about halfway through this book, but I'm not sure what I think yet.  It's an enjoyable read, but how he pulls it all together will be important.

The Night Circus

by Erin Morgenstern

Release: September 13, 2011

Source: The Amazon Vine program

This debut novel has more buzz than just about any BEA title this year.  And somehow I could NOT acquire a copy at BEA.  It was a little bizzarre.  Thank goodness for my friends at Amazon.  I can't wait to read this!

Lunch Wars: How to Start a School Food Revolution and Win the Battle for Our Childrens Health

by Amy Kalafa
Release: August 18, 2011
Source: Galley from the publisher
Another future giveaway, I'm thinking close to the start of the school year.

The Devil All the Time
by Donald Ray Pollack
Release: July 12, 2011
Source: Galley from the publisher

Yay, I'm finally able to go back to my normal formatting.  I have no idea what I was doing wrong above.  Anyway, I have heard very good things about this thriller, but I suspect that it too will be given away.  So many books, so little time!

Don't Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales from an Allergic Life
by Sandra Beasley
Release: July 12, 2011

Source: Galley from the publisher
Got Allergies?  This is another future giveaway title.  I have a feeling this memoir will resonate with many readers.

Luminarium
by Alex Shakar
Release: August 23, 2011
Source: Galley from publisher's rep

Random House has a wonderful rep who hooks me up with interesting titles.  I am completely unfamiliar with this author, and I hadn't heard about this title, but it sounds fascinating.  I'm really looking forward to reading it.

Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline
Release: August 16, 2011
Source: Galley from publisher's rep

This is the other title my rep friend brought to my attention.  I had heard of it, but I wasn't sure it was for me.  For starters, I'm not an online gamer.  However, he highlighted other aspects of the title that made it sound really interesting and unintimidating.  When it arrived at my house, I got sucked into the first chapter and had to force myself to stop reading.  It was off to an awesome start, but I have too many books I've promised to read first, and this one isn't out until August.

I know there are more books than that, but those are the ones I can remember.

Books I've read since I last reported in:

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages by Kristin Chenoweth
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
Arcadia: Complete Summary & Analysis by Raja Sharma
Skinny by Diana Spechler
The Woodcutter by Reginald Hill
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

(I'm just a little behind on my reviewing.)

Book's I'm currently reading:

The Uncertain Places by Lisa Goldstein
Blood of the Reich by William Dietrich

So, I think we've proven today that puppies in mailboxes never get old.  I could post these pics all day.  Have a great week!