The Dystopian Tour 2011

For the past few months I had been counting the days to this event. On Tuesday night, I had a chance to meet two NY Times Best Selling authors. This was my BEA replacement...one day I will make it there! Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall was a top pick in 2010 and I was enamoured by the first book of her love dystopian trilogy, Delirium, released earlier this year. I had just finished Veronica Roth's adrenaline pumping Divergent. I enjoyed seeing Roth's main character, Tris, step outside her comfort zone and really giving it all she had!

The event began with a Q&A from Ajay Fry, the host of InnerSPACE and which was also being filmed, to air on last night's episode at 11 PM. Here's a little bit of what went down:

Lauren talked about being influenced by Gabriel Garcia Marquez's idea that all great books are about love or death. She mixed that thought with the swine flu epidemic we were dealing with at the time, because when you really look at love you will see that it has a lot of symptoms in common with diseases. (I loved seeing these included in the book because it really is freaky to look at it this way. ) For Veronica, it all started with a vision of someone launching themselves off a roof and her wondering what would make a person do that. She was studying psychology at the time, in particular, the concept of using stimuli to remove fear and from there she thought that courage would bind the people together, then the rest of the story emerged.

"You can't drive a story forward without characters", according to Lauren Oliver. Characters are the key to making the story work. From a readers perspective, I found it interesting when Lauren admitted to writing not only for readers, but in helping her in a journey to get someplace. I had never really thought of it that way before. Veronica actually began writing Divergent from a male perspective, but it just didn't fit, so when she found Tris' voice, she knew she had it right.

And what do Lauren & Veronica think of ebooks? Both don't see it as a threat. As long as stories are being told, the medium doesn't matter. Veronica is like me and still wants to hold the books, so as long as we are still around, hard copies will be too. I wonder if Lauren was onto something when she mentioned ebooks becoming the norm and hard copies being available as special editions? Only time will tell.

Thanks so much to HarperCollins, Indigo, Lauren & Veronica for a fabulous night. For those of you in and around the Toronto area, tonight is the last stop for the tour. Head on over to Chapters Brampton at 7PM!


You'll have to trust me on this, from L-R is my bestie & fellow book blogger Jackie from My Ever Expanding Library, Lauren Oliver, Veronica Roth and moi! A special thanks goes to Jordan for being the photographer for the evening!

The Dystopian Tour hits Toronto This Week

I've been counting the days, to this and tomorrow can't come soon enough! This week Torontonians have not one but three opportunities to experience the Dystopian Tour 2011. I am planning on heading to Yorkdale right after work with my bestie & fellow book blogger Jackie from My Ever Expanding Library.


Anyone else as excited as me for this? Are you planning on hitting up one of these stops? Hope to see you there!
Mel

Interview Time with Lauren Oliver

One of my top 10 favorite books last year was Before I Fall, Lauren's debut about a girl who dies but is able to go back to that day & relive it, each time seeing the impact she had. It was so beautiful, complex and a book that sticks with you. Lauren newest book, Delirium, is a dystopian novel with the view that love is a disease that needs to be cured. Her writing invokes a variety of emotions which is something I love, making it more like active rather than passive reading! The characters feel so real that you can't help struggle with them...and at times you also want to vent some frustration. I recently had a chance to ask Lauren a few questions about Delirium, so without further ado, please welcome Lauren to the blog!!

Where did the idea for Delirium come from?
The idea for Delirium came from an essay I read by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, in which he wrote that all great books were about love or death. The next day I was thinking about that quote--particularly about how and in what form a modern love story could be told--while I was on the treadmill at the gym. I was simultaneously watching a news story about a flu outbreak that had everyone freaking out about the possibility of a pandemic, and I was kind of marvelling that people so easily go into panics about reports of these diseases, and at some point the two trains of thought--love, and disease--just sort of combined in my head.

Lean's best friend Hana appeared to be more on the rebellious side. Were you a rebel growing up?
In some ways. I was always a good student and a dedicated friend. But I definitely liked to do things my way. I’m pretty stubborn. And I wore leather pants a lot! Does that make me a rebel?

Hopefully life in the future won't treat love this way. If you could live in any time period, what would you chose and why?
I mean, I would probably choose now. There are a lot of things about modern life that frighten me, it’s true, but I think people have a tendency to romanticize the past needlessly. It’s like, sure, Victorian life was good…if you were in the top 99.99 percent of the population that could afford to make it good! Most people, like, washed linens all their lives for ten dollars a year.

Can you give us a sneak peek into what we can expect in book #2, Pandemonium?
Okay, a teensy one…Lena will have to learn to survive in the Wilds. And some crazy stuff happens! That’s all I’m going to say.

(ok guys, I tried. If you've read Delirium the ending will leave you with a whole lot of questions, especially a big one about one character in particular!!!)

Have you read Delirium yet?

Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Hardcover, 441 pages

Released: February 1st 2011

Publisher: HarperTeen

ISBN: 9780061726828

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

My Rating: 4.5 / 5

My Thoughts:

According to new findings, love is a disease. Therefore at age 18, everyone is cured of Amor Deliria Nervosa. People are led to believe that life is better without desire, that it only causes physical and emotional pain...even death. Your job and marriage partner are determined (well you do have a few names to pick from) via testing, and post-surgery your older memories are lost so there is no regret or feelings of loss. The government knows what's best for you and society. Lauren begins each chapter begins with a quote, many from The Book of Shhh (Saftely, Health and Happiness Handbook) brilliantly showing just how easy it is to manipulate people to make them see things a certain way. My favorite was the listing of the symptoms in chapter ten because phase one and two do exist!

The main character, Lena, is nearing her 18th birthday & looking forward to the surgery - especially since her mother succumbed to the effects of the disease when she was younger. She witnessed the suffering her mom felt, her longing for the husband she had lost. But during Lena's big testing, something happens that changes everything. A distraction takes place that stops the testing & she sees a boy. Soon after, Lena becomes aware that her best friend, Hana, is listening to underground music and attending night parties past curfew. Then Lena meets the boy again....and her eyes are opened to the beauty feelings and emotions! The juxtaposition between the controlled city and the lush land beyond the boundary are evidence to the reader (and Lena) that control depletes so much from the world.

Delirium was a slower start that ramped up quickly. I read in spurts on the way into work, at night, whenever I have some time to myself. As such, I try to finish off at the end of a chapter. When reading Delirium, I would get to the end of the chapter & jump right into the next, it was that addicting! As Lena and the boy fall for each other & her surgery days away, the reader can't help but feel empathy. You are drawn right into her world, feeling her emotional rollercoaster. These feelings are wrong, could kill her...or are they? The ending, my goodness, is an ending that will blow you away. This is book one of a trilogy so I expected a cliffhanger but wow. It was satisfying and pulls at your emotional strings, my heart was racing. I can't wait to sink my teeth into book two!

How far would you go if you fell in love when you aren't allowed to?

Come back to the blog tomorrow for an interview with Lauren Oliver!

Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Publisher: HarperCollins

Released: March 2, 2010



Hardcover: 480 pages



(special thanks to the B&N's First Look program)



My rating: 5 / 5

My thoughts:
One night Samantha Kingston was a typical teenager, out with friends. She was part of the 'in' crowd and everyone was headed to a house party. But on the way home, something jumped in front of their car, they swerved off the road and Sam is killed. Sam is given a gift...she has the opportunity to relive her last day, fixing some wrongs as she see's things in a whole new light.

This debut by Lauren is simply striking. A great novel has the ability to suck you in, and this one goes that step further and makes you question yourself. The plot and character development are top notch, it really felt you were back in high school again. Each character is unique: some you love, some you hate and some you just plain feel sorry for. What I loved about reliving the day over and over again was seeing why each character acted the way they did. One of Sam's best friends, Lindsay, was shallow, snobby and just plain mean to others below her and yet by the end you realize why she's built herself up by putting others down. I loved seeing the vulnerable side of her. The progress Sam makes as she relives the same day  is also amazing to see. It's too bad she's realizing things after her death, but better late then never. I  wonder if the book offers something different for teen vs adult readers? As an adult reader myself, high school for me was portrayed perfectly in the book. Looking back I see how easily someone can go from being popular to an outcast just by one rumor and how people sold their souls just to try and fit in, even hurting those around them to get there. That's not to say what happens is right, just that it is what it is.

The book is a great take on the butterfly effect...what if you could go back in time and set things right.

Teaser Tuesday - February 16, 2010

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Lindsay flips the goggles onto her head. "We were having a dance party, Mrs. Carter," she says brightly, as if dancing around half-naked and decked out in winter sports equipment was a Girl Scouts-mandated activity.
(pg 167 of ARC )

I have to admit to cheating on this teaser, it was not random at all. I read this late night and laughed so hard, memories floating back to the random silliness that happens with your best friends. I couldn't help but share & hope it puts a smile on your face too.

Teaser Tuesday - February 9, 2010

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"Come on, Sam," Courtney calls. She and Bethany have climbed into the backseat of the Civic. They're waiting for me to take shotgun again. "Party time."
(pg 239 of ARC )