Lauren Oliver's Signing

I finally met Lauren Oliver! She was everything I expected and so much more. She is fun, easy to talk to, very energetic and very cool. She came in and shared a bit of her background and how she became a writer, then proceeded to read from Pandemonium (Delirium #2), and closed the night answering some questions. I will share a few important things:

Lauren reading from PANDEMONIUM

• She is currently working and very involved in the production of the movie version of Before I Fall. The script has already been written, and she read it and loved it (in fact, she even cried reading the end, as if she hadn't written it herself). She, of course, has no say in casting matters but plans to be very involved. And the same studio has bought the rights to Delirium as well so that might become a movie one day too!
• She is currently writing three books at once (she's always writing at least two at a time). She is writing Requiem (Delirium #3), a middle grade novel and an adult title.
• Pandemonium is narrated from two different time spaces: one right where Delirium left off and one about six months later, and it goes back and forth until they merge. Requiem, on the other hand, is narrated from two points of view, Lena's and someone else's (??)
• Liesl and Po, her middle-grade novel that comes out this fall, is a very personal novel for her and her editor's favorite of Lauren's novels... and also favorite book she's ever read, which made me want to steal the ARC that Cynthia had there!
• She always writes the beginning and the ending of a novel, and then fills in the middle. She actually wrote the endings of Pandemonium and Requiem since she first sat down to write Delirium.
• Delirium might be getting a new cover to match a little more the cover of Before I Fall so that people can tell from looking at them that they are written by the same person. Also, Liesl and Po might be getting a cover re-do before publication as well.

I also got to see cool bloggers there and the sweet people from Blue Willow Bookshop! Mary Lindsey, debut author of Shattered Souls, was also there! :D Had a great night.
I hope you enjoyed the recap! :)

Delirium - Lauren Oliver

 

Young Adult
Pages: 448
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: February 1, 2011

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.

This is a book that could easily be worth reading only for the premise. The dystopian concept that Lauren Oliver came up with is beyond fascinating. Every single time she describes the disease I felt my mind was blown a bit. I kept wondering if one can really miss love if you've never known it? Would you really live a dull-full life for fear of pain? As much as I think I couldn't, I think people who've been really hurt would say yes. Anyway, my point is that the world-building in Delirium was fantastic.

The writing, oh, the writing. Lauren Oliver has a gift with words. Such beautiful prose that this might be one of the most quotable books I've read. It's like a story made of poetry, absolutely stunning.

With that said, those who read my reviews know that pace is very important to me. I get easily bored. Specially if I'm reading dystopia, I like it quick. So the pace in this one was not my favorite. The ending was a very heart-pumping fast pace, but the rest of the book was slow to me. It could be due to the fact that I was not really feeling the characters either. They didn't stand out or do anything other than think. There's not much character action in the book, so there was little character depth. Neither Lena nor Alex have any personality traits that I can think of. These things were a little disappointing.

Overall, I enjoyed Delirium and if you are a hopeless romantic and enjoy beautiful prose this is the book for you.

Goodreads / Amazon

Before I Fall - Lauren Oliver

Young Adult
Pages: 480
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: March 2, 2010

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world’s most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High, from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12 should be just another day in her charmed life.

Instead, it turns out to be her last.

Fortunately, she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

This is one of the best novels I've read lately. This book is extremely powerful, an emotional roller-coaster that will take your breath away. And yet it's not a dark book. The plot kept twisting and untwisting, flowing beautifully, leaving you engaged, wishing to inhale the book in a few seconds. The ending left me speechless, with a vague sense that I should fix my life just like Sam fixed hers. A knot in my stomach from a sudden realization of how we take things for granted, when we never truly know how much time we have left, and we don't realize how one little decision affects everything around us. Genius.

I must admit that Lauren's writing blew me away. She has the perfect writing recipe for a YA book: just enough humor, add an utterly powerful message, some edgy-sarcastic dialog, the right amount of description spiced with delicious imagery, throwing in some easy-to-relate-to back-stories and some shocking OMG moments... AND, of course, a yummy topping of the not-popular yet not-geeky adorable boy... Oh, Kent. Perfect bitter-sweet YA treat right there! That's what it feels like to read Before I Fall: a well-deserved gift to yourself.

The characters were incredible. Specially Lindsay's and Kent's. She has a gift for characters. This is definitely the best debut novel I've read since Graceling in 2008, and now it's also one of my favorite books. I am really excited to read more 2010 debuts! If they're half as good as this one, they're pretty much amazing. This is by far THE book you must not miss this year. In fact, if you haven't read it yet, you're missing out.

Goodreads / Amazon

February Giveaway!

So, there's this awesome debut author called Lauren Oliver. In case you have not heard of her, she is the author of Before I Fall, which is one of the most exiting releases of 2010. And you can win an ARC (Advanced Reader's Copy) of her book!

Rules:

• All you need to do is fill out the form below.
• 1 extra entry if you are a CURRENT follower. (Meaning: before this contest!)
  
• 1 extra entry for spreading the word (with link)
• 1 extra entry if you follow Lauren on twitter
• Winner will be contacted by email and has 48 hours to reply before I pick a new winner.
  
• Giveaway open to everyone worldwide and ends 2/26/10