Summer is the perfect time for reading... and author events!

One of the perks of my job is that I sometimes get to work with and/or meet authors.  This summer I have been extremely fortunate to be able to meet three talented authors so far.  I've read each of their books, so I thought I'd share details about the events and some reviews for their works :)  Brace yourself... this may be a long post!

First:  Ann Wertz Garvin.  To be honest I hadn't heard of Ann Wertz Garvin until she was part of the Fox Cities Reads book festival this past year.  At the time she had published her first book, On Maggie's Watch, and was awaiting the release of her second book, The Dog Year.  Ann contacted our store after the book festival to see if we'd be willing to have her stop in once The Dog Year was released and have a signing/workshop with her (Ann runs workshops on getting published in New York while living in Wisconsin... definitely helpful for any aspiring midwest writers!).  

Jump ahead... Ann's novel about a Wisconsin surgeon coping with the loss of both her husband and unborn child was released in early June, and we were fortunate enough to have her come visit us at the end of June.  I wasn't sure what to expect from this book... the cover has the most adorable picture of a Dalmatian on it...

...but, as much as I love animal books, I really wasn't wanting to read another dog story at the moment (loved Art of Racing in the Rain and Finding Jack is an unforgettable book, just have to be in the right mood).  But, I wanted to have read the book before I met the author. Let me tell you, Ann surprised me 100%.  Yes, this is a story about a dog named Little Dog, but more than that it's a story about grief and the different ways people deal with this emotion.  My official Goodreads review ended up being:

4 of 5 Stars

The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because I wanted more from each character's storyline. The author has such awesome, off-the-wall characters and I wanted complete stories for them all. Each character is struggling with something (grief, alcoholism, loneliness, addiction, etc) and they all tie into the main character's storyline (a surgeon who copes with the loss of her husband and unborn child by stealing) wonderfully... I just wanted individual books for each character I was introduced to! This says something about how strong the characters are.
I would definitely recommend this book for fiction readers... it's not "another dog story"... yes there are dogs (cute ones and many of them!), but this book is much more than that! Enjoy!

((Side note:  I'm not all about lengthy reviews... I hate spoilers and don't like to tell the entire plot line of a book, so my reviews will typically be a couple paragraphs at the very most.))

So now I was pretty excited to meet the creator of this entertaining book.  I was not disappointed.  Ann is one of the most genuine people I have ever met.  She is full of stories and laughs, and I absolutely adored her.  I seriously could have talked to her for hours.  One of my favorite stories she told was about how she got the idea for the main character of The Dog Year dealing with grief by stealing:  She was shopping at a TJ Maxx store one day and a nicely dressed woman set off their door alarms on her way out.  Ann was expecting the woman to either 1. act shocked that the alarms were going off, or 2. run.  Instead the woman's shoulders slumped as if she knew she was caught, and she was just sad.  Ann said she wanted to run up and hug the woman rather than judge her for whatever she had done wrong.  This got Ann to wondering what the woman's backstory could potentially be... thus The Dog Year was born.  

Get to know Ann and all of her wonderfulness on her website here.  And pick up a copy her her book at your local bookstore or order it here.  

Second:  So my boss and I *might* both be huge Heather Gudenkauf fans.  We *might* always read her books right when they come out and then spend the next year or two checking for her name to pop up with a new title and wishing we hadn't read so fast.  One marvelous day we saw that Heather had a new book coming out this June titled Little Mercies.  We instantly put in our pre-orders and started a countdown.  While doing this we were discussing where exactly Heather Gudenkauf was from... my vote: east coast, her vote: west coast.  To settle this debate we went on Heather's website and checked.  She's from Iowa.  Iowa and Wisconsin share a border!  I instantly started figuring out who I could contact to see if she does events in Wisconsin, and if so would she like to do an event at our store.  The email response I got... YES.  Commence jumping up and down in my office like the booknerd I am.

The countdown was on.  While impatiently awaiting my chance to meet one of my favorite authors I read her novella (and prequel to Little Mercies) Little Lies.  My snippet of a review for that was:

4 of 5 Stars

I always look forward to new books, and in this case stories, by Heather Gudenkauf. Her writing style always keeps me wanting more (aka not putting the book done until it's finished). Although this was a novella, it still sucked me in, and now I can't wait until her next novel "Little Mercies"!

Then Little Mercies finally came into my possession, and although I attempted to savor it, I still read it in a matter of a few days (with a 1 1/2 year old, that's saying something).  My Goodreads review when I finished went something like this:

5 of 5 Stars

I LOVED this book. I always love picking up a new Heather Gudenkauf book for many reasons. First, I always know it will be wonderfully written and her characters will jump from the pages ... you feel right along with them and are compelled to keep turning pages to find out what happens to them next. Her books always tackle such interesting story lines from perspectives you might not think to look at. This particular book about a social worker who ends up being investigated by child services herself really takes a different look at a situation: What happens if the children she tries to protect every day suddenly leads to a horrifying situation in her own life? Paralleling that story with the story of a young girl who desperately needs someone to watch over her and help her through her own unexpected situation makes for a book you won't want to put down. Enjoy it, and remember to savor it (we still have a while to wait for her next page-turner!).

Days passed until finally... Heather Gudenkauf event day was upon us!  If I wasn't a big enough fan before the event, Heather's presentation and reading absolutely sealed the deal (I am a fan for life).  If you ever have the opportunity to see her speak, DO. IT.  My father came to the event and said, "Well I guess I'll be reading her books now, because I just need to hear more."  So for those of us who had read Heather's books or read fiction on a regular basis, we were in awe.  She spoke of her life, her writing process, and her love of books and reading.  I think almost everyone in the audience had a question for Heather, and she answered them all (including the fact that yes, she is working on her fifth novel and so far it's told from one point of view (her books are typically told by multiple characters in alternating chapters)).  Then we each got to chat with her and get our books signed.  Check this life goal off my bucket list... maybe not because I'd love to see her again.

Bottom line:  If you're a fiction reader and you haven't read a Heather Gudenkauf novel yet, why??  They are all excellent.  She takes very difficult topics and explores the story from multiple sides.  I love that she gives a voice to every point of view without turning certain characters into automatic villains.  That's pure talent.

Heather currently has four books: The Weight of Silence, These Things Hidden, One Breath Away, and Little Mercies.  She also has the prequel to Little Mercies: Little Lies (which is only available as an e-book).  Pick them up today, and I hope you enjoy!

Third: Mr. Patrick Rothfuss.  

Let me start this with a little story... Once upon a time I was told by a fellow manager to read Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.  "He's the most incredible author... He's from Wisconsin... His writing will amaze you,"  I was told.  But, all I could think was no science-fiction please, I'm still getting over my reading of The Hobbit (okay, I'm sure if I went back and read it now I might have a different opinion, but as a 13 year old girl reading two pages about a tree was too much detail for me.)  "I don't read sci-fi," I said, "It's not my thing."  After about a year or so of being told I need to read it (he was very persistent with his recommendation)... I finally gave in. 

Life changed.

"Hi my name is Holly, and I enjoy reading science-fiction."  What?? 

Reading Patrick Rothfuss's incredible (understatement) books opened so many doors that I hadn't wanted to even knock on in the past.  Patrick's writing, in particular, is phenomenal.  A work of art.  

Now partnering with the manager who recommended these books to me oh so long ago... we had a mission.  How do we get to meet Patrick Rothfuss?  Long story short... we happened to contact the right people at the right time, and Patrick wanted to come to our store and do an event in one month.  Wait... one month??  Umm... okay... breathe... we can totally pull this off.  Order more books!  Get posters/flyers/ads out there!  Let every customer who walks in the door know!  

Now, you should know, Patrick Rothfuss has *quite* the following.  His blog and website are followed by TONS of people from all over the world, and his charity Worldbuilders raises thousands of dollars to defeat hunger and poverty.  If you check out his website, you'll find out why.  His blog makes him relatable, yet his talents for writing (and gaming) make him someone to revere. 

So we were ready.  We pulled out all of the stops to make sure he had a successful event.  We ended up having about 200-250 people show up and everyone had a marvelous time.  He did an hour long chat with the audience during which I learned I could listen to him talk all day (Why did I not attend University of Stevens Point just so I could have had him as a professor??).  I LOVED the way he talked about writing.  He is a firm believer that anyone can write... you just need to do it.  Put pen/pencil to paper or start typing and tell your story.  It might not end up being perfect, but at least you did it.  The worst book in the world is better than something that was never written.  After his talk, he signed the audience's books. When everyone had signatures he stayed to chat and take photos with fans willing to stay longer and visited with our staff.  As if that wasn't enough, he then proceeded to sign hundreds of books in our store so we could have some signed copies on the shelves for customers who couldn't make it to the event.  All of this and he was leaving for San Diego for Comic-Con in the morning.  What an awesome guy.  Seriously.

Now I haven't written reviews for Patrick's books, The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear.  I don't know what I'd say other than read them now.  Even if you don't read science-fiction.  Even if they look waaaay too long.  If you don't like lugging around large books (check out the e-book... or the audio... I have personally listened to the audiobooks and really enjoyed them, the reader is very good).  When you're done with those, you can start your own countdown for his new novella coming out October 28th, The Slow Regard of Silent Things, because my guess is you'll be addicted too (T-Minus 79 days).

So my summer has been pretty spectacular.  

Next author I get to meet: Mary Kubica on August 25th!!  I just finished her debut novel The Good Girl, and it kept me reading well past my bedtime.  My quick review is: 

5 of 5 Stars

I really enjoyed this book!!! It's been getting a lot of comparisons to "Gone Girl," and I can see why, but I liked "The Good Girl" more. I felt the storyline was more realistic, and the reader actually has a reason to care for the characters. And I must say... the ending... perfect. Can't wait to read more of Mary Kubica's writing in the future!

Cannot wait to meet her and hear her talk about her book!

I hope you pick up a book from at least one of the authors above and enjoy it!  I'd love to hear your thoughts about their books or any encounters you've had with authors yourself!  Or, if you could meet any author who would it be and why?

Happy reading :)