Even though I’m technically on a blogging break, it’s the weekend, and I wanted to share, so here I am. I just had to tell you some book related things that have made me happy lately.

Last week, I started my Writer in Residency at the school. I was terribly excited to see so many of my new students had fantastic books sitting around on their desks. I spotted some I didn’t know, as well as one of my favourites: THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST. Perhaps a bit old for a Grade 6/7 student, but I heard that particular girl “reads up” and I know her older sister is a great reader, too. That’s one of my faves of the year, so far.

Then, yesterday, my husband and I were walking together at the Village and we had to jump out of the way to avoid being run down by a ten year old who was reading as he was walking. It made us both grin to see it.

Today, I had to go abroad (take the ferry from our small island to Vancouver Island) to run some errands. One of them included a trip to Chapters, a Canadian book chain. They’ve always been good to me, carrying my books in their brick and mortar stores, not just online, so whenever I’m in town, I stop by to see if they need me to sign any stock. It was a cold, dreary, rainy day and when I walked in, I stopped and just started laughing. In that bright, cheerful store of books were so many people! Just tons of people, browsing, buying, drinking lattes, laughing, chatting, and they were there for BOOKS! It warmed the cockles of my heart, I’ll tell you!

They had a copy of The Right & the Real. I spotted a clerk trying to help a teen and her mother find her some books, and while I waited, I heard the clerk say, “Honestly, I don’t work in this section and I don’t think there’s anyone here who reads teen books right now.”

Naturally, I had to jump in! After signing my book, I spent the next fifteen minutes going through the whole section with mom and daughter. The girl was about sixteen and had read the Twilight series and Shades of Grey (!), and wanted a new series. I tried to recommend based on what I’ve read, what my critique group has read, and what I’ve heard good buzz about, but also limiting it to what was on the shelf.

In the end, she walked away with Brodi Ashton’s EVERNEATH (which I enjoyed), and I think John Green’s THE FAULT IN OUR STARS…although, she might’ve chosen BEAUTIFUL CREATURES instead. There was some debate going on between mum and daughter. As we perused the shelves together, I managed to get plugs in for books I love, books I don’t love so much, but others do, books I like, but don’t love, and yeah…a few friends! I told her Eileen Cook is one of my best friends sheerly for the prestige!

Here’s who/what I remember telling her about:

Brodi Ashton

Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls

John Green

Beautiful Creatures books

Maggie Stiefvater (in particular THE SCORPIO RACES because my critique group members LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that book)

Eileen Cook (Canadian!)

Stacey Jay

Courtney Summers (Canadian!)

A.S. King

Sara Zarr

Heather Brewer – The Slayer Chronicles in particular

Oh, and so much more. It was really fun. I think the girl and her mum thought I was a bit nutso, but they bought books, so who cares? I did give her one of my Don’t Bug Me I’m Reading door hangers, so she’ll be able to tell her friends, “If you see her in the store, run away!”

And the latest thing to make me happy? After purchasing some books for myself, I walked by the front counter and there was my book, The Right & the Real, on display with a “Local Author” sticker and a “Signed” sticker. Yay! Thanks, Chapters! You rock!