Event Report: Montgomery County Book Festival 2016

I enjoyed the Montgomery County Book Festival when I went last year, so I decided to attend again.  I once more skipped the opening keynote and just attended the three author sessions.  This year the festival downsized, and there were rumors that this was the final year.  If so, it will be sad to lose such a fun event.

Murder By The Book once more sold the attending authors' novels, although they had a thin selection.  Sometimes this was because part of an author's backlist was through another publisher, and sometimes it was because they just didn't have that many copies.  I did manage to buy a copy of A SCHOOL FOR UNUSUAL GIRLS by Kathleen Baldwin before they sold out.

Murder By The Book also advertised two upcoming YA events at their store: Soho Teen Night on April 20th at 7:00 PM with Adam Silvera, Joy Preble, and Brianna Baker (AKA Robin Epstein) and Tor Teen Night on April 21st at 6:30 PM with Alan Grantz, P.J. Hoover, and David Lubar.

There was also a vendor table from comic shop Space Cadets Collection, selling various collectibles and comics (new and used).  I picked up some cute toys from the bargain bins for my niece and nephew!  Proto Makerspace did some robotics and 3D printing demonstrations.  It looks like they have some cool classes.

I first attended a session with Susan Dennard (my reviews), Veronica Rossi, and Kathleen Baldwin.  All three introduced themselves and their books before launching straight into a Q&A.  This was a good format because all three offered long, thoughtful answers to the questions they were asked.  (The panel could have used a moderator, however, because one guy kept asking questions instead of letting other people have a turn.)  I was surprised to learn that all three of them don't use outlines (although Dennard and Rossi have in the past).  Baldwin's metaphor for it was that she writes like a bloodhound sniffing out the path.

I then attended Daniel Kraus' session.  He gave a very thoughtful overview of his books and his process, although he only talked about SCOWLER after some audience prodding.  He said that it was a book he wanted out of his head, and after that he never wanted to think of it again.  His newest book, a two-part novel called THE DEATH AND LIFE OF ZEBULON FINCH, first came about after a conversation about zombies experiencing the ages when he was in college.  He passed around his outline for one section, his original timeline (covering Zebulon's life and physical deterioration as well as what was happening in history), and a little cheat sheet about the slang and popular entertainment about one of the decades the book covers.  It was really fun to get that in-depth look at how much planning goes into a long, complicated novel.

I finished the day by attending E. Lockhart's session (my reviews).  She's gotten very practiced about talking about WE ARE LIARS without giving away the story.  She talked mostly about stories that inspired her and that are somewhat like the story in WE ARE LIARS, both fairy tales and personal anecdotes.  She had a quiet but dramatic way of talking that I really enjoyed.  She didn't answer many questions, but that was mostly because our group ran out of them after just a few.  (Hey, it was the end of the day!)

Hopefully this wasn't the last year, but if it was, the Montgomery County Book Festival went out on a good note.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

Sorry for my brief absence. I've been busy preparing for vacation. (More reviews of mine are available here. On the other hand, I've nearly completed my blogroll. (Finally.) After that, I just need to make the blog colors more gender neutral.

By E. Lockhart

Might I say that it is a shame this cover isn't textured? Yes, there's some texture for the seal but the high-contrast envelope image begs to be touched and the slickness of the cover is a disappointment to the fingers.

It's rather alone as a disappointment. THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS features what I've come to expect from E. Lockhart - comedy, characterization, and competent writing. However, THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY is no fluff book. Frankie struggles to be recognized as an equal by her male peers and her family. She does this by orchestrating grand pranks at the Alabaster Preparatory Academy using the manpower of the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. Frankie is clever, ambitious, strong, and feminine. But E. Lockhart does not paint her as perfect.

She pushes things to the limit. She enjoys power. Her plans, while well-executed, do not have the expected effect on the populace. She's high-minded, reckless, and many of her actions should not be emulated. For all that, she's a wonderful heroine. She doesn't play nice, but she plays for the right things. Girls should be frustrated with being condescended to, and they shouldn't be underestimated due to a lack of a Y chromosome. (Actually, one of the book's few flaws came after the climax, so I don't feel right discussing it in the review, but it has to do with this concept.)

I also like that the boys who make Frankie so frustrated in THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY aren't bad people. They're just average boys. They make mistakes, but they aren't simply evil male chauvinist pigs.

Lockhart also plays with the way she tells the story. She begins with a framing letter and anecdotes, building an excitement for what Frankie will become despite a rather innocuous beginning. The tone is playful, but ominous. Lockhart plays with language not only through the structure, but with the dialogue. Both Frankie and her boyfriend Matthew enjoy wordplay. Frankie's is inspired by P. G. Wodehouse; Matt's comes from his inner copyeditor. Lockhart's choices come together to create a unique voice that helps THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY rise above her other novels just as much as the unconventional Frankie.

I highly recommend this novel. It's not perfect, but it has a spark to it. It sticks out in my mind from the other novels I've read recently. There's hijinks, anger, love, and plenty of food for thought. Frankie has good ideas and bad ideas, but many are ideas that should be heard and then pondered further.

You can find out more about E. Lockhart on her blog or website THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS is in stores now, along with HOW TO BE BAD (co-authored with Sarah Mlynowski and Lauren Myracle).