Unexpected Gift

After I did my last post, Team Adam, explaining how I won author Gayle Forman's contest to design a Team Adam button. I found out my friend Stephanie Perkins was one of the judges on Gayle's expert panel. Here is the comment Stephanie left on Gayle's blog.

Ha ha ha!!! When I voted for Connie’s design, I had no idea *my friend* designed it. I’m quite giddy. GO CONNIE! Congratulations!

—Stephanie Perkins


Sometimes it just blows me away how awesome Stephanie is & that I have some how managed to be friends with her. Did you know that she did a panel at Comic Con? Yes I have a friend who was on a panel at Comic Con!

We have recently upgraded our friendship to sisters, which Debbie & I both feel really good about!

naturallysteph Stephanie Perkins

@

@connieonnie @SassyCassinasty @debsfreckles I now declare us all sisters. Hugs for everyone!

(Shout out to my other new sister Rachel, I can't wait for you blog to be rolling!)

If this wasn't enough awesomeness, Wednesday I went to check the mail and found a unexpected gift from Stephanie. Her new book Lola and the Boy Next Door comes out September 29th, which I have been counting down the days (see widget on my blog, just look to your right).

I was so touched that Stephanie would take the time to mail me a copy and even more touched by her inscription

And the beautiful key chain, the book takes place in San Francisco.

Let me just say I not only left my heart there, it was stolen! I am not going to go into to much detail because I don't want to ruin any of the fun BUT, I'll post this picture to show my love for The Boy Next Door & Lola.

Edit... In case you were wondering there were more sticky notes than Anna.

Kindred Spirits & Reading

My brother Mark & I like to debate about owning books vs electronic readers. He is pro-electronic readers and never having to move boxes of books. My rebuttal always consists of how personal a book is. You can get it signed, share it with your friends, stick sticky notes in it and maybe even hug & smell them.
The other night I was hanging out with some friends and the conversation turned to books, something we do not normally talk about. I asked what their opinion was on books vs. readers. One said he liked having books and then jokingly added how it made him feel like he was better than other people. He asked if I ever felt having books made me feel superior. I just laughed and explained how I use to read books that others considered intelligent and although I could appreciate them I just did not love them. Then I found books that made me love reading again, and I have never looked back. Although I am not ashamed of the books I love, I realize that most people are probably not impressed with my books.  I was kind of surprised when he confessed he was impressed that I read.
That conversation took place Monday night then today a blog I follow did a post called My Taste in Books , where she lists what she looks for in a book. I could pretty much copy the whole post over here because I loved  & related to it all. But here are some that especially resonated with me...

• I like reading the truth, being moved and authors who get under their character's skins.

I have noticed that characters who feel the most real to me are characters who authors say had a mind of their own, making choices the author did not want them to make. 

• I love hope and redemption and life.

I believe in Hope as in the song The Cave by Mumford & Sons "I will hold on hope".

• I love books that somehow manage to peek into my soul.

There is such comfort in reading a book where a characters shares your insecurities, fears or joys.

• I want to read books that have characters worthy of me spending my time with them. 

Exactly! I can not read books where there is not someone I would be friends with in the book.

I found the blog after reading a review by Nomes on Goodreads, she had said exactly what I had wanted to say about the book. After clicking on the "compare books" in Goodreads I found we have 64 books in common and are 86% similar. Nomes lives in Australia, we don't even live in the same country and still have that many in common, she is definitely a kindred spirit.

"Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world." — Lucy Maud Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables)


One of the last things she says in her post is... "No one has the same taste as me. No one will 100% love what I do. And, I like that."


Isn't it funny how we both love to find people who love or hate the same things we do but we also love the little things that make us us.