My Three Exciting New Kids Section Additions:
1. The Snow Queen by Yevgeniya Yeretskaya
This pop-up book prompted an impromptu gasping session between one of the other children's booksellers and I. I think we swooned every time we turned a page. The art is stunning and the pop-ups are beautiful.
2. Good King Wenceslas by Jane Seymore and Omar Reyyan
I feel compelled to point out that I really only knew of this because I had to play the song on the recorder in 4th grade but the illustrations are beautiful and one of our other children's booksellers knows the illustrator.
3. Red Knit Cap Girl to the Rescue by Naoko Stoop
The first is sort of a section favorite in the store. In the second she saves a little polar bear stuck on an ice floe. It has the same beautiful art.
On Thursday I went to see Catching Fire...twice. I went in pretty excited about it. I mean, it's Catching Fire and I thought they did a pretty awesome job with The Hunger Games (it wasn't perfect but they never are). I'll admit that I'm a big fan but I'm not going to say that I'm the biggest fan, I'm not really sure anyone can (there's really no way to tell), and there are plenty of people who know the books better than I do. So, I didn't plan to see it twice just so that I could say that I did but I did have a reason.
I'm the kind of person who sees or reads something that I'm really excited about and needs to stop and think about it. I mean in a I need to think I don't want to talk to you sort of way. This gets me in trouble. People like talking about things they've just read or seen and for most if they're really excited they want to talk about them right away. I want twenty minutes. Don't talk to me for twenty minutes. If you do, I will be irritable and you will get short, monosyllabic answers and then you will be irritable.
It's frustrating but if you want an actual answer from me you need to give me the time.
So, on Thursday I saw Catching Fire twice. Once at 8:00PM by myself and then at 11:45 with my roommate. By the time I finished seeing it the second time, I was ready to talk to her about it.
This is just the sort of fan I am.
My sisters will probably tell you that I'm a snobby fan. I don't think it's true but I think I know where they get it from. I love facts and knowing as much as I can about something I really love. I'm decent at remembering things from books but by no means the best. But I want to know everything. I want to know all of the little background information that I can get my hands on. Everything about that one side character who has that one line.
So, it drives me crazy when someone loud and proud of being a fan, needs everyone to know that they've read the books and then starts yelling about things and is wrong. If you don't remember something, that's okay but you probably shouldn't make it up and then yell about it in a theater full of people who've likely read the books (spoiler alert: Gale does NOT die in Catching Fire).
But that's my opinion as the sort of fan that I am.
On Friday (as I couldn't Thursday) I wore a District 4 tee shirt (Finnick!), mockingjay socks, earrings, and pin, and had my hair in the side braid. I was pretty Hunger Gamesed out. On Saturday for the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who I wore boots, button down, bow tie, suspenders, and mini-fez. I like dressing up. I like showing people that I'm still excited about things. If you see me wearing a shirt or something for a book or show you like please mention it to me. If you quote it as I walk by you will make my day. But if you start shrieking and squealing at me you're probably going to frighten me. I may dress up but I am not a loud, panicky fan (well, usually, have my moments) and I don't do well things like that.
I have a quiet sort of obsessive enthusiasm.
But there are so many different kinds of fans! And it's awesome how in addition to whether someone likes a book or movie or not there's what part of the story they respond to, and how they respond to consider. There's so much more to being a fan than just who owns the most tee-shirts or who has read the book the most times.
Fandom is just sort of crazy that way.
-Amy
P.S. If you're interested in the idea of fandom you should read Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl...and come to the store tonight when we'll be hosting her and David Levithan, Paul Rudnick, and Bill Konigsberg. You don't have to have read their books first, we won't judge you.
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