Updates on Some Recent Reading

Gregor News

I just learned that Suzanne Collins, who wrote Gregor the Overlander and Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane, which I was just raving about here recently, is going to be at the Connecticut Children's Book Fair in November. I want to go hear her speak, but I'm wondering if I should. People who are more successful than I am for writing books that I actually like and admire often leave me feeling very down on myself. If I really, really tried, I could write better and more popular books, right? It's all my own fault?

Nonetheless, I have penciled the fair dates on my calendar

Messenger News

Markus Zusak, who wrote I am the Messenger, which I was talking about here recently, has a new book out called The Book Thief. I heard at a listserv that it was an adult book, but I've seen it classified as juvenile fiction at some sites.

Speak News

The movie version of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson will be starting in about twenty minutes. Speak is a problem novel that I actually liked, so I have to go clean off the couch so I'll have a place to sit and watch it.