Across the Universe

OMIGOSH YOU GUYS

I just finished reading this book last night and you should all

READ

IT

TOO

For realsies.

All ridiculousness aside, this was a great book. It's the first from author Beth Revis, and I truly hope to see more from her in the coming years.  I first caught wind of Across the Universe when a friend of mine sent me the link to the Epic Copntest of Epic which is long since over, but still clearly awesome. (Check out the rest of Beth's blog for more awesomeness like a snowman in a Jayne-hat and this. Go now. Then come back.)

Basically, Across the Universe is a murder/mystery set on a spaceship bound for a secondary earth. Earth (more or less as we know it) has suffered from what has taken place over the thousands of years of our existence, so a mission is undertaken to colonize other parts of the universe. The ship is to transport 100 cryogenically frozen passengers to an Earth-like planet 300 years away where they will be reanimated to carry out the terraforming process and settle it in order to carry on the human race. Also on the ship are thousands of people (and by the time of our introduction to the tale, their descendants) charged with living and working on and taking care of the ship and it's cargo.
Amy is a frozen passenger undertaking this journey with her parents, and is viciously awoken before reaching the ship's destination. She ends up joining forces with a boy named Elder, who is destined to be the ship's next leader, in order to find out why she was singled out and nearly murdered. In a world where everything is disturbingly similar yet completely different than the home she left Amy has to trust her instincts and stand up for herself, while Elder learns about the time she came from and how her version of history can help him be a better leader.

I tried so hard while waiting through December not to build up Across the Universe too much in my mind just in case I ended up being disappointed, but I wasn't. I loved this book. For those of you who have read Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games, the pacing is very similar. You. Can't. Stop. Reading. After we finally got a copy of the book in the store, I read the whole thing in a few days. (It probably would've been one if I'd had a day off in that time... =D) There are so many things I loved about it, not the least of which was all the nerdy references embedded in the story, but above all - the ending just works. It's not what I was expecting at all, but it's completely perfect. The more I think about the story as a whole, the more I love how it played out.

I realize I'm using the words 'I' and 'love' quite a bit here, but those words have been earned. Beth Revis really has done an impressive job of telling a captivating tale here. I definitely recommend that everyone give this book a try - I enjoyed it, and I hope you will too!

~Aimee

New Book Aimee's Looking Forward To!

I was fussing around on the interwebs and came across this Young Adult book coming out January 11;  I'm hoping it'll be something all of us Hunger Games fanatics might enjoy.
Across the Universe is a murder-mystery set in (from what I can tell, a futuristic [and awesome]) space.
Check out the Borders listing of it here.
And then go enter the magical Epic Contest of Epic at the author's, Beth Revis, blog.

And if I happen to receive The Big-Huge-Amazing Grand Prize, I could be convinced to share. =D
I'll write a review when I get it in January!

-Aimee

Staff Member of the Week! ~*Adriana*~

Adriana is an extraterrestrial assigned to blend in with the indigenous life here on the planet Earth. She's been at Borders Capitola for just a few months. While not plotting global domination, she spends her time working alongside her fellow booksellers, humming random melodies, and doing little jigs for her own amusement. Drawing, playing guitar, and people-watching are some activities that keep her happy and sane… Well, the sanity part is debatable. Her favorite books of all time include Un Lun Dun by China Mièville, Sabriel by Garth Nix, October Country by Ray Bradbury, Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

Borders Capitola goes on a field trip!

So, last night, several members of the Capitola team decided it'd be a great idea to go see Suzanne Collins on her book-tour stop at Hicklebee's in San Jose. It was a seriously great idea.

First off, if you know any of us at all, you'll know that ALL of us wanted to go. Unfortunately, somebody had to stay behind in Capitola... Secondly, you'll also know that any trip over "the Hill" requires a stop at In-N-Out Burger. Having accomplished that particular goal, we headed off to find Hicklebee's and attain parking. (Easier said than done!) Once there, we joined the already vast crowd eager to hear Ms. Collins speak and grabbed our line numbers -- 223 was the lowest number anyone in our group got! We wandered about and explored the store, and Aimee took pictures of several really cool things. Finally, we got our chance to meet our favorite author, get our books signed, and give her the music for 'The Hanging Tree' and a letter from our store.

Enough with the talking, bring on the pictures!

Amelia, Dorothy, & Kelsey waiting in line outside Hicklebee's

Aimee and Amelia practicing their serious faces while waiting in line

Jax thinks everything is silly

Chris and the music he wrote for 'The Hanging Tree'
(He blinked. And then wouldn't take another picture... Haha.)

GIANT wall decoration of 'Where The Wild Things Are'

Hamlet. In the Kids' section.  ...?

Indian in the Cupboard!

Charlotte's Web!

Most awesome clock, ever.

The following are from the back area of the store where visiting authors have signed the walls, doors, and ceiling...

David Shannon - 'No, David!'

Dav Pilkey - 'Captain Underpants' series

We're pretty sure this is 'Angelina Ballerina,'
but the signature confused us a little...

JK Rowling!!! - 'Harry Potter' series

Brian Selznick - 'The Invention of Hugo Cabret'

Dorothy getting 'The Hunger Games' signed!

Amelia, Aimee, Dorothy, Kelsey, and Suzanne Collins!

Staff Member of the Week! ~*Kelsey*~

Kelsey is a bookseller who’s been at Borders Capitola for a little over a year and is Aimee’s dark apprentice. She’s the go-to person for young adult since she has read almost every book in the section. She’s a firm believer in letting your creativity flow, which happens all the time with her co-workers as they think of new ways to display things and make the most of frustrating computers. Kelsey’s also a huge fan of the Giants, everything related to tennis, and all things geeky including Battlestar Galactica, Glee, musicals, and a bunch of other things that she currently is not able to think of because of ingesting too much Mountain Dew. Her top five books include, but are not limited to: Poison Study, The Hunger Games, Vampire Academy, The Black Jewels Trilogy, aaaannnd... The Summoning.

Staff Member of the Week! ~*Jax*~

Jax is a manager who has been at Capitola almost 4 years. She is the resident “good cop” and does her best to ensure that everyone remains happy and healthy. She is also the reason we, or indeed everyone in California, can’t have nice things. She loves books, faerie tales (the darker the better), cats and fuzzy things in general. She is also a huge sucker for a happy ending and books that make you think. Favorite books include, but are not limited to: Book of Lost Things by John Connolly, A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeline L’Engle, and Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer.

Staff Member of the Week! ~*Natalie*~

Natalie is a manager who's been at Borders Capitola for 2 years.
Come to her if you have any Zombie related questions or need a good zombie book to read, she has probably read them all. Fan of the macabre, she loves anything with gore or that will keep you up at night. Some of her favorite authors include Chuck Palahniuk and David Sedaris. Besides having her head stuck in a book, she enjoys taking her stress out by skating and doing Rolller Derby.