So Now I Live In A Library

April 11, 2014 ~ Alina ~ 4 Comments

Last Sunday, my brother and I built a library.

For some time I’ve had a covetous eye on new, bigger bookshelves. Because, of course, one does not downsize one’s library. One acquires bigger bookshelves.

Well, on Saturday I found the shelves. Six feet tall. Bank Alder finish. Some assembly required. Drool, drool.

I brought them home in my little car. So for a little while, I was the Bookmobile.

When an engineer and an author build things together, they read the directions. (Only one of them understands the directions. I’ll let you guess which.)

But first, I moved ALL the double-stacked books off my old bookshelves. There’s nothing to make you happy like handling every book you own in one day. It was like a party for old friends. Dust and words everywhere.

My whole family helped to hammer in approximately 144 nails. (I promise I helped too. I just took a break to snap this picture.)

There was a quick episode involving extreme wobbles, and a few debates about earthquakes and fires.

But finally the shelves were done. Big. Empty. A smell like my summer job at Barnes & Noble.

But what good are empty bookshelves?

Absolute beauty.

Anna Quindlen is quoted as having said, “I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.”

So now I live in a library.

Well done, Mom.

TIG’s first bookstore!

March 28, 2014 ~ Alina ~ 2 Comments

I have joined forces with my first bookstore!

Paperback copies of The Illuminator’s Gift are now available at Spectator Books in Piedmont, CA! (I blogged about them when I first visited last month.)

On a bohemian street offering boutiques, antiques, and handcrafted coffee, check out this independent bookstore that’s bigger on the inside. Spectator Books sells both used and new books. Their fiction selection (for both adults and children) is particularly impressive.

And now I can personally attest to one of the titles in that section 🙂

So if you find yourself in the area, get a little lost in this lovely labyrinth of books. And maybe pick up a certain title while you’re there (wink, wink).

Book Family

March 21, 2014 ~ Alina ~ 4 Comments

One of the things I didn’t realize I’d get when I wrote a book was a book family.

I thought writing a book was about sitting alone for hours and hours, documenting your thoughts and ideas, and sending them out to other people. Like a one-way letter to the world.

What I didn’t realize was that others would write back.

The Illuminator’s Gift is connecting me with all sorts of people: friends and strangers, children and adults, people who are like me and people who are different. As they read, the story becomes theirs. The ideas no longer belong to just me.

It’s the best thing ever.

I’ve gotten to meet dozens of kids in schools. Some of them have written me letters with questions about the book that I’d never thought of before.

One girl even wrote a book report. I think her summary of the story was better than mine.

One precious boy had The Illuminator’s Gift read aloud to him because he can’t see the black-and-white letters on the page. He catalogued his reading time in Braille, a language of dots that I don’t yet know how to read.

And I’m not the only storyteller out there. Two anonymous writers sent me prequel and sequel chapters to The Illuminator’s Gift. Maybe I should take a leaf from their book. So to speak.

Maybe the most fun, though, is the e-mail correspondence I get to do with people I’ve never even met. As a kid, I was too shy to write to my favorite authors (even the ones who were still alive). I didn’t want to bother them or take up their time. Now I see that not only was I missing out on the fun of a correspondence–I might have made their day. I wish I’d been as brave as the kids who write to me now.

I thought writing a book was something I would start, then finish. That once it was published, the journey would be complete.

I couldn’t have been further from the truth. The journey is just beginning. What was once a one-way letter is now a two-way conversation.

I am blessed by a book family, bound together by words and pages.

Spring Miracles

March 14, 2014 ~ Alina ~ Leave a comment

I never can decide whether spring or fall is my favorite season. Both are beautiful, offering change and new directions, the beginnings of new roads and opportunities.

But with spring outside, ready to touch, see, and smell, I’m feeling a bit swayed toward the beauty of this season.

It’s in the living buzz of the bees as they stuff their pockets with pollen.

It’s in the scalloped edges of the new leaves, still sticky from their buds.

It’s in the outrageous colors of the flowers, outdoing the imagination of any fashion designer.

It’s in the unshorn grass, joyful to be alive and growing.

It’s in the unfurling petals, reaching toward the sun.

It’s the magic and mystery of the world coming back to life, of beauty and expectancy, of wonder even in the tiniest of vessels.

And so I pay attention.

Because each day is its own kind of miracle.

Independent Bookstores: Piedmont Avenue

March 7, 2014 ~ Alina ~ 4 Comments

It’s been a while since I reviewed any independent bookstores, but boy, do I have some good ones for you today.

The motivation behind my birthday adventures to Oakland several weeks ago was largely the concentration of independent bookstores on Piedmont Avenue. There are at least four. Mere blocks from each other. It was perfect.

First up: Owl and Company Bookshop. The shop is owned by Michael Calvello, who has another shop in San Francisco and specializes in antiquarian books. Owl and Company is the quintessential independent bookstore. This is why.

Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lining both walls. Ladders (even if they’re not sliding ones).

And all the old books even my heart could desire. Well–at least for a while.

There was even a vinyl record of Viennese Waltzes providing ambience.

And a wooden owl keeping watch.

Next up: Book Zoo and Issues, next-door neighbors. Much smaller than Owl and Company, Book Zoo has an eclectic, slightly outdated collection of books on adult topics, politics, and environmental issues. Their website has a very intriguing compilation of other independent bookstores in the area.

Issues is more of an independent magazine shop, although there were a few books as well as eclectic print materials (including a large variety of greeting cards).

Their outdoor sign was also unique and charming. Perhaps I ought to advertise this way?

Finally, Spectator Books. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, and the display in the front room is all new books, which I don’t find quite as interesting as used ones. But what’s special about this shop is that it’s bigger on the inside.

In this veritable labyrinth of books, hallways lead to rooms, which lead to more rooms, which lead to nooks and crannies, all lined floor to ceiling (and then some) with books. Note to self: I should never face the temptation of Spectator Books (or any shop like it) alone. If my mom hadn’t diligently dragged me out when our parking meter expired, I might still be there. I bought a copy of Princess Academy by Shannon Hale as a souvenir.

I hear there’s also a fifth bookshop on the avenue called Black Swan. Sadly, I didn’t make it that far. Guess I now have an excuse to make a return trip.

We Have A Winner!

February 14, 2014 ~ Alina ~ 2 Comments

And…we have a winner!

Congratulations to Hillary, whose submission to the TIG on the Shelf contest won her a free e-book of The Illuminator’s Gift!

Enjoy your book love, Hillary!

And though, no, I did not enter the contest myself, I had a little fun taking #TIGontheshelf pictures…

I’ve always wanted to snuggle up on the white bookshelf in the corner, cozy between Sabatini and Scott. I would, however, feel a little awkward–not only because I’d be horrifically misshelved among the classics, but also because my book looks like a giraffe next to those mass markets!

So ah, this is home sweet home: my children’s lit shelf. And a pretty nice neighborhood it is, I must say. Levine, Jacques, Sage (with a bookmark still in it)…these are classics I treasured as a child and have never stopped loving.

Have a lovely, bookish long weekend!

If you didn’t get around to entering this contest, stay tuned–we’ll be having more fun with different kinds of contests in the coming months 🙂 You can find out more by following me on Facebook and/or Twitter (check out the sidebar)!

Book Love Contest: TIG On The Shelf

February 7, 2014 ~ Alina ~ Leave a comment

It’s February!

This month, love gets a lot of attention. Some people show love with chocolate, flowers, or sappy movies. Others love…books.

So to share some book love, I’m running my first-ever contest!

TIG On The Shelf

Step 1. Take a picture of your paperback copy of The Illuminator’s Gift among its companions on your bookshelf. (Alphabetical order admired, but not required. Creative arrangements welcome.)

Step 2. E-mail the picture to me at alinasayreauthor@gmail.com. If you’d like, you can also post your submissions to Twitter using the hashtag #TIGontheshelf.

Step 3. Your name will go in a drawing for a free e-book copy of The Illuminator’s Gift! You can either keep it for yourself or have it e-mailed to a recipient of your choice. Because what better way is there to show love than books?

Submit pictures by midnight on Thursday, February 13th. The winner will be announced on this blog on Friday, February 14th. All submissions will be featured on this website, with special attention given to the winner. By submitting pictures, you grant me permission to post them on this website, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, along with your first name.

So start snapping pictures! I can’t wait to see your shelves!

A Bucket of Daffodils

January 31, 2014 ~ Alina ~ 4 Comments

I know winter in California is nothing to complain about. But it’s still my least favorite season. December brings Christmas, but then the lights and the cookies and the carols are done. January wears on, and sweaters get thin in the elbows. Windshield wipers fray. I start to long for spring.

And then there are daffodils.

My mom brought me a miniature bucket of them for my office the other day. Yellow and sprightly, they brighten the whole room. I remember studying abroad in England and admiring the hardy bulbs, the only things daring to bloom in a stubbornly cold April.

British poet William Wordsworth, whose cottage we visited, admired them too. They filled his quaint garden, where I sat and jotted notes nearly four years ago.

He admired these flowers so much that one of his most famous poems is called “Daffodils.” It starts with these lines:

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

I only really understood what he meant when I saw the fields of daffodils that sprawl over the English countryside while spring is still clinging to winter.

Maybe you need a cheerful sprig of yellow, a bucket of daffodils, in your life today. They’re flowers of hope. May they remind both of us that spring is coming.

A Book Lover Goes To The Movies

January 24, 2014 ~ Alina ~ 2 Comments

(Warning: this post contains spoilers.)

I saw more movies in theaters over the Christmas holidays than I normally do in six months. What can I say? It never rains, but it pours.

The three movies I saw were radically different from one another, but they were all based on books (at least at some level): The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Saving Mr. Banks, and Frozen. Some of what I saw disgusted me; other parts delighted me, but above all I couldn’t separate these movies from their books. I must be a book lover, even at the cinema.

Some of my moviegoing companions were entertained by my bookish reactions to these three films. We’ll see if you agree.

Film #1: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Rating: 3/10

Book fidelity rating: 2/10

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

J.R.R. Tolkien has been my first and most enduring literary love since I had The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings read to me at age 8. I knew I couldn’t miss this film, but I had to brace myself to see it, knowing I would probably come out incensed. Well…I was right.

Strong suits:

The Desolation of Smaug definitely pulled out all the budget stops. The CG, action sequences, and overall glamor of the movie were luxurious, particularly the scenes involving the dragon. There’s nothing they didn’t do with screen wizardry. I was also pleased with the casting of Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of Smaug. He brought that evil dark-chocolate silkiness to the dragon’s words. In addition, there were a few book scenes that made it almost directly into the movie, and these had a poignant sweetness about them. One of my favorite scenes was the moment when Bilbo pops his head above the trees of Mirkwood and sees the treetops and butterflies. The other I really liked was the all-too-brief riddling between Bilbo and Smaug, when he identifies himself as “barrel-rider.”

Flops:

…mostly everything else. I’m not a fan of moviemakers rewriting books, especially great classic ones like The Hobbit. I’m also not a fan of splitting ONE book into THREE movies. Because then things like elf-dwarf-elf love triangles happen. And then I start laughing out loud in a quiet movie theater. And it’s embarrassing.

Film #2: Saving Mr. Banks

Rating: 10/10

Book fidelity rating: 10/10

Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Everything that was wrong with The Hobbit was right about Saving Mr. Banks. This movie is all about literary integrity…and the power of storytelling to redeem a shadowed past. Though I only read Mary Poppins once as a child and I remember being more frightened than enchanted by the austere British nanny, I came home from Saving Mr. Banks and re-watched the Disney movie, suddenly enthralled.

Strong suits:

Everything. The acting was top-notch; the storytelling, graceful. It had the poignancy of one of my other favorite movies, Finding Neverland. Of course I laughed at the prim, snarky quips of P.L. Travers and the Disney underlings who had to work with her. But the film also brought me to tears on no fewer than four occasions with its artful yet honest depiction of the childhood scars that carry over into adulthood. I’ve never sobbed through the song “Let’s Go Fly A Kite” before. But if you see this movie, you might too.

I especially appreciated this movie’s redemptive theme. One of my pet soapboxes (as you probably know if you’ve read The Illuminator’s Gift) is the power of art as both calling and catharsis. By revisiting our own dark places through writing (or painting or moviemaking or composing), we not only find healing for ourselves, but share it with others as well. That was what this film communicated through the relationship of a hardened English writer and a Hollywood film mogul. And those were the scenes where I bawled like a baby.

Flops:

There were a few ends left a little too dangly for my taste at the end. What role did Aunt Ellie play in Ginty’s later life? How did Disney’s not inviting Travers to the film premiere affect their ongoing relationship? What happened to Travers in later life?

Film #3: Frozen

Rating: 8/10

Book fidelity rating: 1/10 (though for once, this might be a good thing…you should really go read “The Snow Queen,” just to see what I mean)

Frozen (2013)

I love fairy tales, and I’m almost always a sucker for a good animated movie. Frozen didn’t disappoint.

Strong suits:

This is the most beautiful animated film I’ve ever seen. Not just for its incredibly realistic visuals of shiny, transparent ice or powdery snow, either. Even the imaginary things in the movie were stunningly beautiful, from Elsa’s creation of her ice castle to her diaphanous blue cape. Some of the swirls and the color palette even reminded me of the cover art from The Illuminator’s Gift! Even more than the animation, though, I loved the messages of this movie and the way it debunks some longstanding Disney myths. If I ever have daughters, I’d want them to see that not even princesses wake up with perfect hair in the morning, that love at first sight doesn’t exist, and that not all true love has to come from a romantic hero. The heroines in this movie are strong while still remaining feminine, but more importantly, they stand by each other as sisters, demonstrating true courage and sacrifice.

Flops:

Okay, so the storytelling got a bit lost in the woods. Some of the character depth and complexity came at the cost of a linear storyline like that of Tangled. On the other hand, it’s based (very loosely) on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” which is about the most madcap fairy tale in existence, so with a story basis like that, it did pretty well. I could have done quite well without the character of Olaf. His toilet humor didn’t add anything, and his character and even animation didn’t fit with the rest of the movie.

Have you seen these films? Did you think they were true to their books? Which one was your favorite?

A Seventeen-Days-Late New Year’s Blessing

January 17, 2014 ~ Alina ~ 6 Comments

I know it’s three Fridays into the New Year. So posting a New Year’s blessing now feels late and a bit silly.

I also know it’s been two weeks since I blogged. I haven’t gotten up early every morning, and I’ve been writing a lot, but not 5 times a week. It’s discouraging to see myself fail to achieve my noble-minded New Year’s resolutions so quickly.

But maybe three weeks into 2014 is exactly when I need to be reminded that the year is still fresh and young. And maybe especially because those resolutions are already broken, it’s a good time to be reminded of grace. I shoot for the moon and miss on the first try. But thank goodness God isn’t done with this wayward archer.

My mom tied up this poem with ribbon and gave it to me at Christmas. I love that it skirts the victorious sentimentalism of many New Year’s reflections. Rather, it focuses on a living relationship with God: sometimes gained through sorrow rather than joy; through failure rather than success. It’s a narrative of grace and a song of hope.

I hope it blesses you today.

New Year’s Blessing

In the new year I do not wish for you
that God will bless you,
since God already intends
only the deepest blessings for you.
I don’t wish that good things will happen to you,
since I don’t know
what will most beautifully shape your soul—
in what losses you will receive grace,
in what challenges you will gain wisdom,
in what struggles you will become more truly yourself.

Instead I hope for you this blessing:
that your heart be at peace,
that your mind be open
and your will be lovingly present;
that you live each day this year with love, courage and beauty,
with gentleness, trust and gratitude.
That you speak and be the truth,
that you find joy and wonder in your life,
that you be deeply mindful
of God’s indwelling presence,
God’s deep delight in accompanying you
in every breath.