0 The Day Myra McEntire Came to Town

So, y'all know Myra McEntire, right?

She wrote this:

And this:

And the last book in this trilogy comes out this summer and OMG LOOK AT THE PRETTY:

So excited about this one.

So, I love these books, but I feel like I have a special love for Myra McEntire, because she's the one who kind of brought me and Emily together.  I mean, we knew each other in passing.  I came into the store (it's my childhood bookstore so when I moved back, I couldn't wait for regular visits!), I said hi, I think I had maybe mentioned that I was a librarian, but we hadn't really had a chance to talk all that much.  But one day, we started talking about Hourglass, and Emily mentioned that she had an ARC of Timepiece (this was MONTHS before it was out).  Now, booksellers get arcs by the boxful (as well they should), but libraries aren't really set up that way.  ARCs are basically librarian currency.  We hoard them and trade them like addicts.  So when Emily asked me if I wanted to borrow this ARC of Timepiece, I was so excited that I almost cried. I inhaled it in about a day, and I took to the twitter, where Emily and I engaged Myra in a lively debate about her penchant for cliffhanger endings.  And thus a relationship was born (ah, backstory).

So when Egmont decided to send her to Emily's store in September, I jumped at the chance to bring her to the high school in the city my library serves.  I have a great relationship with the head of the English department there, so I called and asked (read: begged) if she could find a way to bring an author to speak to some students.  She was excited about the chance, and so we arranged for her to come speak to the "Super Scholars" at the high school--these kids are in the top 20% of their respective classes.

Sure, there were some obnoxious boys in the front that asked dumb questions, but that's part of the charm of school visits, right, authors? RIGHT?!

The talk was a lot of fun (peppered with Myra's love for Doctor Who and Vampire Diaries), and the kids enjoyed hearing about her books and her process, and Emily sold some books.  After the talk, Myra signed books for the kids and they all got to hang out and ask questions.  I even saw her sign an arm or two (she's suck a rockstar).  It was so cool to see kids that I work with so excited to talk to her and hear what she had to say  All in all, it was a pretty fantastic day.  Score one for The League!!  There was also a store event that, unfortunately, I didn't get to attend.  I had to work or whatever.  Thanks to Myra McEntire and Katie Halata of Egmont and Emily for making this opportunity possible for these kids!!

The League and Myra McEntire! And I'm apparently wearing the least flattering outfit in the history of the world.  Good grief.  Don't let me wear this shirt again, y'all.

I posted about on this over on my library's blog in the fall, so y'all should all go check that out here (it has a few more pictures).

0 Lest you think we forgot you

Greetings, minions. The bookselling and library businesses are quite busy in the fall with events, programming, signings, collection development, committee meetings.  More on all of these things when The League has a chance to catch our collective breaths.  But for now, we leave you with this picture of The League with the lovely author Myra McEntire at a school visit this past week. Myra (whose books we both adore) is part of our Origins story, too. Which we will reveal, in due time.  Enjoy your weekend!

0 Humble Beginnings

Welcome to the lair of The League. If you are reading this, you have been cleared to view the innermost workings of the most diabolical movement in the book world: The League. We will be discussing our sinister plans for World Domination, as well as how you, our loyal minions, can mimic our aspirations.

But seriously. We're a bookseller (Emily) and a librarian (Ally) in the great landmass of Mississippi. We bonded over our mutual love of children's and young adult literature. Every time our paths crossed (which is a lot, because did we mention we live in Mississippi? we're all about the community here, y'all.), we swapped recommendations, compared reviewing sources, and generally gushed about our newest favorites and timeless loves (JELLICOE!).  As time passed, we realized that our friendship could blossom into an awesome working relationship and could produce a beneficial partnership for both of our institutions.  Libraries and independent bookstores serve very different but equally important roles in the community. We wanted to show our patrons and customers that we aren't competitors--we're co-conspirators, two people and groups working towards a common goal.  So we decided to put it to the test.  As for the name? Well, the awesome Shannon Hale called us superheroes for our work with children and books, and what's a superhero without a league of allies?

Recently we collaborated on two amazing projects: bringing Peter Brown and Shannon Hale to the grand city of Jackson. And wouldn't you know it, they will be debuting at #7 and #8 respectively on the NYT bestseller list this weekend. Coincidence? The League thinks not!

Join us as we review books, discuss events and programming (on the solo and collaborative levels), and basically show you how we will soon rule the world. Which is of course the book world because what other world matters.

As a side note, we wouldn't be The League without having a few things just for kids. We here at The League HQ understand that there can, upon occasion, be a disconnect between the adults that write, review, and recommend children's literature and the children who read it. The League is on the frontlines. We deal with the kids on a daily basis, and we love them and their perspective on the books written for them.

Thanks for joining us.


THE LEAGUE