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Author Signing - Brandon Sanderson

March 3 @ 10.00pm
We have the man himself coming to the BYU Bookstore next Monday. Brandon Sanderson will be visiting the BYU Bookstore for the release of his new novel, Words of Radiance, book two in The Stormlight Archive.

Prepayment is required to reserve a signed copy of the book so please order your copy online at www.byubookstore.com and select "Service Desk Pick-Up, 3rd Floor" in order to get it at the midnight release party.

The schedule is as follows; but please feel free to go to his personal website for more details.

7:00am
Instead of waiting in the cold, this year the BYU Bookstore will be handing out numbered wristbands which will be distributed according to the order in which fans show up to wait in line outside the North West entrance to the BYU Bookstore. You must show proof of payment to receive a wristband. Then you are free to leave until the store reopens for the book release party.

10:00pm
The BYU Bookstore will reopen at 10:00pm to host the book release party. Even if you forgot to pre-order a signed book, come anyway. It's a great way to spend family home evening. Bring your friends/roommates/family/pet rock. In addition, there will be prizes to be won throughout the evening.


10:45pm
Around 10.45pm Brandon Sanderson will hold a reading and Q&A

11.45pm
At 11.45pm guests will be asked to begin lining up in numerical order, according to their pre-received wristbands, in preparation for the distribution of books at midnight. Once guests have picked up their book they are free to leave or get into a separate line to have their books personalized by Brandon Sanderson.

12.00am
People will begin to receive their signed copies of Words of Radiance.

If you received a numbered wristband and do not pick up your book by 1.00am your numbered book will be given to someone else. If you show up after this point to pick up your book you will be given a different number or a refund.

1.00am
Cash registers will close at 1.00am. All purchases must be made by this time.

Is there any better way to spend your Monday evening than this? It's going to be a late night but it's definitely going to be worth it. So, come, get your book, party with us for a little bit and then go home to stay up all night reading.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - John Boyne

If you're anything like me and must guiltily admit that you watched the film before you read the book then you will probably be surprised at how thin this book is when you initially pick it up.

Having seen the film and heard much about the book I was eager to read it. However, I didn't realise that it was intended for younger audiences until I actually opened it and began reading. This being said, do not be deterred by the size of the book nor the reading level it was written for.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, by John Boyne, is written from the perspective of a young German boy growing up in Nazi Germany. This young boy, Bruno, is taken from his family home and moved because of his father's job. Bruno hates his new home and tries desperately to convince his father to take the family back to Berlin. After this fails he resigns to exploring the nearby woods to entertain himself. In this exploring he stumbles across a tall fence with a little boy in striped pajamas sitting on the other side. The two boys soon become great friends.

Although it is written for and intended to be read by younger audiences, I daresay that an older reader would understand the depth it's written at and consequently get much more out of the novel. It is well worth taking the time to read.

YRead? Education through Procrastination

For those of you who Pinterest you may have seen this short poem floating around;



As the winter semester continues and the cold drags on annoyingly, I am able to relate to this short poem more and more with every coming day. It would be so nice to just sit down and forget everything and simply rest and read. The bad news is that finding time can sometimes be difficult especially when you're trying to balance school, work, church, and a social life. The idea of finding more time can be daunting and sometimes you just want to lay down and numb your brain with television or ice cream.

The good news is that is is President's Day this coming Monday and for us students that means: long weekend! Which, let's be honest, long weekends are pretty great; mainly because you can sleep in on Monday morning and that is one of the best feelings, unless you have work, in which case I applaud you. However, It's even better when you realize that you can stay in bed with a book and you don't really feel the need to hurry and get dressed. Long weekends were designed for you to take your time and amble through the day. You may have homework you need to catch up on but what's the rush?

This is the truly great thing about reading. You can read to procrastinate writing that essay but you are still in a sense being productive and enlightening your mind. So, whatever it is you plan to do or plan not to do this long weekend make sure you pick up a fun book and sharpen your mind without dulling your senses. Set aside some time to just sit with yourself and read. And feel free to tell us about it.