BYU Store Blog

Alice Through the Years

This month to celebrate the new Alice Through the Looking Glass Movie our Fairy Tale of the month will include a special visit from Alice, and the Mad Hatter.

To prepare for these events of this week we have taken a journey to explore how Alice has evolved through the years.

Originally Alice and Wonderland was just a book titled, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, written by Lewis Carroll in 1865. In 1871 Lewis Carroll wrote a second book, Through the Looking Glass that continues the adventures of Alice. A card game was published in 1882 by Selchow and Righter.

The earliest Musical Performance of Alice in Wonderland was done in 1886 combining his two books in to one play. 1890 Lewis Carroll published The Nursery “Alice” to be read to toddler age children.

As years passed several editions continued to be made and released, popularity grew.

The first film was created in 1903 entitled Alice in Wonderland. It was a silent film directed by Cecil Hepworth and Percy Stow. In 1951 Walt Disney Productions released a full length animated musical film called Alice in Wonderland. In 1972 a British musical film based on the Lewis Carroll novels was released called, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

In 1985 another two-part, made for television film was aired on TV with Alice being played by Natalie Gregory. Another Alice in Wonderland film was made in 1999 and first aired on television on NBC. Many of the characters were played by well-known actors and actresses including, Whoopi Goldberg and Martin Short.

The most recent Alice in Wonderland film was released in 2010. It was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and directed by Tim Burton with many known actors and actresses including, Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska, Rhys Ifans, Helena Bonham Carter and others. The sequel to the 2010 film is set to be released this month on the 27th of May! It is called Alice Through the Looking Glass and will have the same cast as the 2010 film.

Fairytale of the Month: The Little Mermaid

If you’ve wandered through the Children’s Book section of the BYU store lately, you’ve probably noticed that things have gotten a little “fishy” around here. There are fish on the walls of the book nook, sea weed hanging from the ceiling, gigantic paper coral and a not-so-friendly looking red crab. With all of the sea horses and adorable little fish, you may wonder what has gotten into the employees over here in Children’s Book. We’re fine, doing great actually – just excited for our monthly event, “Fairytale of the Month!”

Several months ago, one of our employees had the idea to get children involved in a more personal way with some of the fairytale stories we often read and see depicted in movies and on TV. Since then our “Fairytale of the Month” events have become an event that families and employees look forward to. As employees in Children’s Book, we wanted to give the children a unique and more fantastic experience, so we turned our “Book Nook” into an underwater Mermaid Grotto, perfect to welcome our special guest, the Little Mermaid. Dressed head to toe in her modest mermaid costume, our little mermaid told the children her story of love and adventure while they decorated paper fish to add to the walls of the grotto. Intermingled with the storytelling, we conducted drawings to give away free flamingo and turtle stuffed animals. Just to add to the fun, all of the mermaid books were sold with a discount of 25% to give our guests the chance to take the story home with them.

Overall this seemed to be a well-enjoyed event full of fairytales, fun and friendship. We all enjoyed being a part of the action and watching people and fairytales come alive. We’re looking forward to next month’s fairytale, Arabian Nights, and hope that you will join us for the fun!

Breaking Down Unbroken

True to the promise that I made to myself, I did not watch Unbroken until I had finished Lauren Hillenbrand's accounting of Louis Zamperini's near unfathomable tale of struggle and survival.

The Olympian/WWII veteran's biography has received substantial attention with the release of the major motion picture last December. The film received a substantial $115,637,895 domestically, but the book has performed better in reviews and has sold over 4 million copies as of June 2014.

The true story follows Louis' path from boyhood to manhood, including the transformation from ruffian to Olympian, and goofy GI to emaciated POW. Hillenbrand tells of early life experiences, character traits, and specific events that mold Louis into the man capable of surviving the impossible. The tale of survival demonstrates the power of positive attitude, even in the most dire circumstances, the value of dignity to a human being, and forgiveness as a means to redemption. In this way, a man's heinous experience can be understood and associated with the everyday issues we all face in life.

Unbroken connects the reader with a real-life hero in Louis Zamperini. The man overcame some of the most cruel adversity with optimism and a sense of humor, but he is not dehumanized as a perfect man. His faults serve as a channel of empathy for the reader, an identifier. Yet, his victories in both common and terrible situations show us the strength of the human spirit when compelled by love, truth, and the will to live.

If you haven't read Unbroken yet, the Fourth of July season is as good a time as any to discover the cost of liberty from a POW's perspective.

Available Here: http://bit.ly/1NDI6ur

Summer Adventures in Utah

In the wake of Memorial Day festivities, those who traveled Provo Canyon this past weekend saw boats, campers and trailers, off-road vehicles, mountain bikes, and all manner of equipment indicating adventure. One reason that Utah is such a special place to live is because there is so much to do in the great outdoors.

Lest anyone is deterred from getting out of the house because of the indecision of what adventures to embark upon, I have composed list of some great places to go see. The BYU Store has an entire section of books displaying Utah and the many natural treasures that are waiting to be seen and experienced.

Escalante

Experience the Escalante/Grand Staircase by spending a few days hiking Coyote Gulch or making a visit to Jacob Hamblin Arch. Traversing through the greenery along the river and amidst the red rock surrounding is truly amazing.

Jacob Hamblin Arch

Canyonlands

Along with more great views and large arches, Canyonlands is a special destination because of the amazing history in the ancient Indian Ruins.

Anasazi Indian Ruins

Zions

Perhaps the most famous park in Utah is Zion National Park, known for breathtaking views and hikes. But literally. Three of the most popular hikes are Angels Landing, The Narrows, and The Subway for more technical climbers.

Angels Landing overlook

High Uinta’s

For a different scene, make your way to the most prominent east-west mountain range in the continental U.S. The forested Uinta’s are home to the highest point in Utah at King’s Peak and the picturesque Red Castle Rock. There are thousands of lakes and beautiful forests to be explored in the Uinta Mountains.

Red Castle Rock

Timpanogos

A local favorite and a perfect destination for a day hike because of proximity. Mount Timpanogos and the various trails scattered through the mountains are beautiful and provide a diversity of views. Summiting Timp to see the sunrise in the east is well worth hiking in the early hours of the morning.

Sunrise on Mount Timpanogos

Honorable Mentions (worth the time!)

Bryce Canyon: Thors Hammer

Capital Reef: Temple of the Moon

Antelope Island: Visit the bison and the Great Salt Lake

As always, safety first. Be prepared with equipment, knowledge of the terrain, and an understanding of the weather forecast. Happy trails!

For more information on Utah hikes and sights, check out the travel guides and photography books available online here.

The Mysterious Benedict Society - Book Review

The Mysterious Benedict Society

Trenton Lee Stewart’s The Mysterious Benedict Society was an interesting read. I hate to use vague terms like ‘interesting,’ but I wouldn't say it was exactly ‘immediately captivating,’ nor would I say that it was only ‘mildly entertaining.’ It kept my focus pretty well, but it took me until the latter end of the book to really get into it. That’s probably my only real problem with the story—I found it to be rather slow-paced. If you have more patience than I do in that area, though, I would highly recommend The Mysterious Benedict Society.

The story is about four children who pass some strange tests, whereby they are selected to perform a dangerous mission to save the world from being brainwashed. The characters themselves were the main reason I enjoyed the book: you have your main character, Reynie Muldoon, an even-tempered but above-average boy that most readers will find themselves drawn to; then there’s “Sticky” Washington, the mental storehouse of the group—a nervous brainiac; next is Kate Wetherall, the spunky, motor-mouth girl foil to Reynie’s collected, reasoning character; and finally, there’s the diminutive but disparaging poet, Constance Contraire, whose name says it all. Supporting these four are some quirky adults: the narcoleptic Mr. Benedict, as well as “Number Two” (a woman who can’t sleep and therefore must eat constantly), Rhonda (an intuitive young woman who hails from Zambia), and the perpetually-depressed and memory-less Milligan (a man who mysteriously possesses some impressive, spy-like escape and protection skills).

As for the conflict, I agree with Publisher’s Weekly and The School Library Journal in saying that it has strong echoes of Roald Dahl’s works. There is a continual emphasis on the unappreciated power of children, especially in the face of the antagonists, who believe that children are mostly an annoying blemish on society. I think this comparison is probably my best meter as to whether you will enjoy the piece or not: if you like Roald Dahl’s works, you will more than likely enjoy this one. The adventure moves a little slowly, but the climax is pretty intense. At some points, I had to remind myself to breathe.

Favorite Lines: (A spontaneous poem by Constance Contraire)

“Now we have waited for thirty consecutive

Minutes to see some old dirty Executive.

Thirty long minutes I could have been sleeping.

But she doesn't find her appointments worth keeping.”

Tasha Layton is a BYU alumnus, editor, and new mom. She is a self-proclaimed bibliophile who spends her time keeping her bibliovore baby from eating her library.

27 Books for Fall and Counting

Summer finals are going on right now and Fall Semester starts in 20 days. Which is ridiculous. How can the Summer be over so fast?

For those of you who endeavored through and took classes during the summer, I am so impressed and I sincerely wish you straight A's on all your finals. You deserve it for taking the risk and studying through the entire year. For those of you, like me, who decided to take a break, I'm just giving you a three-week heads-up. We have to go back to class again in a few weeks. So, brace yourselves, class is coming.

This dawned on me a few days ago and being the proactive book buyer that I am, I may have already ordered my books for next semester. Since I was a brave soul and decided to be an English major, I managed to trap myself into a semester full of reading. Taking English classes leaves you with a lot of books, specifically over 27. Only a couple of my professor have put up their lists for Fall Semester and I ordered most of them but not all of them and it still leaves me with a pile of at least 27 novels to read this coming semester. Unfortunately, there are more to come and I'm still waiting on a couple of other professors to update the list. I'll post a picture in the comments when I finally have them all.

Since I've found myself in the predicament of sporting an unruly tower of books against my wall, I thought I would highlight some of the options that the BYU Store has for textbooks and such.

Textbook Sell-Back

Books are eligible for sell-back if they are in good working condition and if a professor has put that book on their list. Other than that, you can pretty much sell-back any book even if you didn't initially buy it at the BYU Store. However, there is only so much stock the BYU Store can buy back, so you will want to bring your books in as soon as possible. A more detailed list of terms and conditions is available here.

The Book Exchange

The Book Exchange is a little different but pretty self-explanatory. It is simply an alternative method for buying and selling textbooks. It's an opportunity to sell your used textbooks to other students and then buy the ones that you need directly from other students. You can access the Book Exchange here.

Order your Fall Textbooks Online

Preparing for coming back to school is daunting so we're trying to make it as easy as we can. You can order your Fall textbooks online if you go to My Booklist and then just pick them up in store. And I love the way they've set this up because they not only list the BYU Store prices but also list other online vendors' prices so you can compare and contrast.

The Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer

Recently, in approximately the last ten years or so the market for Young Adult fiction has exploded. However, with this explosion comes the inevitable money seeking authors, or authors who aren't necessarily writing solely for the money but might have only made a deal because the subject of their novel fit the bill, so to speak. Hundreds and hundreds of YA novels have been and are still being released every year and sometimes it's easy to get lost and miss out on the really exceptional ones.

Cinder, by Marissa Meyer, I would argue is one of those exceptional ones. I must reveal my faults and admit that I judged this one by its cover. I saw it and was disinterested by the fact that it was a fairytale retelling done with a post-apocalyptic twist. In my mind both fairytale retellings and post-apocalyptic novels were overdone. So, I avoided it.

However, my avoidance was not to be. All of my roommates read it and I still managed to avoid even reading the blurb but eventually it got to me. One of my good friends needed me to babysit her books while she went away on a study abroad. Cinder was in the pile. So, finally I gave in and read it.

I think I may have finally learnt my lesson to never judge a book by its cover or by the literary stereotypes. Cinder is indeed a retelling of the Cinderella fairytale but it doesn't unfold in the way you would expect it to. Marissa Meyer has done an excellent job in re-writing the tale while introducing heavier conflict and higher stakes than the typical fairytale love story. The protagonist, Cinder, is a cyborg and with that comes a sort of racial prejudice against her. The novel is about Cinder's persistent struggle with this prejudice while accidentally getting caught up in the much deeper-rooted politics between the Earthens and the Lunars. Meyer is a talented writer and manages to continue the story through the next two books without losing any of the novel's initial charm.

In the last blog post I wrote, I encouraged us to read something other than YA. However, this is one of the best Young Adult novels I have read in a long time and I encourage you to give it a shot.

Reading Something Other Than YA

Young Adult fiction is overtaking the industry. If I could be so bold, I might say that YA is our literary movement. There are just so many that it takes a very dedicated bookworm to keep up with them all. I, myself, am no where near that level of commitment.

However, looking back on this blog, I realize that I talk a lot about fiction, especially Young Adult fiction. Which is great. YA is awesome. However, as Joyce Carol Oates said, "Fiction is wonderful, but it's only one room in the mansion of literature." And this understanding of literature can also be applied to YA. Sometimes I get so caught up in the easy fiction of the Young Adult genre that I forget about the significance and power of other genres.

We have hundreds and hundreds of years of history each with their own take on literature. I would know, and other English majors would know, because of the abundance of literary history classes that we have to take.

As big of a reader as I pretend to be, I try really hard to read in other genres as well. In all honesty, you just can't claim the title of bookworm unless you really do worm through all the genres.

That being said, yesterday was the centennial anniversary of the publication of James Joyce's Dubliners collection. If you haven't read these yet, I highly recommend it.

If you need more persuasion, The New York Times published a short article honoring the anniversary and you can read it here.

When You're Trying to Read...

This might be something that only professional booknerds will experience on a regular basis but if you've ever been so hooked on a book that you just, literally, can't put it down then you'll probably understand as well.

<-- Voila.
The unfortunate dilemma of binge reading.

There's nothing quite like curling up in bed or in the corner of your couch with your nose in a novel. The rain drumming against your window or the softer snow muting the distracting noises. But then, you read for, what amateurs would say is, too long. And soon, your bed is no longer comfortable. Your body is numb.

And your eyes begin to hurt because of inadequate lighting and you start thinking, 'I should get out of bed and do something with my life.'

Fortunately, I count reading as being productive (even if you're using it to procrastinate homework). It's just the staying in bed all day that makes you feel so groggy. Unfortunately, Provo is notorious for its hormonal weather, especially in the Fall, Winter, and Spring seasons that all sort of blend together into one long Winter.

This is my first summer staying in Provo. So, I have high hopes. And happily, it's finally warm enough to read outside. On campus, we have some pretty amazing nooks and crannies that you can hide in and sit in the shade and read. Or if you need to get out of the BYU bubble, there are a lot of nice parks around town that provide ample room to read with the fresh, warmer, air of Summer.

Diagnosed as a Closet Fantasy Fan

If there were such a diagnosis, I could probably be identified as a closet fantasy fan. No, I don’t mean Harry Potter. There are no judgments placed upon the HP fans that make up 95% of the population. J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings series and The Hobbit are also exempt due to a mainstream fan-ship. However, once the reader ventures into Tolkien’s expansive works, such as The Silmarillion, new labels are frequented more and more, “nerd” and “geek” being the most common. I, myself, have often avoided the self-termed “heavy” fantasy and elongated sagas. Yet, Brandon Sanderson has breached my attempts to eschew the genre. Indeed, after reading Elantris and The Mistborn Trilogy, I have been magnificently drawn into his Stormlight Archive, including The Way of Kings and newly released Words of Radiance.

Admittedly, the Stormlight Archive is, or is to be, lengthy, to say the least, but Sanderson has shown his ability to provide just enough crumbs to keep the reader searching, but also withhold enough of the story to prevent any indulging. Frustrating? Sure. Artistic? I suppose. Working? Yes.

With the emergence of Sanderson, I have come out of the metaphorical “fantasy closet.” I read really long books full of magic, mystery, adventure, and intrigue. Additionally, I plan on reading eight more 1,000 page novels in order to tie all the strings together, but that is what we Fantasy lovers do. We read and we don’t care.

Do yourself a favor and discover the brilliance in Brandon Sanderson’s storytelling by reading one of his nationally acclaimed books during your excess time this summer.

- Luke

The House of the Scorpion - Nancy Farmer

In all honesty, I picked up this one because of the abundance of shiny stickers on the front cover. I did the same thing as a little kid and thought that I just had an impeccable taste in books; it took me a little while before I realized that I was just reading all the books that had been granted awards. Still, I am a sucker for shiny stickers. This probably isn't the best way to go about picking the next book you're going to read but in all honesty, it can't hurt.

The House of the Scorpion, by Nancy Farmer, is a post-apocalyptic YA novel about a clone named Matteo Alacran. And not just any clone but the clone of El Patron, the most powerful and influential drug lord who rules the empire of Opium, a country situated between Mexico (now Aztlan) and the United States. Matteo stands out in that he is the only clone whose mind is not destroyed when he was initially harvested.

I know, it seems as if the post-apocalyptic genre is worn out and overdone but this book didn't win all these awards for no reason. So give it a shot, and read it because of the shiny stickers.

What Should I Read Next?

You know that feeling when you've just read a really long series, or a really good stand alone, and you are so caught up in that world of writing that you just have no idea what to do with your life? This happens to me way too often. And either one of three things happens:

I want something similar to read. Something that keeps me in the same sort of mindset.
OR I get really antsy to try something new and want to read something on an entirely different plane of thought.
OR I don't read; which is bad.

And as insignificant as it may be, it is always a difficult choice to make. What should I read next? And the whole time your considering options, you are totally ignoring the list of to-read books you have hidden somewhere. Those are the books that you do want to read eventually but try as you might, you're just not in the mood for any of those that you've previously picked out.

Well, I have a couple of solutions for you.

If you're in the mood for something similar as the book you just finished, there is this great website that is literally called whatshouldireadnext.com. All you have to do is type in the name of an author or a book and it gives you a inexhaustible list of books to read.
Another option, is to force yourself to sit down and read those books that you have on your shelf but just haven't read yet. I'm always initially apprehensive to do this myself, but as soon as I do, I get lost in the writing and voila, problem solved.
If you try all this options and still no luck, well, I have this nifty and obnoxiously long infographic for you here. And one slightly less obnoxiously long one here:

Short Stories a Plenty

It seems that we have found ourselves in a literary period focused very heavily on Young Adult fiction; not only in the publishing industry but also the film industry. This is particularly evident in Utah where the trend is thriving. It would be easy to argue that this primarily because of the manner in which the genre transcends generations, which is a valid argument. However, there are other, equally poignant, genres out there.

Looking back on this blog, I realized that I've written quite a few posts around Young Adult fiction lately and I just wanted to clarify and stake my claim that believe it or not, I don't only read YA novels.

One genre that I am particularly fond of, is that of the short stories. School, church, work, and frankly, life, often get in the way of my reading and I endeavor to make up for this by binge reading which normally kills my grades. It took me a while to discover how I could remedy this but when I did, it was through the short story. Reading a short story is non-committal. They last long enough to get my reading fix but are also short enough that they don't distract me (too much). And thus, I discovered how to balance my reading addiction and my grades by keeping a thick collection of short stories in my bag, especially during the busier parts of the semester. With this, it is easy to sit down in ten or fifteen minutes and simply read one of them.

I wanted to focus today on a collection of short stories that can be read either separately or as an entire novel. The collection, Girl in Hyacinth Blue, by Susan Vreeland, is a piece of historical fiction that starts off set in the present time telling the tale of a quiet math professor who invites one of his colleagues, an art professor, to come gaze upon a painting that he insists is a Vermeer. As each short story follows, they connect as an entirety to tell the tale of this one painting as it survived long past it's viewers and their individual wars.

By seeing how each character regards the painting, Vreeland creates a collection that comments on the power of beauty and why some of it lasts and some of it doesn't while simultaneously providing a powerful insight to the motives behind truth and lies.

This work of historical fiction is an easy and enjoyable way to get into the habit of reading short stories in one's spare time. Find it here. More short stories to come!

Celebrate Children's Book Week by Reading to Your Bunny!

It is National Children's Book Week and what a better way to celebrate than having a Pajamarama! Parents and children were invited to wear their pajamas and bed hair into the byustore for storytime with our employees. It was great! (even the cashiers got in on it).

This was our third annual Pajamarama and this year we took inspiration from Rosemary Wells' picture book, Read to Your Bunny. Wells is most well known for her incredible Max and Ruby bunny series with beautiful illustrations as she tells the adventures of these two little bunnies. Read to Your Bunny isn't directly related to this series but contains the same wonderful art and story telling unique to Rosemary Wells.

Read to your bunny is an invitation to the world of reading—a poem your child will want to hear again and again. Make it a prelude to reading with your own little bunnies every day—and soon they'll be reading back to you.

As a part of National Children's Week we would like to challenge you to read to your bunny for 20 minutes a day for 20 days to receive 20% off one children's book! Make sure you get the calendar in store or right here.

*and tag us, on Instagram any time between now and the end of May, in a picture of you reading to your bunny for a chance to win a free movie rental!

Never Judge a Book by its Movie

You've heard the phrase to never judge a book by its cover but what about its movie? An incredible amount of films being released at the moment are based on novels, specifically Young Adult novels. And being students with a multitude of ways to distribute our time, it is easy to fall into the habit of simply watching the movie instead of taking the time to actually read the book.

Watching the movie first vs. reading the book first:
First up, we need to admit that both options each have their pros and cons. Most people would argue that it's better to read the book first and for the most part I agree with them. Reading the book gives you a much wider insight to the characterization and a deeper understanding of the message that the author is trying to convey. And while there are many books that are considered better than the movie, there are also the lucky few films that could be argued to be better than the book but I won't name names in fear of angering passionate book nerds everywhere.

The dilemma is that the market for Young Adult novels is expanding rapidly at the moment and the genre reaches a wide range of people so they just keep getting written. Thus, it's a given that at least a few of them would be made into films as well. And with that option, it's often easier to wait until the film is released instead of reading the book. Let me share a couple of personal experiences...

A Comparison: Divergent and The Fault in Our Stars
Some of you may have had a similar experience, depending on how much YA you personally read but at the time that Divergent, by Veronica Roth, was released there had been so much Young Adult post-apocalyptic content swimming through the literary world that I was feeling a little overwhelmed and avoided YA for a while. When the movie came out, my roommate (who had actually read it) wanted to go see it and at first I resisted because I feared that the movie wouldn't live up to my expectations, kind of like the film adaptation of Stephanie Meyer's The Host. A book that I liked and a film that I didn't. However, I succumbed and went to see it with her and I loved it. I'm no film critic but I liked this film so much so that I went out and bought my own copy of Divergent so I could read it.

With John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, the story is a little different. John Green's style of writing had diverged from the post-apocalyptic trend and was written to convey a setting that was a lot more realistic and probable. I was drawn to his novels a lot faster than I was drawn to others in the genre. As a causation of this, I have read all his novels. The Fault in Our Stars being the most recent one, which, I might argue to be his best piece of work. The film has yet to be released and is currently in the works but it's an excellent YA novel with a very large and loyal following; and I sincerely hope that the film industry does it justice.

Results:
Reading Divergent took a lot longer than I anticipated because I already knew the story-line since I had seen the film. I had had the same experience with City of Bones, by Cassandra Clare. Watching the film first made it more difficult to lose myself in the novel and I often found myself thinking things like, 'that's new,' and 'eh, I think I liked that part better in the film.' Whereas, reading The Fault in Our Stars was a much faster read and I felt like I got more depth out of it since I was imagining the story for the first time.

This dilemma of an expanding Young Adult genre in literature, and in film, isn't necessarily one that needs solving but only that we need to acknowledge. When the rights to a book are sold to a film company, that film company has every legal right to do whatever they want with it, even changing it drastically. That power can go in either direction and sometimes the film isn't a good example of what the book was. I recommend reading the book before you see the film (one reason why I haven't seen The Book Theif yet!) but that being said if I had of stuck by that I would have missed out on reading a couple of really good books in my time. However, I worry that too many people are just waiting for the film, and if the film doesn't represent the author's work accurately then the habit is to avoid said book. Movies don't always represent the book well. So, heed the slightly tweaked version of the old adage; never judge a book by its movie.

Summer reading challenge:

Read all the recent books that have been made into movies!

Buy Divergent here and The Fault in Our Stars here, or simply where the title of the novel is highlighted in the text!

Allanah Osborn is an avid reader with a bookshelf that costs way too much money to move from one apartment to the next. She is currently a byustore employee and writes regularly for the Y Read Blog.

Author Signing - Stephanie Nielson

May 1st @ 1.00pm

The byustore is extremely lucky to have Stephanie Nielson coming in to do a signing of her memoir, Heaven Is Here, May 1st at 1pm.

Stephanie Nielson began her career as a blogger and gained quite the following with her blog NieNie Dialogues about her life as a young wife and mother.

In 2008, Stephanie and her husband, Christian, were involved in a plane accident that left both of them with burns and Stephanie in a coma. In her memoir she recounts the trauma with excruciating detail and the physical and emotional growing that followed. It's a beautiful memoir telling of her resilience and her wonderful humor that never skipped a beat as she recovered physically and grew spiritually.

11.00am
In the Wilkinson Student Center Ballroom, Stephanie Nielson will be speaking on Social Media: "New Ways to Invite Others to 'Come and See'"

12.00pm
Immediately afterwards she will be making an appearance in the byustore to sign your books. We have the hardback and the soft cover available.

busy week at the byustore

You may have heard, or may not have depending on how much you've burrowed out of your study hole in the last couple of weeks, but the BYU Bookstore has officially become the byustore. In an effort to rebrand, reach out, and reboot. It is our goal and our hope to recreate what the byustore is and how it interacts with BYU students, alumni, and everyone else. My personal favorite new goal for the byustore is that we will be sponsoring more fun events at the store to make it an exciting place to shop and to visit. As a writer for this blog, I would be more than happy to read any of your contributions and suggestions on how to make the byustore a more exciting place to visit. I love brainstorming! However, please note that I don't have nearly as much power as I might like.

Finals Are Fast Approaching and All I Want to do is Read A Novel: Some Tips on Staying on Track

How is it that finals are sneaking up on us and the school year is almost done already? Sometimes the weeks seem to go brutally slow but then all of sudden you're handing in final papers and filling out flashcards. For some reason while I was growing up I assumed that we spent a good chunk of our lives at college but older me has now fully realised how fast it actually goes. I didn't even know it was possible to learn so much in such little time. I didn't even know it was possible to feel this wiped out and honestly I'm ready to lie in bed all day watching movies and reading novels.

Since I needed motivation myself, I thought it might be a good idea to outline some helpful study tips and procrastination avoiders. Since being here I've stumbled across some pretty great (and definitely free) tools and if I'm being completely honest, I may have googled some of these to add more content to this post.

Go to Quizlet.com, don't ask questions just go there. Save paper and enter your flashcards into this website and then play all the games! I speak from personal experience when I say that this increased my grade a good 20% from midterm to the other. It turns out my old way of studying wasn't as prime as I had thought it was.
I don't want to encourage you to use Sparknotes but if you are an English major or any major with a ton of reading, this is a great website to use as a way to review what you've already read.
If you still haven't figured out how to schedule very well then Schooltraq is ridiculously helpful! It is literally just an online planner that will help you remember everything you need to do and the importance in which you need to do them! Plus it includes a calendar and you can access it from your phone to.
If you just need a simple to-do list the Wunderlist app is great!
For all last minute papers: easybib.com is the place to go. If you haven't discovered this one already, you're missing out. It makes creating a bibliography simply a manner of minutes.
For those with Apple software, be adventurous and try the SelfControl app. It will help you block out distracting websites and applications for a set time and there is literally nothing you can do to get around it.

While I think any of the above mentioned sites and applications will help organise the chaos that comes with the end of semestre, I also want to emphasize the importance of taking time to yourself. Taking a time out is just as important for your brain as sleeping, and eating, and breathing. Remember to do something fun that's different every now and then. Even if that is using your free time reading as motivation to get a certain amount of studying done or simply calling up a friend who you know can make you laugh. Laughing is healthy. Just don't burst out laughing in the middle of a final because people might slowly inch their desks away from yours. Also keep in mind that finals are right around Easter weekend. Don't let your finals distract you from the importance of that either.

One last thing, don't forget to keep your eye on the light at the end of the tunnel. Believe it or not, finals only last for a week. To keep you motivated and focused on this idea maybe use your free time to plan out some of your summer. Spend some time writing out a reading list and since I mentioned reading, let me just throw in that the books you read and hated in high school, you should read those again. Believe it or not but reading the classics as a little bit older and wiser really changes your perspective. Just don't spend too much time planning things out. Don't get the wrong idea and think I'm giving you excuses to procrastinate even though I really am.

Allanah Osborn is an avid reader with a bookshelf that costs way too much money to move from one apartment to the next. She is currently a BYU Bookstore employee and writes regularly for the Y Read Blog.

READ LOCAL

I love seeing local authors do well. Even more I love connecting with books that have been written by local authors. At the BYU Bookstore when I say "local read," I am laying claim to:

Utah authors and illustrators
LDS authors and illustrators as well as
BYU alumni that are authors and illustrators

They are all of particular interest here.

Two locals who qualify in more than one of those areas are both Brandons – Brandon Mull and Brandon Sanderson. Both men have the loyalty of the BYU Bookstore. We recommend their books highly and with good success. The success I claim is more important than money; it is customer satisfaction. I theorize that writers who write first because they love to, and then to earn their way, tell a better story. Brandon Mull and Brandon Sanderson are authors who write because they love to. The stories they tell are loved in turn by their readers. They both have multiple new titles worth looking at.

Brandon Mull's Sky Raiders launched March 11. Sixth grader, Cole goes into what he thinks is a haunted house and ends up in the "Outskirts" involved with the Sky Raiders and the problem of how to get himself and his friends home. Don't let the sixth grade age limit your interest. I was thoroughly entertained by this book. It is book 1 of the new Five Kingdoms series. Spirit Animals is a new multiple author series and book 1 is written by Brandon Mull. Wild Born debuted September 2013. Brandon has done a great job of launching the story and the line-up of authors for the rest of the series is stellar. Brandon Mull creates worlds that we jump to believe in.

Brandon Sanderson writes books for young and old with ease. His fans love the books without regard to the target age. He loves to write and he loves his readers. It is a wonderful formula for success. Words of Radiance, book 2 of his Stormlight series launched at a midnight party hosted by BYU Bookstore this month, selling well over 700 books. His recent Young Adult books, Rithmatist and Steelheart are big favorites. I have confessed to a case of fantasy fatigue before I started Rithmatist. I picked it up out of loyalty to Brandon but admittedly in the mood for realism not fantasy. Even with that negative start, he had me enthralled before page 5. A sure cure for fantasy fatigue is well-written fantasy. Steelheart delivers intense action and fast-paced super-hero plotting.

These authors aren't just running with best sellers. They lead the pack.

- Anita

Anita is the Children's Book buyer for the BYU Bookstore and has worked at the BYU Bookstore for over ten years! Anita spreads her love of reading within our Children's Books department and with many local events.