“You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone’s soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows that they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift.”
― Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus

Without any doubt, Erin Morgenstern has taken up residence in my soul. It all started with her outstanding debut novel, The Night Circus. Sometimes I’m afraid to read books that are as heavily buzzed as this one was at its release, but Morgenstern did not disappoint.

I have never read a book that transported me so completely to another place. I could see, hear, smell and even taste the surreal world of the Night Circus. And, while I found fault in the book’s ending, I knew I had found a new author to follow. A few years ago that would have meant eagerly awaiting her next release (which I will do).

But now, authors have websites and social media. So I went searching for Erin Morgenstern and found her on Twitter @ErinMorgenstern, found her website full of info and, best of all, discovered her breath-taking blog Flax-Golden Tales. Reading these short, sweet tales is like stepping into a new Night Circus tent week after week.

of boxes and blame

It was the box’s fault. That is, if boxes can be faulted for such things.

And perhaps it was not the box itself to blame as much as the fact that the box was locked.

Which would make it the fault of the lock.

Or more precisely, the fault that it could not unlock itself at will.

Had it been able to perform such a feat, the entire ordeal might well have been avoided.

The bench was the one to suffer, though, left horribly bent and broken.

They can never resist a locked box, even when the locked box is placed on a bench that cannot possibly hold their weight without buckling under the pressure of curious claws.

The box remained intact but traumatized.

No one knows what became of the lock.

In a few short lines, she transports me once again to places of wonder and beauty. These tales make me smile, make me think, and always take residence in my soul.

And, it gets better. I belong to a group through my library called Book Lovers Club. We meet every other month (in a martini bar) to each talk about one book we love. No surprise, The Night Circus has been mentioned several times over the past year. But when it came up again this month, we had the best follow-up ever!

“If any of you are interested in meeting the book’s author, she’s coming to speak at Aurora High School on October 11^th as part of our Fox Valley Reads series.”

What?!?

I just about choked on my martini. Of course I’m interested. So what if Aurora is not exactly next door – this is Erin Morgenstern people!

It took a little digging on the Oswego Public Library website, but here’s the link to register for the event if you’re in the Chicago area.

I  am over the moon with excitement about this. I’ve enjoyed connecting with favorite authors on Twitter, but to meet one in person? I recently had to miss Gillian Flynn when she appeared at my local library so I’m determined not to pass on this opportunity.

And, in true book geek fashion, I plan to wear black and white, with a splash of red.

If you’re not close enough to see her in person, you can still catch her on video. Goodreads just hosted one of their excellent and informative video chats.

Related articles

• Paperback Picks – July (alenaslife.wordpress.com)