On coffee and princesses [TSS]

So, earlier this week, I was enjoying a nice, big, frothy latte and remembered an adorable YA book I'd read and enjoyed last year: The Espressologist by Kristina Springer.  It was a light-yet-comforting read which was fun fun fun.  I then I thought "what ever happened to the author"?  So many YA authors get their 30 seconds of fame before their book is released but, unless it is followed by a sequel, often fade into obscurity after they debut. Since I had heard nothing about Kristina since, I was afraid that the same had happened to her - and, worst of all, I had't even noticed.

Well, it turns out my fears were premature.  Not only did Kristina have a book published in October last year, My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours (which doesn't quite seem like my cup of tea, but let me know if you think I should give it a shot) she also has another YA novel coming out this fall: Just Your Average Princess.

Now, I'd seen the cover for Just Your Average Princess on one of those "upcoming books" posts that have become so popular on YA blogs - but the lack of details meant I'd ignored it.  Cute cover, but not for me.  But when I found out Kristina had written it, I thought a second look was in order.  At the time, there was no description of the book on Goodreads, so I searched online for an alternative source for a summary.  I found one soon enough on Kristina's website.  It sounds like it is going to be just as adorable as The Espressologist, and I absolutely cannot wait to read it.

So, what's my point?  Well, first off, I found  that I am not as cover-driven as I thought I was.  Even though I had loved the cover for Just Your Average Princess, I needed a better reason to add it to my wishlist.  I'm really glad that my subconscious picked up on the author and got me to check up on what she's been doing.

Second?  It made me realise how fleeting our love affairs are with authors.  And, like any relationship, they require work.  Even though I had loved Kristina's first book, I had rather abandoned her work.  Or rather, without actively following her updates, or without her publisher staging an extreme PR campaign, I would never have remembered to keep up with Kristina.

Maybe it's just me - but it seems like we rely on people telling us what to read.  Pushing and prodding - getting us excited about a new book/author/series.  But, really, we should look at the authors we've already grown to love - and consider ordering their back-listed books asap.

What is the Sunday Salon? Imagine some university library's vast reading room. It's filled with people--students and faculty and strangers who've wandered in. They're seated at great oaken desks, books piled all around them, and they're all feverishly reading and jotting notes in their leather-bound journals as they go. Later they'll mill around the open dictionaries and compare their thoughts on the afternoon's literary intake....