Okay, not really. But today is one of the happiest days of the year -- the release of the newest Lemony Snicket novel in the Series of Unfortunate Events. I LOVE these books! They only come out once a year (usually in September or October) and Ginger and I always make sure to go to the bookstore on the release date. Today was extra-special because I got to stand in a long line to get a wristband to hear Lemony Snicket speak at the Texas Book Festival next weekend! Ginger heard that he plays the accordion and sings gloomy songs when he speaks! And he'll be signing books!Anyway, for those not familiar with the series, you should check out The Quiet World, a site run by fourteen-year-olds who managed to get the title and dedication of the book two weeks before its release (everything was a BIG secret). Or you should talk to any ten-year-old you see reading the books at church, on airplanes, or in bookstores. It's a fantastic, 13x13 serial gothic novel for children that involves all kinds of miserable moments, ludicrous literary allusions, and pitiful plot twists. The movie didn't do it justice, but the story is wonderful and well-thought out. And it builds your vocabulary. I've already learned a new word today.
Today's release, The Penultimate Peril, is the last book before the last book in the series and promises to answer many of our questions about the VFD (which "fights fires both literally and figuratively") and how this will all end. I'm only on chapter 2, but we're already learning a lot about Kit Snicket and the Hotel Denoument. I'll probably be up all night reading this thing, but, wow, is it fun to have a new installment around!