When I grow up, I want to be Lemony Snicket.

It's true. My dream of growing up to be Lemony Snicket has followed me ever since the first book in The Series of Unfortunate Events was released to the masses. The fact that I was already an adult when the book was published mattered very little. This author was able to weave wonderful vocabulary words into stories in such an artful way:

"'Passive'" is an unusual word to hear from a baby, and in fact it is an unusual word to hear from a Baudelaire or anyone else who leads an interesting life. It merely means 'accepting what is happening without doing anything about it' and certainly everyone has passive moments from time to time. Perhaps you had a passive moment at the shoe store when you sat in a chair as the shoe salesperson forced your feet into a series of ugly and uncomfortable shoes, when all the while you wanted a bright red pair with strange buckles that nobody on earth was going to buy for you."

My passionate obsession with Lemony Snicket is perhaps only just surpassed by my love of children's books.  Last year when I discovered that Lemony Snicket wrote The Composer is Dead, a "children's" mystery, I was ecstatic. Pair two of my favorite things together?!?  Could life get any better?  That question was left unanswered until today, in which the answer arrived with a resounding "Yes!" for today was the day I discovered another Lemony Snicket book: 13 Words.  It has beautiful, full-color illustrations, exactly the way a children's book should be. 

And the best part?  The author of the blog Sugar Pop Ribbons is doing a giveaway of a prize pack revolving around this book!

My fingers are crossed.

But I'm not worried, if I don't win this and grow up to be the next Lemony Snicket, there's always my other goal: growing up to be Alexander McCall Smith.  (One of these days, I will be a published author!)