Friday, February 22, 2019

Discussion: I LOVE Easter Eggs!


This Week’s Topic: Easter Eggs

Well, I love dying and hunting for eggs each spring, but I'm not talking about those Easter eggs. You know how Disney animators "hide" other Disney characters in their animated films, and you can actively hunt them? Those are the Easter eggs I am talking about, and I absolutely love when authors do that too.


Why do I love these "Easter eggs" so much?

  1. It's a little secret between the author and us fans of their work. 
  2. I feel such a zing of delight when I recognize something from the author's previous work. Let's be honest, at my age, it's very impressive that I can remember such details. 
  3. It feels like a sort of reward from the author for being a loyal reader. 
I was inspired to talk about this topic after reading Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee. In that book, Zentner gives a small nod to The Serpent King, and an even larger nod to Goodbye Days. I think I squeed out loud, when I found the TSK reference, and a huge smile took over my face, when Goodbye Days characters popped up. 

Becky Albertalli also kept her books set in the same world. I remember having an epiphany, when I realized the connection between The Upside of Unrequited and Simon

Another author, who ALWAYS throws back to her previous books is Sarah Dessen. She revisits places and people, as well as keeping elements of the world consistent across multiple books. I have to admit, it blows my mind every time she sneaks something in one of her new books. 

I'm curious: What are your feelings on Easter eggs? Which authors have you read, who like to hide these in their books? 


Now it's your turn!

Let us know in the comments!

36 comments:

  1. I love easter eggs too! Big yes to Unrequited. I just relistened to that one and was still so happy with the Simon parts. I am reading Rayne and Delilah right now and can't wait!

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    1. I missed a few in Unrequited, because there had been such a gap between when I read Simon and that book, but I caught Zentner's

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  2. I love them too! I need to remember to hint about them in my reviews. It sure makes me grin when I come across one while reading. Great topic today and have a wonderful weekend, Sam:)

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    1. I feel like me and the author are in on something together when I find them. It always gives me a little jolt of joy

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  3. I think this is one of the reasons I loved Stephen King when I was a preteen. A lot of his books are set in the same towns or the same world. Occasionally it feels like he’s forcing “eggs” where they don’t belong, but mostly I like seeing familiar places and characters.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. I have never read a King book, but he must be the master of Easter eggs, because he garnered many mentions today. I guess I have been lucky, that none of the eggs seemed to stick out. I actually have missed some and only realized it while reading other reviews. You can tell, that I often had an empty basket after my egg hunts as a child.

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  4. Fun topic and I think we all like those little surprises that give us a grin.
    sherry @ fundinmental

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    1. It really is the little things that bring me the most joy.

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  5. I actually thought this was going to be about chocolate easter eggs and I feel deceived! I did think it was a bit early to be talking about easter eggs though :P Anyway, I love those! I saw the Albertalli one. Also, did you know that Starr's cousin from THUG is actually Bram from Simon vs the Homo Sapiens? The authors connected them that way because well, they could ;)

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    1. I never meant to deceive you, Olivia. Please forgive me (and have a Cadbury egg for good measure). I had no idea Angie Thomas Starr was connected to Bram. That's kind of awesome.

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  6. I love Easter Eggs. Stephen King is a master at them, and I always love uncovering them when I read his books.

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    1. King is getting much love today. I knew he often set his books in Maine, so I guess that would allow him to plant a lot of eggs

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  7. I love these! I listened to a couple of Joe Hill books late last year and I enjoyed the fact that Hill threw a few Easter Eggs in for his own books and his dad's. I also really like it when a book mentions another well known character from another author. I have noted a couple of nods to Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden in other author's works.

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    1. I like that he uses his and his dad's books. That so sweet. You know how I feel about the over used nod to HP, but I never tire of authors incorporating pieces of their prior work

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  8. Oh my gosh YES I love this, too. Elle Kennedy, Sabrina Bowen, and Kristen Callihan have done this in different books and it gets me every time. I'm always like omg! I know them! lolol

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    1. I didn't even think of them, but they totally do that. They do a lot of spinoffs, and that let's them crossover, which is another thing I LOVE.

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  9. I really enjoy Easter eggs... on the rare occasions that I catch them. I feel like most of the time they go right over my head. LOL

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    1. You are not alone, my friend. I did not make the connection that Abby in Upside was the same Abby in Simon until someone mentioned it.

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  10. Beatriz Williams is an author who seems to tie most of her books together. Characters from previous books will pop up sometimes. Of course, a lot of her books are about the same family, but they're all different time periods and everything. It's fun.

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    1. That's pretty neat, following a family though different generations.

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  11. I love Easter eggs! So cool! Hmm. It's hard to think about off the top of my head. I mean one thing is in the book Ready Player One, when they had the Easter eggs as so much of a video game thing to go with the theme. But I love when authors either reference their own stories or other pop culture things. I just saw the movie Happy Death Day 2U today, and they mentioned Back the Future, and then had a couple things I'd consider Easter eggs, like a truck with a company name of "Biff's" and then a clock tower scene, all things from Back the Future. Fun post!

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    1. It's fun to find those things and so love looking for them, but I especially love when authors connect their previous works to their current work. I have been listening to the Hope series by Jaci Burton, and the couple was watching a football game and reference the quarterback from one of Burton's Play by Play books. I love that!

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  12. I love Easter Eggs too but I'm trash at spitting them in books. I started rereading ACOTAR a while ago and it was fascinating to see all the hints SJM dropped.

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    1. I think we see them, but we don't remember them until after the fact. I just came up with another one after writing this post.

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  13. I love this too, but I honestly can't think of specific examples. I can definitely think of a ton in movies. I'll have to pay closer attention from now on!

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    1. Regardless of where I see them, they always make me smile. It's a fun little "insider" thing. Maybe it feeds my need to feel like a part of this whole thing.

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  14. I love it when you find a little something in a new book that gives a nod to past books... I love the blatant crossovers too - really love those - but the little "insider" nods are the best. Like you said, it's like you're part of a secret club.

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    1. The last Heartbreaker Bay book by Jill Shalvis kept talking about a character from another one of her series. My fingers are so crossed for a cross over. And, yes! I think it really is all about the secret club thing, at least for me.

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  15. I love easter eggs in books but I'm not good that spotting them. I usually only know about them after a read a spoiler filled review after the fact just to see what other people thought about the book :)

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    1. I can be slow to connect, especially if it's been a while since I read the other books, but I do applaud all those people with the sharp eyes, who seem to pick up on everything.

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  16. Idk if I've ever read any books with these kind of Easter eggs since I don't actually read more than series by the same author that often. Honestly I'd probably be terrible at noticing them anyway, haha. But those kinds of things in books, those little hidden things, are really fun!

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    1. I have absolutely missed them in the past, but I got cued into them by other readers, and now it's like when someone gets "the sight" and can see the fae world that was right in front of them the whole time.

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  17. Well, then I can't wait to read more Zentner! :D

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    1. All three of his books were big wins for me. TSK & Rayne & Delilah were solid 5s for me, but Goodbye Days was close behind.

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  18. I have to be honest I am not sure that I notice most times. I have read a few that was in the same world and I was like wait a minute. So yes, it is special when you see one of those eggs.

    Mary

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    1. I first noticed them in Sarah Dessen's books, and now I sort of look for them, when I realize the author is setting the story in the same world.

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