Celebrate AS YOU WAKE, BREAK THE SHELL with Becky Chambers at B&N Oakbrook!

Barnes & Noble in Oakbrook, IL welcomes Becky Chambers to discuss and sign AS YOU WAKE, BREAK THE SHELL on October 13, 2026 at 6PM CT!
About this Event

Join on October 13, 2026, as we welcome the bestselling author of and , , for a discussion and signing to celebrate !

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To make this event safe and enjoyable for all attendees, please read the below guidelines ahead of buying a ticket, so you know what to expect on the day. To avoid disappointment, we must stress that there will be no access to the event for non-ticketholders.

Barnes & Noble reserves the right to make new rules and orders in its sole discretion with regard to COVID-19 at any time and any person not abiding by the Barnes & Noble directives will be refused entrance or directed to leave the premises.

TICKET INFORMATION

Paperback Admission - $34.40 (Admission + one copy of ): **LIMITED QUANTITY AVAILABLE**: A ticket PER PERSON includes:

• One copy of (out 10/13/26).
• Admission to the event space and signing line with .

For Seated Tickets: Limited quantity is available and will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Purchase of a ticket guarantees entrance to the event for the reading and signing. However, this ticket may not necessarily guarantee a seat at the event, as late arrivals may be placed in a line behind the seated audience.

For Standing Room-Only Tickets: Limited quantity is available and will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Purchase of a ticket guarantees entrance to the event for the reading and signing. Ticket holders will be granted a standing view from behind the seated audience -- some views may be more limited/obstructed than others.

• SEATED AND STANDING ROOM-ONLY ticket holders will be admitted into the event seating area beginning at 5:00 PM on the day of the event. Please have a copy of your ticket available (either printed out or on your phone) for check-in, starting at 4:30pm.

• You will receive your copy of prior to entering the signing line.
• The author will personalize and up to two additional backlist.
• No photos or videos will be allowed at the signing table.

• Any gifts for the author will be collected prior to the signing line.

• Other books by the author will be available for purchase at Barnes & Noble - Oakbrook Center.

• Due to health and safety and space limitations, those without a ticket will not be permitted into the event space.

GUIDELINES

• No memorabilia will be signed at the event.

• No large bags will be permitted into the event.

• Please arrive on time according to your ticket in order to secure your seat in the event space. Late arrivals may only have access to standing room and may not have the opportunity to enter the event space.

• All event guidelines are subject to change.

• If you have any additional questions or require accommodations, please can call the store directly at: 630-684-0586.

• Barnes & Noble may cancel this event at any time with or without notice to the ticket holders.

Please note that Eventbrite is the only authorized dealer for this event. Each person must have a ticket to enter.

REFUNDS

Attendees can receive refunds up to 1 day (24 hours) before your event start TIME of 6PM.

If you are unable to attend the event, Barnes & Noble - Oakbrook Center (Oak Brook, IL) will hold your books for seven days after the event. Please contact the store to arrange your pickup.

Should this event be canceled due to changing COVID-19 concerns, all customers will be refunded their ticket price to the original method of payment per Eventbrite's refund policy.

Event guidelines are subject to change.

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ABOUT :

Explore a universe of stubborn survival and found family, of persistent danger and quiet wonder in the first installment of a heartfelt new duology from Hugo Award–winning author Becky Chambers.

Life on the resource-poor planet of Fortune is challenging, but for its inhabitants, it’s home. For two of them, Signy and Cora, this home might no longer be enough.

Signy is a brilliant but reclusive botanist who bio-prints medicine from her small plant shop, often bending the rules to help those the system leaves behind. Her life is filled with the green of her store, the warmth of her one elderly friend, and the quiet determination to help others without putting herself in danger.

Cora is a rorqual pilot, one of the few with the unique ability to navigate the massive, living ships that connect the scattered settlements of their solar system. Her bond with her rorqual, Colibri, is profound—a connection that is both her greatest gift and a threat to her career.

It is that threat—the “mindbleed,” a dangerous side effect of her piloting—that brings her to Signy’s shop, and her appearance puts Signy in the danger she so fears. But it’s soon apparent it’s not just about losing her license—this delicate balance between risk and trust has the potential to change everything for them.

Told in an alternating timeline of their initial coming together and a not-so-distant future where they have found domestic bliss, this is a story harrowing and haunting, heartfelt and hopeful. Through a love story centered around survival, we are given a glimpse into the very best of what Becky Chambers does in her writing: explore what it means to be human, and what it means to come together.