GUEST BLOGGER: Julie Kramer

Julie Meets Janet

by Julie Kramer

We authors have favorite authors, too. So when word went out that Janet Evanovich was coming to town, that got my attention.

Janet hardly tours, she doesn't have to. Her intrepid bounty hunter protagonist Stephanie Plum's latest adventure, SMOKIN' SEVENTEEN, sold 218,000 copies of hardcover, e-books, and audio the first day of release this week. Her new publisher, Bantam, sent her to four cities. Among them, Edina, Minnesota. I was proud my state's reputation for being a top literary mecca landed us one of publishing's most popular phenomenons.

So I drove 30 miles to the Barnes and Noble hosting her, arrived at 8:58 am and learned people had been lined up for three hours already. I received a purple wristband numbering 234. Once numbered, fans could leave and return for the evening signing, scheduled to start at 6 pm. A math formula of 50 people per half hour gave us a rough idea of when our group would be called.

I bought my book, drove home 30 miles and read the first 80 pages (my favorite scene thus far being Lulu wrestling with a vampire) admiring Janet's pluck for jumping on the vampire bandwagon.

Not wanting to be late for my line up, I drove 30 miles back and had dinner across the street, checking on my cell phone to stay in touch with the event. At 7:50 pm numbers between 200 and 300 were called to I got in place. The store made the wait interesting by giving away balloons, cake, and a pin that said “Plum Crazy.”

There's a current debate going on in publishing circles on whether author tours are dead and whether bookstores should start requiring attendees to buy a book there, or pay a fee because so many readers are apparently showing up at events with their cheaper online purchases. I always buy an author's book at the event, because I understand how book stores are hurting these days. In this case, the B & N - Galleria welcomed everyone. Readers were even allowed to bring backlist copies and some came pulling suitcases.

One was Angela, who was next to me in line. She's the kind of fan we authors all crave. Buys hardcovers and will stand in line for hours to meet us. Here she is, posing with her haul. And when she heard I was an author, and that the Chicago Tribune had compared me to Janet Evanovich, she bought all three of my books – STALKING SUSAN, MISSING MARK, and SILENCING SAM, and had me sign them. So did another woman standing by us in line. So I was making friends and fans myself.

By 9 pm, our books had been flapped and the line was getting closer to our idol: Janet.

And when we met, she was nice to me. I told her I was a mystery author, too. She asked me my name and one of the store staff heard our exchange and stepped in and vouched for me. We even had our picture taken together.

As I left, about 9:15 pm, I learned 827 numbers had been given out thus far and that Janet would stay until the last book was signed. I later found that didn't happen until nearly one the next morning.
_____________________________________________________________

Julie Kramer is moving from journalist to novelist. She writes a series set in the desperate world of television news. Her latest thriller, KILLING KATE, received 4 ½ stars from RT Book Reviews and will be released July 26. Julie won the RT Reviewer's Choice Award for Best First Mystery as well as the Minnesota Book Award. Her work has also been a finalist for the Anthony, Barry, Shamus, Mary Higgins Clark, and Daphne du Maurier Awards.

BLOG HOP GIVEAWAY: In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

Well, as promised, In One Eye, Out the Other is participating in it's very first Blog Hop.  I don't know about you, but I'm excited!  This is one of seventy-three separate book blogs that's doing a book giveaway between Saturday, June 25th - Wednesday, June 29th.  You can read all about it here, at organizer Leeswammes' Blog.  That's a whole lot of chances to win a great book!  And I encourage you to visit each and every one of the participating blogs.

For first-time visitors to this blog, I'll mention that there's a new giveaway here most Wednesdays.  I call it the "Humpday Giveaway."  This blog covers all different types of books, so you never know what will be up for grabs from week to week.  Additionally you'll find book reviews, author interviews, guest blogger posts, literary gossip, and more.  I invite you to look around while you're here, and please do visit again.  Now, here's this week's offering:

Perhaps best known for his book Devil in the White City, the full title of Erik Larson's latest work of narrative non-fiction is In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin.  After five weeks, it's still #3 on the New York Times Bestseller list.  Amazon named it one of their Best of the Month, and in a starred review, Publisher's Weekly wrote:

In this mesmerizing portrait of the Nazi capital, Larson plumbs a far more diabolical urban cauldron than in his bestselling The Devil in the White City. He surveys Berlin, circa 1933–1934, from the perspective of two American naïfs: Roosevelt's ambassador to Germany, William Dodd, an academic historian and Jeffersonian liberal who hoped Nazism would de-fang itself (he urged Hitler to adopt America's milder conventions of anti-Jewish discrimination), and Dodd's daughter Martha, a sexual free spirit who loved Nazism's vigor and ebullience. At first dazzled by the glamorous world of the Nazi ruling elite, they soon started noticing signs of its true nature: the beatings meted out to Americans who failed to salute passing storm troopers; the oppressive surveillance; the incessant propaganda; the intimidation and persecution of friends; the fanaticism lurking beneath the surface charm of its officialdom. Although the narrative sometimes bogs down in Dodd's wranglings with the State Department and Martha's soap opera, Larson offers a vivid, atmospheric panorama of the Third Reich and its leaders, including murderous Nazi factional infighting, through the accretion of small crimes and petty thuggery.

I've got several shiny, new hardback copies of this book, so we're going to do the same thing we did a couple of weeks ago.  The more people that enter this contest, the more copies I'll give away.  If ten people enter, I'll give away one copy; twenty people, two copies; and so on, up to a maximum of five copies.  Other than that, the usual rules apply:

• The giveaway is open to anyone with a U.S. mailing address ('cause I'm footing the postage).
• To enter, all you need to do is post a comment below by Wednesday, June 29, 2011.
• At my discretion, if there are less than five respondents, I can cancel or extend the giveaway.
• Winner(s) will be chosen by me with the help of a random number generator, and will be announced in the comments section of this thread.
• Please check back to see if you've won. If you have left a way to contact you, I will do so.
• The winner has one week to respond to me at suetu@yahoo.com with a mailing address, or I will choose a new winner.
• If a second winner fails to respond, the book automatically goes to the lovely members of my face-to-face book club.
• Previous giveaway winners are welcome to enter.
• Finally, if at all possible, please comment below only if you're entering the giveaway.

Good luck to everyone, and thanks for playing!  And now that you've entered my giveaway, I invite you to visit all of the fine sites below.  Each of these sites will have their giveaway posted by Saturday, June 25th.  I jumped the gun by a few hours, but these sites are in all different time zones, so if the giveaway isn't posted yet, it soon will be.  Good luck times seventy-three!

List with all the Participants:

Leeswammes (Int) The Book Whisperer (Int) Kristi Loves Books (Int) Teadevotee (Int) Bookworm with a View (Int) Bibliosue (Int) Sarah Reads Too Much (Int) write meg! (USA) My Love Affair With Books (Int) Seaside Book Nook (Int) Uniflame Creates (Int) Always Cooking Up Something (Int) Book Journey (Int) ThirtyCreativeStudio (Int) Col Reads (Int) The Book Diva's Reads (Int) The Scarlet Letter (USA) The Parrish Lantern (Int) Lizzy's Literary Life (Int) Read, Write & Live (Int) Book'd Out (Int) The Readers' Suite (Int) I Am A Reader, Not A Writer (USA) Ephemeral Digest (Int) Miel et lait (Int) Bibliophile By the Sea (Int) Polychrome Interest (Int) Book World In My Head (Int) In Spring it is the Dawn (Int) everybookhasasoul (Int) Nishita's Rants and Raves (Int) Fresh Ink Books (Int) Teach with Picture Books (USA) How to Teach a Novel (USA) The Blue Bookcase (Int) Gaskella (Int) Reflections from the Hinterland (USA) chasing bawa (Int) 51stories (Int) No Page Left Behind (USA)

Silver's Reviews (USA) Nose in a book (Int) Lit in the Last Frontier (Int) The Book Club Blog (Int) Under My Apple Tree (Int) Caribousmom (USA) breienineking (Netherlands) Let's Go on a Picnic! (Int) Rikki's Teleidoscope (Int) De Boekblogger (Netherlands) Knitting and Sundries (Int) Elle Lit (USA) Indie Reader Houston (Int) The Book Stop (Int) Eliza Does Very Little (Int) Joy's Book Blog (Int) Lit Endeavors (USA) Roof Beam Reader (Int) The House of the Seven Tails (Int) Tony's Reading List (Int) http://thinkingaboutloud.blogspot.com/ Rebecca Reads (Int) Kinna Reads (Int) In One Eye, Out the Other (USA) Books in the City (Int) Lucybird's Book Blog (Europe) Book Clutter (USA) Exurbanis (Int) Lu's Raves and Rants (USA & Canada) Sam Still Reading (Int) Dolce Bellezza (Int) Lena Sledge's Blog...Books, Reviews and Interviews (Int) a Thousand Books with Quotes (Int)

No one told me Ann Patchett was so charismatic...

So, as noted about 12 times on this blog, I went out to hear Ann Patchett speak last week.  And I was just enthralled, from start to finish.  I'd never met the lady before, nor heard her speak, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.  I guess I was expecting more of a quiet, literary Nicole Krauss-type (Although why, after reading this novel, I have no idea.) and I got this great, outspoken, unsentimental character.

But now I feel self-conscious, because we had a discussion about this event at my face-to-face book club the other night, and I was all, "Ann Patchett is awesome!"  And a friend, whose opinion I greatly respect, was all, "I used to worship her, but now I spit on her.  Phooey!"  (I'm paraphrasing.)  We'd both sat in the same room, listening to the same lady, but we'd walked away with very differing impressions of her.  And alas, the video below is not going to clarify the situation.

This first little snippet is her opening remarks before she began her reading.  She tells a story about clearing Canadian customs for this book tour, and then she introduces the excerpt she's about to read:




Now, I didn't record the excerpt she read for two reasons.  The first reason is that she read probably the most exciting and dramatic scene in the novel.  It's a terrific scene, and you'll enjoy reading it yourself in context.  The other reason is that I only had a few minutes of space left on my video recorder, or else I would have filmed much more than this.  She talked and did Q & A at length.  (It was the Q & A that was her downfall.)

So, I resumed recording right after she finished reading, and here she is essentially telling a story that took place during her research trip to in Amazon that led to the scene she had just read.  I'll warn the phobic among you: there is much talk of snakes.  In fact, there is exactly six minutes of snakes in the Amazon, followed by two minutes announcing her next venture, which ends abruptly when I run out of digital space. Sorry!





Let me save you some trouble:  Mr. Greg's Reptile Roadshow

But you get the gist of how things were going. It was lively and very entertaining. The Q & A started out well, too. Someone asked if there would be a film version of Bel Canto, which allowed Ms. Patchett to speak at length about the vapidity of Hollywood producers. She said that people had been talking about making a movie for 10 years, and it was like being at a junior high slumber party. One girls says, "I want to take George Clooney to the prom. What do you think?" And the other says, "No, I want to take Matt Damon." And all they do is talk, talk, talk, FOR 10 YEARS!  So, she's not a fan of Hollywood. She said if a film is ever made, she doesn't want to know about it until she see's the ad in her local paper, at which point she'll go and buy a ticket. She also mentioned that Bel Canto has almost been an opera three times and a Broadway musical three times.

Truthfully, I can't remember all the questions, but she did express some unusual sentiments. At one point she stated that she cares about the books for about two weeks after they're published. After that, she said that you could come up to her and say, "I hated your novel," and she would reach into her handbag and hand you your money back, but she doesn't care. She's moved on. That's different. Where she got into trouble was when an adoring fan tried to ask her about an unresolved plot thread from a 20 year old novel.

Ms. Patchett hadn't looked at the book in 20 years, and, as noted above, had moved on. She was not kind to her questioner. She told him that she had done her part of the contract, she had written the book. It was his job to decide what it meant. The questioner did not quit while he was behind. He said something about loving the book, and desperately wanting a sequel. Ms. Patchett said something to the effect of, "Great, grab a pen and paper. Write it yourself. I've done my part. You want a sequel, you write it."

All of the above is paraphrased, and maybe my friend will chime in and share her memories and impressions of where things went astray. But ultimately, she was far more distressed about the interaction than I was. In our discussion the other night, I suggested two reasons why she was so much more disturbed by the author's indifference to her fans. First, she's a hard-core fan herself, whereas I'm merely an admiring newbie. In other words, Ms. Patchett didn't have to live up to any expectations for me. I was just thrilled she was so entertaining. The other thing is that I'm fairly familiar with the hell that is a book tour. Twenty cities in 20 days! It takes a lot out of a person. I've seen the best of them have meltdowns. This was not a full scale meltdown, but Ms. Patchett was not at her most diplomatic. I can empathize.

If you have the opportunity to hear Ann Patchett speak in the future, I urge you to go see her and make up your own mind.  And whether you think she's nice lady or not, I defintely urge you to read State of Wonder, reviewed below.  I, for one, was delighted with this first experience of a new favorite author.

Ann Patchett marries commercial and literary fiction in my dream novel

State of Wonder
by Ann Patchett

A researcher enters the Amazon in search of a missing explorer and on the hunt for a miracle drug. As a life-long fan of science and adventure thrillers, I’ve read that novel any number of times. And I liked it each and every time. It’s a story that never grows old, as far as I’m concerned. However, even in my most far-fetched literary mash-up daydreams, I never thought I’d see novelist Ann Patchett entering that verdant territory!

What Patchett has created is essentially my dream novel, marrying the best of my beloved thrillers with a gorgeous and substantive literary work. In some ways, the novel feels like half of one thing and half the other due to the way the story is structured. It’s told through the eyes of Marina Singh, a pharmaceutical researcher headquartered in Minnesota. When it is learned that her lab partner, Anders Eckman, unexpectedly died on a trip to the Brazilian jungle, both his widow and her boss (and lover) entreat Marina to follow his path into the jungle. The widow wants answers, and the boss wants the job Anders started to be finished. And that job is to find out what is going on out in the field with researcher Annick Swenson, the renowned but difficult doctor who was once Marina’s mentor.

In the first half of the novel, the action is stalled. There’s a lot of waiting for events to transpire. This allows plenty of time for Patchett to set the premise, exposit the background, and richly develop her characters—for as much as plot drives the novel, the characters’ relationships are always at the heart of the story. Around the time that both Marina and the reader have had about as much waiting as they’re going to take, the second half of the novel springs into action. And I do mean action! It’s exotic jungle adventure at its pulpiest best! As beautifully-written as it is, this part of the story is truly plot-driven. Patchett took me delightfully by surprise more than once, yet even when she caught me off guard, I could look back and see her carefully laid foundation. It’s really masterfully constructed.

A lot happens towards the end of the novel. Some may find the conclusion too neat, but for me it was perfect. Now if only John Irving would write a techno-thriller, my life would be complete!

NOTE:  I caught Ann on tour for this book, and will be posting some video footage from the event, hopefully later today.

Getting Devilish in San Francisco

Oh, I was a little silly yesterday.  My friend James Rollins had a big online party to celebrate the publication of his latest novel, The Devil Colony.  The party, on Twitter (at the hashtag #DevilColony) and Facebook, was called Dance with the Devil, and Jimbo was encouraging people to post all sorts of devilish photos.  Well, myself and a few of the members of my book group had a nice chat about The Devil Colony (reviewed here) last night, and apparently it brought out my true colors--right down to the demonic red eyes!

Only for you, Jimbo...  I hope this gives you a laugh!  See you Friday.  :-)

Today's HUMPDAY GIVEAWAY is delayed for an excellent reason...

So, as you know, most Wednesday's I post a book giveaway on the blog.  I have several shiny hardback copies of a current New York Times bestseller that I'm looking forward to giving away this week--but I'm going to have to beg your patience for a few more days.  The reason is that In One Eye, Out the Other will be participating in a huge, international book giveaway blog hop!

I've never done anything like this before, but it should be fun.  It's being organized by my friend Judith over at Leeswammes's Blog.  (Yeah, I don't really get the name of her blog either, but it might make more sense in Dutch.  She's over in the Netherlands, but writes more eloquently in English than I do!)  You should absolutely check her excellent blog out, and that's the beauty part of this blog hop.  Like 60 or 70 different book blogs aound the world will be participating with giveaways, and I'll link to them all here.  You can jump from post to post and enter as many of the giveaways as you like.  It should be all kinds of fun, with dozens of winners, and best of all, you may discover some awesome new literary blogs along the way.  I know I'm looking forward to checking them all out!

So, this week's giveaway will be posted on Saturday.  Please check back then!  In the meanwhile, please feel free to speculate on which book I'll be giving away...

Tyler Locke & his Leatherman tool are back!

The Vault
by Boyd Morrison

Yes, Tyler Locke, the protagonist of The Ark, is back, as are his sidekick Grant Westfield, the General, and several other characters from Boyd Morrison’s debut novel. One notable exception is Dilara Kenner, who is not featured in this latest adventure. Obviously, this is the second book in a continuing series. In general, I’m a big proponent of reading series books in order, but in this case I don’t think it matters if you’ve read the first. The events of The Ark are barely referenced, even in passing, so you won’t be missing a thing.

Like so many action heroes, trouble seems to find Tyler Locke. This time it takes the form of an insistently ringing telephone. Tyler is minding his own business on a ferry commute when an unknown caller tells him he has 28 minutes to defuse a bomb on the boat. Having no other option, Tyler investigates. He is indeed led to a bomb, a blonde, and a puzzle. What he doesn’t know is that this set-up is only the first test. The mystery caller is Jordan Orr, a career criminal with an insane-sounding quest. The blonde is Stacy Benedict, another innocent bystander, like Tyler, with a unique skill set. And Orr has acquired exactly the leverage to make both Tyler and Stacy do his bidding. For what he wants is nothing less than the Midas Touch.

Let’s stop right there. Yes, that Midas Touch, where everything you touch turns to gold. As I read this fairly early on in the novel, I was skeptical. Actually, I don’t think skeptical covers it; I was bordering on contemptuous. It was the most ridiculous premise I could imagine for a quest thriller. But I am a big Morrison fan, so I suspended my disbelief and continued reading. (Incidentally, one of the things I like best about Tyler Locke is that he articulates all the things I’m thinking—but more knowledgeably. He doesn’t just say that alchemy is a fantasy; he explains why nuclear fission isn’t a practical means to turn lead into gold.)

Ultimately, I was rewarded for giving the author the latitude to ply his craft. He never let me down on the entertainment—though there were some scenes that felt a bit contrived to me. And while I’m not going to claim that this is the most plausible plot, Morrison pulls it off. He makes it believable enough (and I’m not a pushover when it comes to that). There was a science-based plot twist at one point that made me literally stand up and cheer out loud. It was so awesome!

As far as character development goes, I’d say it’s about status quo with the first book. Don’t pick this book up if you are looking for an intimate character portrait. Pick it up if you want a rockin’ car chase on the Autobahn. Pick it up if you enjoy a good heist. Pick it up if you’re curious how science can explain the legend of Midas. And pick The Vault up if you’re looking for a book that’s hard to put down.



Best. Novel. Yet.

The Devil Colony
by James Rollins

Over the years, I’ve written a lot of enthusiastic things about the novels of James Rollins. But until now, I’ve never written this: THE DEVIL COLONY IS THE BEST NOVEL THAT JAMES ROLLINS HAS EVER WRITTEN! (Yes, in all caps even!) Like many readers, I was disappointed in the two-year wait for this latest installment in the Sigma Force series. Now, I’m thinking perhaps he should take two years on all the novels—I don’t know if it was the extra time, but something has paid off huge dividends.

As always, summarizing the story is the hardest part. First, because I’d hate to spoil any surprises. And secondly, because it’s just really hard to summarize one of Rollins’s everything-but-the-kitchen-sink plots. The main action of this book opens in present day Utah. From two boys who can’t resist the lure of the forbidden, a great and terrible discovery is made at a sacred Native American site. There are bodies. There is an artifact. And, astonishingly, something that goes to the very core of Mormon theology!

Just as the scientists on site are beginning to grasp what they’ve discovered, there is a huge explosion. The explosion is blamed on a Native American activist, but it’s clear that this wasn’t your standard bomb. It’s something far more dangerous, with implications that spread further and further afield, and which drag Sigma operatives into the story on differing assignments and for different reasons. All the usual suspects are back, including the enigmatic Seichan, who is again paired in an uneasy alliance with Gray Pierce. Painter Crowe is also back in the field this time around. Operatives from the Guild are up to their usual tricks, and even as readers learn more about the shadowy organization in this novel, new questions are raised for the next book. (It’s infuriating how he does that.)

In provocative messages leading up to the publication of The Devil Colony, James Rollins repeated asked, “Was America founded on a lie?” The plot of this novel does get right to the heart of the formation of this country. What were Lewis and Clark really up to? What was Thomas Jefferson communicating in secret ciphers? It also explains the fate of some of the most mysteriously lost cultures through history. It delves into the not only the most cutting-edge technology, but also some amazingly advanced ancient technology. And, yes, it also explores the foundation of the Mormon Church. Oh, and there’s a super-volcano! And killer whales! And the heist of all heists!

Seriously, I could go on like this all day. The scope of this novel is breath-taking. What’s amazing is that Rollins pulls all of these diverse threads together so plausibly that you’ll find yourself wondering if he has indeed solved half the puzzles of the ages in one fell swoop. As always, there’s a staggering amount of fact laced throughout his fantastic plot. It’s enough to make you go, “Hmmm.”

The pace starts to race early on, and it just never slows down. The stakes in the book simply get bigger and bigger. Technically, it’s a well-structured page-turner. But in the end, it’s the story that got me and held me. Every part of it was just so inventive, exciting, and so darn interesting! I entitled this review “Best. Novel. Yet.” I don’t anticipate Mr. Rollins topping The Devil Colony any time soon, but I hold out hope. He wrote this one. What wonderful tales can we look forward to in the future?



Mailbox Monday: Wish I felt better edition

As far as I'm concerned, there are few things worse that feeling ill on a Monday.  I was sick all weekend.  :-(  So, this Monday I'm indulging myself with an entire series of puppy in the mailbox photos.  They almost make me feel better.  Hopefully you'll enjoy them, too.

• Speaking of not feeling well, I was a bit premature when I pronounced my sister and new nephew well last week.  My family had failed to keep me in the loop.  Grrr.  The baby is reasonably well, but my sister could use some healing energy sent her way, if you've got any to spare.
• Ann Patchett's event at Bookshop West Portal was awesome!  I've got some fun video to post later this week.  And, I got to run into my friends Sue and Rachel at the signing, which proves that Ms. Patchett attracts all the best people.
• On Thursday night, I wound up having dinner with Jacob and Rina Weisman of Tachyon Books, and novelist Michael Kurland and his wife Linda.  Lovely couples both.
• On tap this week, my face-to-face book group meets tomorrow night.  I run it, so unless I'm at death's door, I'll be there.
• And guess who I'll be spending this coming weekend with?  James "Jimbo" Rollins, whose book The Devil Colony goes on sale tomorrow.  At long overdue last, I'll be posting a review today.  And Jimbo doesn't know it yet, but I'll have my borrowed video camera on-hand as we hang out all weekend.
• Speaking of James Rollins, he's having an online world-wide book release party for The Devil Colony.  Details can be found here.  They're calling it Dance with the Devil, and if I can get the energy together, I'll be there wearing the light up devil horns given to me by author Joe Hill (on the occasion of the release of his novel Horns).  Pics if it happens.
• Also, I'm slightly embarrassed to admit this, but I've recently joined the Twitterverse.  You know how I'm always a month behind blogging about interesting things I'm doing?  Like BEA, the Book Blogger Con, and the rest of the shows I saw in NY?  If you want to hear about stuff in real time, please follow me @SusanTunis.  I'm generally about a decade behind the rest of the planet when it comes to technology, so I'm still learning about the medium, but this would be an excellent time to follow me.  I'm off to NY again in a couple of weeks for more theater and Thrillerfest--and there is always something exciting and/or scandalous to comment on there!  (I'm not joking.)

As for what's in the mailbox, here's a loose collection of books that have come in from sources other than BEA in the recent past.  I'm sure it's incomplete.  Nonetheless...

The Devil Colony

By James Rollins

Release: June 21, 2011

Source: finished hardback from publisher

Thank you, Shawn!  I was thrilled to see this in the mailbox!  It's my very favorite book by one of my favorite authors.

Folly Beach

Dorthea Benton Frank

Release: June 14, 2011

Source: Finished hardback from publisher

I think this one will be a giveaway some week.  I may have a copy of the previous book to package with it.

Sister

by Rosamund Lupton

Release: June 7, 2011

Source: The Amazon Vine program

I'm hearing good things on this novel, and I'm looking forward to reading it!

Blood of the Reich

by William Dietrich

Release: June 28, 2011

Source: The Amazon Vine program

I've been a Dietrich fan for years, and this book feels like he's getting back to his early roots.  Ice Reich was the book that made me a fan.  I'm about halfway through this book, but I'm not sure what I think yet.  It's an enjoyable read, but how he pulls it all together will be important.

The Night Circus

by Erin Morgenstern

Release: September 13, 2011

Source: The Amazon Vine program

This debut novel has more buzz than just about any BEA title this year.  And somehow I could NOT acquire a copy at BEA.  It was a little bizzarre.  Thank goodness for my friends at Amazon.  I can't wait to read this!

Lunch Wars: How to Start a School Food Revolution and Win the Battle for Our Childrens Health

by Amy Kalafa
Release: August 18, 2011
Source: Galley from the publisher
Another future giveaway, I'm thinking close to the start of the school year.

The Devil All the Time
by Donald Ray Pollack
Release: July 12, 2011
Source: Galley from the publisher

Yay, I'm finally able to go back to my normal formatting.  I have no idea what I was doing wrong above.  Anyway, I have heard very good things about this thriller, but I suspect that it too will be given away.  So many books, so little time!

Don't Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales from an Allergic Life
by Sandra Beasley
Release: July 12, 2011

Source: Galley from the publisher
Got Allergies?  This is another future giveaway title.  I have a feeling this memoir will resonate with many readers.

Luminarium
by Alex Shakar
Release: August 23, 2011
Source: Galley from publisher's rep

Random House has a wonderful rep who hooks me up with interesting titles.  I am completely unfamiliar with this author, and I hadn't heard about this title, but it sounds fascinating.  I'm really looking forward to reading it.

Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline
Release: August 16, 2011
Source: Galley from publisher's rep

This is the other title my rep friend brought to my attention.  I had heard of it, but I wasn't sure it was for me.  For starters, I'm not an online gamer.  However, he highlighted other aspects of the title that made it sound really interesting and unintimidating.  When it arrived at my house, I got sucked into the first chapter and had to force myself to stop reading.  It was off to an awesome start, but I have too many books I've promised to read first, and this one isn't out until August.

I know there are more books than that, but those are the ones I can remember.

Books I've read since I last reported in:

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages by Kristin Chenoweth
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
Arcadia: Complete Summary & Analysis by Raja Sharma
Skinny by Diana Spechler
The Woodcutter by Reginald Hill
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

(I'm just a little behind on my reviewing.)

Book's I'm currently reading:

The Uncertain Places by Lisa Goldstein
Blood of the Reich by William Dietrich

So, I think we've proven today that puppies in mailboxes never get old.  I could post these pics all day.  Have a great week!

Smash and grab

So, I had an upsetting experience last night. 

I was sitting on the bus reading from my Kindle--in other words, business as usual.  I was sitting quite close to the door.  I wasn't paying attention as two teenage girls were exiting the bus, but at the last second, one of the girls dove at me and made a grab for my Kindle.  Only my firm grip on the machine allowed me to keep it.  They both jumped out the bus's door in a fraction of a second, and I could hear them laughing as we drove away.  They exited only two stops before my own.  How delightful, they're neighbors.

Anyone who knows me knows that my Kindle is my most treasured possession.  I was just sick thinking that some dumb kids would grab it on a lark.  Is this sort of crime a common occurrence?  Do those girls have a stack of ereaders, iPhones, and other gadgets piled up at home?  Am I not supposed to read on the bus anymore?  Do I have to sit inconveniently far from the door?  (Actually, I think I will be taking that small precaution henceforth.)

Everyone on the bus saw what happened.  There was a sort of collective look that passed among the passengers, What can you do?  I don't know, but I'll continue to hold on tight.  You might want to do the same.