Author: David Yenoki

Finished Reading The Shadowhand Covenant by @BrianFarrey

And thus begins me talking about an upcoming book that you probably can’t read because it’s not out yet.

The book is The Shadowhand Covenant and it is a follow up to The Vengekeep Prophecy by Brian Farrey.  Vengekeep is a middle group fantasy book about a family of thieves and a quest to save their community from a prophecy of doom.  Of course … the Grimjinx family faked the prophecy and somehow it’s coming true so it’s up to Jaxter to save his family, the town, etc.  Shadowhand is a more complex layered tale that expands on Vengekeep … Continue reading “Finished Reading The Shadowhand Covenant by @BrianFarrey”

Audi Man 3: Product Placement Fatigue

There’s an Audi commercial where Zachary Quinto and Leonard Nimoy drive german cars. Then there’s an Audi commercial where Robert Downey Junior and Gwyneth Paltrow drive Audis blah blah blah.  I mean a movie.  Iron Man 3.  And while one could make a case that “Vorsprung durch Technik” (Advancement through Technology) which is the main slogan for Audi is an appropriate motto for a guy who uses a robot suit to do superhuman feats, I have run into product placement fatigue. Continue reading “Audi Man 3: Product Placement Fatigue”

May the Fourth be a Free Comic Book Day

Hey nerds. I hope you didn’t forget that today is Free Comic Book Day so go to your favorite comic book store and grab the free comic books.  Did you know that the free comic books are paid for by your favorite comic book store? SO BUY SOMETHING.  It’d be a shame if those poor comic book kids couldn’t afford pizza and ramen.

OR RENT.

Because they would die / close the shop.

Also it’s May the Fourth, also known as that awful Star Wars pun day… Lego is offering some discounts and specials like … buy a B-Wing Starfighter, get a free Han Solo in Hoth Parka mini figure!  Also … the new super duper spiffy X-Wing should be in stores so go check that out and spend several hours snapping the bricks together.  (Or watch videos of people doing it on YouTube).

I HAVE A LIFE.  Sometimes.

OH YOU’RE KIDDING ME: In which I discover @ned_vizzini has signed stock at BN Glendale AFTER I have purchased his new book

2013-04-28 22.29.49Interrupting my anecdotes of #BookFest for a quick post about a surprise discovery I made tonight…I went to Barnes & Noble in Glendale tonight because they sent me a coupon which was about to expire.  So I went in and bought LEGO.  (Be glad I don’t blog about me and LEGO).

While I was there I noticed a display for House of Secrets and there was an autographed copy sticker on it.   Continue reading “OH YOU’RE KIDDING ME: In which I discover @ned_vizzini has signed stock at BN Glendale AFTER I have purchased his new book”

A.S. King @AS_King wins a book prize and I get my books signed #BookFest

A.S. King (asking for a link to her website?  Right there).

One of the authors I did get to see at a booth was A.S. King who had just won a prize for her book.    The Los Angeles Times Book Prize for 2012 in Young Adult Literature was awarded to her for Ask the Passengers which is on my to be read list.  (As is pretty much all of western literature).

She was signing at the Mysterious Galaxy booth and there wasn’t a line and I got books signed. Continue reading “A.S. King @AS_King wins a book prize and I get my books signed #BookFest”

Native Angeleno: Philippe’s

I am (basically) a native Angeleno. When in reality I am not. I was born in Fontana and I was raised in the Inland Empire so … I’m native to SoCal. And I basically live in Pasadena and that’s where I consider my family to be from.

Basically.

Which is still weird because most of the people I know are not natives. People move here for various reasons and once our weather makes you soft it becomes rather difficult to leave.

Anywhats I figured I might as well discuss some things I know that other people might like to know.

Los Angeles claims to be the birthplace of the French Dip. And the best place to get a French Dip is Philippe’s in Los Angeles. The address I think is 1001 Alameda (The number is correct as I can see it painted over the door). And one of the great things about Philippe’s is they have free parking. Parking is very important to me and I assume it is to everyone in San Angeles.

The menu at Philippe’s is larger than I expect because really I think you should just stick with the dipped sandwiches. Pork, Beef, Ham, Lamb, and Turkey. Wait. what is the difference between the pork and the ham?!?

I just finished a lamb dip or else I would try to find out. Maybe I will come back tomorrow.

They also have some side salads. Macaroni, potato, cole slaw. I know the case also has pies and brownies. They also have refreshingly cheap beverages; lemonade, iced tea and coffee are all priced less than a dollar.

Oh. Forgot to mention. There’s sawdust on the floor.

ALSO VERY IMPORTANT: cash only

Open seven days a week, 6am-10pm. Walking distance from Union Station. LA Museum of Railroading in the back. Serves alcohol. Very possibly my favorite restaurant in Los Angeles. Mixed seating; communal tables available. Oh. Don’t be surprised if there are lines out the door. It’s other people’s favorite restaurant too.

Free Idea: computer with built in coffee dispenser

I own a pretty spiffy computer. It’s a fairly recent iMac…not the newest, but the last ones that had DVD drives which is pretty important to me because sometimes I do silly things like buy CDs or rent DVDs.  The iMac is a fairly powerful beast and has a gorgeous display and overall I’m pleased with my purchase.

But I just had an idea of how it could be better.

It could dispense coffee.  (Or tea) Continue reading “Free Idea: computer with built in coffee dispenser”

Either Rachel Cohn doesn’t exist or I’m in some weird romcom with her? @rachelcohn #BookFest #Fail

mzi.tpvequcw.600x600-75 mzi.zvulvobu.600x600-75 mzi.syxwtlwp.600x600-75I very much enjoyed reading Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.  My copies are not the movie tie in and I’m not really happy with the movie I’m sure my opinion would be different if I was attracted to the Cera like I am the Gosling. But I’m not.

Oh right I should explain the title of this post.  I’ve been trying to get my Rachel Cohn books signed but so far I haven’t had any luck.  This could be because she doesn’t actually exist (very unlikely) or that we’re both characters in some romantic comedy and we’re forbidden from meeting in the first act because when we do it will be very amusing and hilarity will ensue. Continue reading “Either Rachel Cohn doesn’t exist or I’m in some weird romcom with her? @rachelcohn #BookFest #Fail”

I was late but I still got a signature from Tim Federle @TimFederle #BookFest

9781442446908.600x600-75I’m about to reveal a secret about attending the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC that I found useful and sadly will probably forget next year.  But this is something I learned the hard way, by being late to the first author panel I wanted to see which included Tim Federle and Stephan Pastis.  (Apologies to Ellis Weiner, who was also on the panel but whose presence doesn’t add to my narrative)

TL; DR:  Stephan Pastis has more fans but I like Tim Federle more so I can live with the choices that I made.
Continue reading “I was late but I still got a signature from Tim Federle @TimFederle #BookFest”