In which I try to drum up traffic to my blog by posting an excerpt from the new Dashner book, The Eye of Minds

Michael spoke against…

I was thinking that perhaps I could post the first sentence out of some of the ARCs I picked up at BEA and really a whole sentence isn’t like totally plagiarizing especially if I then review the book because I believe copyright does allow for that sort of use.  I’m sure the publishers wouldn’t appreciate it since most ARCs have warnings that the contents may change before final publication.  (strokes chin)  Regardless of whether or not the publishers would object to this, I feel like it would be mean to me to try and tease you like that. Continue reading “In which I try to drum up traffic to my blog by posting an excerpt from the new Dashner book, The Eye of Minds”

Media Mail Delivery! The Post Office comes through…

Hey … did you know that there is a cheap way of shipping via the Post Office?  Well specifically shipping books (and I think CDs and DVDs as well).  It’s called Media Mail and it’s a bit of a secret because I don’t think I’ve ever seen it posted on the wall in the post office.  Just be warned that your packages may be inspected and it may take a while for delivery.  I sent my five envelopes out of my favorite Post Office (New York City by Penn Station) on Thursday and they arrived today which I am told is Wednesday.  Coast to Coast in under a week!  I wish I had priced what FedEx would have charged so I can compare but if you want to ship out a book…try media mail.  Also, anticipate it getting beat up in the process so try to protect it unless you don’t care how it arrives.

BEA 2013 Haul post

I find other people posting about all the things they got annoying and obnoxious so of course I’ve done one myself … because when you confess your own hypocrisy it stinks just a little bit less.

I could wait until all of my books come home to me … I mailed some to myself because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to transport them all.  These fears may have been unnecessary and since I didn’t pay for the tracking information there’s no way of knowing if those five media mail envelopes will ever arrive.  But they were the less important books to me and I felt that losing them wouldn’t be a great loss.  Shall we begin?  I may also talk about books I purchased on my trip…do people do haul posts on purchases?  Of course they do.  Exhibitionist shoppers.  My goodness I’m becoming some capitalist stooge. Continue reading “BEA 2013 Haul post”

Some people didn’t know what they were getting into: Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Some people return from New York City and promptly attend a touring production of Priscilla:  Queen of the Desert.  People like me.

According to me, I’ve had a very mixed experience with subscribing to the Pantages this season.  There was the fantastically funny Book of Mormon, the dreadful Jekyll & Hyde, the mixed bag that is Catch Me If You Can, the uncharming Beauty & the Beast, and now we have a bunch of drag queens lip syncing to pop hits of yesteryear.

Which, short of a book of mormon shoved up a young man’s ass, is the best thing they’ve had all season. Continue reading “Some people didn’t know what they were getting into: Priscilla Queen of the Desert”

BEA

I want to say things about BEA but I think my body is in a state of shock and wants to rest. I did a lot of walking yesterday generally unassisted by stimulants. Or food.

I did end up mailing some padded envelopes back home via media mail. I thought I was being good and not binging on ARCs but I went through at the end and just started grabbing things. And then the bag was getting heavy so I tried to find a second bag to distribute the weight … proper haul blog to come. Maybe. Or more likely a further discussion on shipping books when away at a convention.

Memorial Day

According to wikipedia, Memorial Day is a day to remember people who died while in service in the United States armed forces.  It’s also the start of the summertime season which ends at labor day. Not the literal season of summer, but the period of time where movies tend to get big fluffy and explodey.  And as my aunt pointed out, the Japanese (Americans) also remember family members regardless if they passed in service to the country.  I am unable to visit the local cemetery where my grandparents are buried since I’m out of the state but this would be a day to take my little whisk broom and some flowers. Continue reading “Memorial Day”

David Sedaris at Aunties Bookstore in Spokane

I was going to write a post about how I saw David Sedaris at a bookstore in Spokane, Washington. I was going to do it soon after seeing him so my memory would be fresh.  Well sadly I did not remember to draft a post.

David Sedaris is a humorist and this author appearance was basically a reading with some q&a.  He didn’t just read from his new book; he also read from pages in his diary.  Which of course suggests that there was some additional value to come see him.  He was perhaps a little more randy than I expected… but I’m glad we live in a day and age where it’s not forbidden to make jokes about leaving teeth marks in a persons genitals.  It’s fairly safe to say that I enjoyed it.

A downside to David Sedaris was how much time he spent with each person in the signing line so the line moved very slowly.  He took the time to draw pictures and find semi-appropriate stickers and he signed all of my books and had a conversation and I think I want to go back and re-read everything.

He did suggest that sometimes he is contractually forbidden from making appearances within a certain radius.  So if he was at UCLA, he wouldn’t be able to go to Vromans because it’s within a hundred miles.  And that upsets me.  UCLA … I didn’t like it when the Festival of Books was on your campus and I don’t like it when you keep David Sedaris all for yourself.

I’m going to strut across the country to BEA

The next few weeks I’m going to hit the skies, roads and rails as I make my way to the Bookexpo America in New York by way of Washington.  It’s not like that time I went from Los Angeles to Denver via New York (thanks JetBlue).  But really.  This is the plan:

Fly from Burbank to Seattle.  Fly from Seattle to Spokane.  Drive from Spokane to Seattle.  Drive from Seattle back to Spokane.  Fly to Seattle and then fly to Newark.  Somehow get out of New Jersey and spend time in glorious New York.  Probably via train?  Attend BEA for a few days.  Take a train down to DC.  Fly back to Los Angeles.

No idea if I’ll post my trip or if I’ll put it back on tumblr or what.  But … I’m not going to be able to go to my book club meeting.  I am reading the book though.  Promise!

Gender and Marketing: Cryer’s Cross by @lisa_mcmann #coverflip

A few years ago YA Book Council read the book Cryer’s Cross by Lisa McMann.  I was browsing through the Simon & Schuster Pulse website when I came across a new cover for the book which I had never seen before and it was just so radically different then the cover I have that I felt the need to share it with everyone.  Actually my first reaction was OMGWHHHHHHHHHHAT but that could be the iced coffee kicking in.   Continue reading “Gender and Marketing: Cryer’s Cross by @lisa_mcmann #coverflip”

Funny Story: Pulseit Rats Saw God

Linky link: http://www.pulseit.com/rats-saw-god

I’m on the Simon and Schuster Pulseit site … which I assume is a book community based around S&S Pulse titles but I just jumped in and joined without really looking at the about page and so I’m looking through it and they offer book excerpts to help you figure out if you want to say … go get a book.

I saw Rats Saw God which recently has been on my radar because it’s by Rob Thomas who is to Veronica Mars as Whedon is to Buffy.  Published a while ago, and I think recently back in print with new cover blah blah blah.  So I click to read the excerpt.  Which contains:  The Cover.  The Title Page.  Acknowledgements.  Copyright.  Dedication. Continue reading “Funny Story: Pulseit Rats Saw God”