What's in the Hopper and Other Stuff

Is there anything more uplifting and joyous than getting a box of books in the mail?
The short answer is no, there isn't!
I have gotten a box of books in the mail last week and this week, and I am hoping to get another book from the SF Book Club next week with the latest Jim Butcher Harry Dresden book in it.
Meanwhile, though, here's what is in the hopper right now, awaiting time to read it:
War For the Oaks, Emma Bull
Hemingway's Girl, Erika Roebuck
In Sunlight and In Shadow, Mark Helprin
Mrs Queen Takes the Train, William Kuhn
Haunt Me Still, Jennifer Lee Carrell
Robopocalypse, Daniel Wilson
Kicking and Dreaming, Ann and Nancy Wilson
And I finished "Magic Without Mercy" by Devon Monk, which I believe is the last, or the second to last book in the Allie B series. It was a great book to end on, because we got to see all the characters fighting to save magic and Portland from the head of the Authority who was possessed.
Great stuff, action, romance, magic and the unsinkable Allie B!

Here's an event going on in and around Seattle that I would LOVE to attend, but I doubt I could get my husband to drive me to even one of the events, let alone all of them. Still, it sounds marvelous, and I hope other local bibliophiles take advantage of this opportunity!

Cool Idea of the Day: My Bookstore Lit Crawl

Five bookstores in Washington State are teaming up to stage a "lit
crawl" to celebrate the publication November 13 of My Bookstore: Writers
Celebrate Their Favorite Places to Browse, Read, and Shop, edited by
Ronald Rice (Black Dog & Leventhal). In the book, more than 80 authors
pay tribute to their favorite independent bookstores.

The lit crawl centers on five events, one at each of the five stores,
over eight days. At their first event, attendees receive a My Bookstore
passport, and then at each event thereafter they'll get a stamp. With
three or more stamps, customers will be entered for a chance to win
prizes sponsored by the lit crawl consortium, which include gift cards
to Third Place and University Book Store, copies of My Bookstore and a
prize pack of all attending authors' most recent work.

The events, all beginning at 7 p.m., are:

November 12: Ivan Doig at the University Book Store, Seattle.
November 13: Tom Robbins at Village Books, Bellingham
November 14: Jonathan Evison at Eagle Harbor Books, Bainbridge Island
November 16: Stephanie Kallos and members of the Seattle 7 at Third
Place Books, Lake Forest Park
November 20: Timothy Egan at Elliott Bay Books, Seattle

"We're so pleased to be working with other area independents on hosting
this lit crawl," Stesha Brandon, manager of PR and events at University
Book Store. "We're all honored to be toasted by such respected authors,
of course, but as a whole we also view the publication of My Bookstore
as a celebration of not only the wonderful authors who stock our shelves
but our customers, too."

I have long thought that legendary editors, like Ross or Perkins would be excellent fodder for a movie, and now I am being proven right! Of course, watching a hot Michael Fassbender in "Hex" has certainly helped revise my estimation of his acting talents, and I've always been a fan of Colin Firth, so I can hardly wait for this film to debut.

Colin Firth and Michael Fassbender will star in Genius
http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz15011778,
based on the National Book Award-winning Max Perkins: Editor of Genius
by A. Scott Berg. The film "will chart the real-life relationship
between literary giant Thomas Wolfe (Fassbender) and renowned editor Max
Perkins (Firth), who developed a tender, complex friendship that changed
the lives of both men forever," the Hollywood Reporter wrote. Michael
Grandage will direct from an adapted script by John Logan.