Shaken & Stirred

Saturday Hangovers

• Catching up on LJ friendslist after a few days edition.
• Just read this Jeff Ford gem; it is to laugh.
• Cyn has an affecting remembrance of Norma Fox Mazer (there are so many out there). I had no idea that Norma Fox Mazer wrote the novelization of the Supergirl movie.
• Jo gives an update on the Montgomery County book censorship situation, which is just enraging on every level. And speaking of censorship, Adam Selzer's How to Get Suspended and Influence People* is now getting the enraging treatment.
• The subjectivity of reviews by way of the subjectivity of how Tessa Gratton feels about Kenneth Branagh. Heart this post.
• Karen rounds up some compelling stuff about communication and discourse from here and there.
• Alana Joli interviews Stacy Whitman about Tu Publishing, her new press that will focus on multicultural fantasy and science fiction for young adults.
• And now I'm off to attack the fiction, assuming the cat stops stepping on the keyboard.

*That totally would have been my high school memoir title.

Monday Hangovers

• Laurie Halse Anderson on the basics of writing picture books. 
• The sad news began circulating over the weekend that Norma Fox Mazer had passed on after battling invasive brain cancer. She will be remembered and celebrated throughout the week over at the VCFA children's/YA alum blog, Through the Tollbooth.
• Meghan has some great writing quotes.
• More love for Whip It! Which you really must see if you haven't. And, semi-related at least, Betsy tosses out some children's lit-themed roller derby names and asks for more. (See also: The more general ones in the comments on this post. My fave's OLIVIA NEUTRON BOMB.)
• Carolyn has a great profile/interview of Sherman Alexie in the LA Times.
• N.K. Jemisin offers wise words about southern racism.
• Kate Messner has more fun with Scrivener. What a great idea on the color coding of the index cards.
• Liz has a must-read summary of the FTC's clarification of its new "guidelines" at KidLitCon (oh, wish I could have gone). Sounds practically, gasp, sensible.
• Excellent news from Cat Valente--she sold Fairyland to Feiwel and Friends. Huzzah!
• The thoroughly awesome Bill Schafer gets interviewed about what nefarious and amazing hijincks Subterranean Press is up to over at Omnivoracious.

Sunday Hangovers

• Maggie Stiefvater with a butt-kicking post about questions that writers can only answer for themselves.
• Someone has reposted the entire Sci Fiction archive without permission. Ellen Datlow has links and contact info for writers who would like their stories removed.
• The real missing link? Her name is Ardi.
• Both Colleen Mondor and Sara Zarr offer some perspective on banned books week and crimes involving young women. (If you are defending Roman Polanski, just UGH. What is wrong with you? You like rich people's privilege that much?)
• Alana Joli offers some interesting thoughts about urban fantasy, and then about literature and genre fiction and the Great Divide.
• That New York Times' essay by Arthur Krystal--in case you missed it--about the differences in thinking when writing vs. speaking.
• Jeff Ford recently asked for his blog readers' favorite ghost stories (short story length) for a top ten he's compiling for a class he's teaching this semester. You could do worse than reading any of the resulting stories. Any you'd add?
• Speaking of which, Ron Charles gives a good review to Audrey Niffenegger's just-out Her Fearful Symmetry, and offers a round-up of this year's best creepy, literary-flavored reads so far.
• The Elizabeth Taylor biography sounds like the chronicle of an absolute nutcaseSPLENDID.

Tuesday Hangovers

• Just a few little links for today.
• Slate proposes some possible extinction methods for America. (Via the lovely and brill Karen.)
• Kate Messner featured on L.K. Madigan's Authorial Intrusion series. 
• As usual, the Enchanted Inkpot has an interesting discussion going; the current topic is the historical roots of fantasy, particularly sources of magic.
• Two of the most generous, fabulous writers I know, Nicola Griffith and Kelley Eskridge, are announcing a new editing, mentoring and coaching service for writers. Visit Sterling Editing or Nicola's blog for details.
• Dawn has a post on the agonies and triumphs of revision. I tend to find revision the hardest and best part of writing, simultaneously. At least, I think I do. I'm off to workshop for a week on Sunday, and when I get home I'll be digging in to the revision on the new book. This is the only time I can ever remember taking a full month (and a couple of weeks more, actually) off from working on a project before launching into revision mode*. I'm eager to get back inside that story, too, and am beginning to feel impatient about it. I take this as a good omen.

*Of course, I was working on another revision during that month, but it's been a busy time and slowish going. I have a feel for how the rest of it will work now that those first bones have been broken and reset. And I'm sure it Will All Be Okay. After all, C is making fish tacos tonight.

Tuesday Hangovers

• M.J. Rose on authors and marketing efforts and compensation: "We should be involved in marketing and PR — in every aspect of our careers. And if we want to pay for extra marketing or publicity, as long as we do it right, it’s a smart investment. But it is not now and should never be our obligation. And if we are going to make these investments, publishers need to acknowledge that commitment."
• Boy, Lev Grossman sure got everyone worked up, didn't he? I just don't see the hanging offense here, especially since the main point of this piece has been reiterated over and over in recent years without inspiring the same furor*. Am still looking forward to The Magicians.
• John Crowley forgets an encounter with an admired author, then reads about it later.
• I have been following the inquiry into runner Caster Semanya's gender closely. Lauren says it. 
• The Venn Diagram of Mythical Creatures that's been floating around. Want wall poster.
• Finally: The cusp of fall TV season. Yay. Perhaps we'll need a new discussion thread for something--V or Glee? True Blood is my favorite at the moment, but it's a little late to give it one now. 

*Mentioning Twilight was a misstep, because it muddies the point he's trying to make in a way that pointing to The Hunger Games doesn't. Twilight demonstrates the ability of women and girls to fuel a major blockbuster, whereas The Hunger Games and Harry Potter don't break down so cleanly along gender lines and get more to the heart of people's hunger for good storytelling. (Yes, I know there are boys who've read Twilight**, but I don't think we'd argue they are the reason it's so huge.)

**In our long lost gaming group, one of the younger, single guys told us once that he loved Twilight. We all looked at him and ::boggled:: Then he explained that before it came along being a quiet guy who wears a lot of black didn't get him nearly as much attention from the ladies.

I Know, I Know & Hangovers

It's as if I've abandoned the site lately, but I haven't. I've just been exceedingly busy. (This is also why you haven't gotten e-mail from me, if I owe you one.) I'm going to aim for some actual books posts this weekend, even. Promise. And there are so many books I love coming out in the next month or two, and I'll be hosting some of the wonderful writers who wrote them on blog tours too, and doing a giveaway or two. Sound fun? I think so.

• Books Inc. has a new kids' book blog that you should be checking out.
• Justine Musk on "The Art of the Start."
• I totally missed posting about Jackie Dolamore's Magic Under Glass ARC comp while it was on, BUT you should make a note of the title because you'll be wanting to get yourself a copy when it comes out.
• Shannon Hale's excellent, much-discussed post about how reviewing impacts reading and vice versa. See also: John Green on times he was being a wronghead about certain books. (And so agree about The Fountainhead--the only place it belongs is as a character grace note in Dirty Dancing.)
• Stephany on how Shirley Jackson's fictionalized family-centered nonfiction confused the memories of her children.
• Want.
• Bennett Madison's The Blonde of the Joke is finally out. This book is AMAZING. Please read it. I loved it all the way back in 2008: "It is SO good. With this book, he's pulled off something so difficult to do; as I told a friend in e-mail, it satisfyingly blurs the line between realism and the fantastic in a way that's still rare. It's a realistic novel, but flirting with being something else, flirting heavily, and in the process becoming its own unique, perfect thing. Beautifully written, too." And it does, in fact, pair excellently with Frankie Landau Banks.
• Do not miss Tempest's list of Mindblowing SF by Women and People of Color.

Thursday Hangovers

• Bill Clinton's been checking out Carolyn.
• Kassia with a post on reading in an age of distraction: "The competition for books isn’t necessarily other books as much as everything else in life."
• A good post on basic book structural issues.
• An interesting discussion over at the Enchanted Inkpot about the dynamics of stories where the love interest is WAY older than the protag (or vice versa) due to supernatural factors.
• A modern kid tries to figure out the walkman and replace his iPod with it for a week: "It took me three days to figure out that there was another side to the tape." Suddenly, I am ancient.
• The ultimate dead letter.
• Cherie Priest on steampunk.
• Rachel Aaron on villains.
• An essay about John Hughes from the potential inspiration for Ferris Bueller, now a government attorney.
• Bitch magazine is adding a YA column--the first one features Sara Zarr.
• Make sure you don't miss the posts from yesterday's southeast Asia one-shot day in the kidlitverse.

Thursday Hangovers

• Sara Zarr recommends some great books, including Bennett Madison's wonderful wonderful The Blonde of the Joke.
• Errol Morris on lying again, with Ricky Jay.
• Stacy Whitman condenses a discussion on YA and middle grade and the differences between them (particularly in relation to their frequent conflation in SFF).
• An interview with Kathleen Duey, whose follow-up to her brilliant novel Skin Hunger is out now. Yay! (Sacred Scars, for those not keeping track.)
• A dissenting opinion on the first 100 pages of Little Brother that I'm linking because I like contrarian posts, generally speaking. (In other words, this doesn't mean that I agree, but that I found the discussion interesting.)
• Justine Musk has some wise words on revision.

Friday Hangovers

• If I owe you e-mail, you really will get a response in the next day or so. I'm determined to catch up.
• An essay by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan about the eternal appeal of the vampire.
• Julius Lester waxes wise on the Gates incident and the beer summit.
• N.K. Jemisin writes about describing characters of color, beginning with a fascinating discussion of the differences between the U.K. and U.S. versions of the first Harry Potter book in this regard.
• The new GORGEOUS online version of the Vermont College of Fine Arts' journal Hunger Mountain is now, well, online, and even has a new YA & children's section stuffed with wonderful things (including essays by Sara Zarr and Rita Williams-Garcia, to name just two). Also not to miss? Chapter one of one Ross Angelella's novel Alpha House (which I somehow didn't realize was YA/see also: his latest entry). Basically: I am outrageously impressed by this journal's latest issue.
• Go congratulate Patrick on acquiring a certain fabulous agent.

Tuesday Hangovers

• Oh, there is nothing like a "reunited with lost dog" story to make me mist up. This essay from Washington Post foreign service correspondent Pamela Constable about her extraordinary search for a street dog named Ahu in Islamabad is no exception.
• Controversy! Drinking in Harry Potter! PLEASE. If the dark lord was on your heels, you'd need a pint too. And let's not forget that the UK doesn't have the same age requirements as our drinking laws.
• Sarah writes eloquently about Banville and the phony notion of "transcending genre." I also really, really want to read Of Bees and Mist based on her recommendation (lefthand column), which invokes the Brothers Grimm and Angela Carter. Sign me up.
• I also can't wait to get my mitts on Love is a Four-Letter Word, which receives a ringing endorsement at Omnivoracious today, and features the essay stylings of one of my favorite bloggers ever.
• Carol Ann Duffy on war poetry. (Via the divine Julie Larios, who also shares some notes from this past Vermont residency's lectures. This is very helpful in deciding which ones this ex-student wants to order.)
• "How did 100,000,000 women disappear?" via Gavin.
• Cyn interviews Micol and David Ostow about the awesomeness of So Punk Rock.
• I give you: the rare Tufted deer. Dead by cute. It will take over the world.

Sunday Hangovers

• A few links to close some tabs. Things will calm down soon and I'll make book posts--have been reading some amazing stuff lately. But for now links and back to some other projects that should be finished this weekend.
• Majorie Liu's Left Behind and Loving It series of writing process and related posts are worth a look. That latest ones are on leaving behind fear and finding inspiration.
• Katherine at Bunch of Grapes has an excellent post about why shopping discounters for books isn't really cheaper: "Actually, I'd say it costs more." (Via Meghan over on Twitter, I think?)
• The Washington Post covers RWA, and the reporter clearly had fun with the piece.
• Ursula Le Guin takes on three oft-cited rules of writing. 
• Elizabeth Genco on Barron Storey. 
• Janni points out one of the things I love best about a particular set of myths. 
• You gave your dog what kind of haircut? 
• Tansy has a great post on the thorny issues of boys and reading and what girls read, and the whole etc. 

Sunday Hangovers

• Margo Lanagan provides an example of how to respond to crazy reviews, if you're going to respond. Of course, she does have the advantage of being a genius.
• Tamagotchi graveyards! (via Jenny D.) 
• Betsy recommends new picture book The Secret Circus, which sounds AMAZING. 
• In honor of the now ended #yaauthorfeud that broke out on twitter over the weekend, a few links: Rachel Donadio writing about literary feuds in 2006; the Guardian book blog on same in 2007; and there's always Anthony Arthur's Literary Feuds: A Century of Celebrated Quarrels--From Mark Twain to Tom Wolfe.
• Glen David Gold interview in the Times.  
• Back later this week with some thoughts on Sarah Rees Brennan's marvelous new novel, The Demon's Lexicon (Indiebound|Amazon). 

Monday Hangovers

• Save Ohio Libraries.
• John Green ponders different possibilities for advance and royalty structures.
• Villains gloat.
• Teens still watch plenty of TV.
• Michael Chabon has a dead interesting essay in the New York Review of Books: "Manhood for Amateurs: The Wilderness of Childhood."
• Another Boston Globe review may have been more talked about over the weekend, but Liz Rosenberg's consideration of some new paranormal titles for teens makes some intriguing assertions about why teenagers dig the supernatural. Arguments, comments, etc.?
• Sarah Dunant on historical fiction, and the Guardian on upstart historians.
• Laurel Snyder wonders about the differences between (and is looking for examples of) episodic rather than epic fantasy. Some of you more theory-oriented types can undoubtedly shine the light here. 
• A discussion at the Enchanted Inkpot about fantasy tropes and whether they can be escaped.

Thursday Hangovers

• I'm sure you've seen this elsewhere, but just in case--Jeff VanderMeer has tons of good stuff up about the Shared Worlds summer camp for teens to learn about writing SFF. Jeff also asked some Shared Worlds faculty about real cities they think have a fantasy/SF quality. Great program, great read.
• Steve Berman of Lethe Press fame wrote with an exciting announcement, the launch of a new quarterly magazine called Icarus bringing together his two great literary loves, speculative fiction and gay-themed stories. The first issue is now available.
• Speaking of gay issues, YA author Sara Ryan has a great post about cynical optimism in an age where teens are still getting beat up for admitting they're gay, but are also organizing amazing things like the Anti-Prom too. 
• Midori offers a strong recommendation for Téa Obreht's debut story, "The Tiger's Wife," in the fiction ish of the New Yorker (June 8).
• An update on the Library of Congress project that's digitizing newspapers from circa the 1900s--the project has surpassed a million pages. Great research treasure trove for those of you working on historical projects (Scott, Justine). (Via Ron Charles on twitter.)
• Speaking of Scott, here's a thorough report about the panel on alternate history in YA that he, Holly and Cassie did at BEA.
• Brandon Sanderson on "The YA Invasion." He makes an interesting suggestion about how the popularity of SFF YA might have influenced the epic or high fantasy section of the field: "I think it made the genre better. I think we've had to look at our sluggish beginnings in epic, and realize that two hundred pages of wandering around a castle before conflict appears may not be the best way to begin a story. We've had to become more creative in our worldbuilding, partially (I think) to compete with the elegance of YA competition. Probably, most epic authors don't even think about this, though I bet many of them have read Potter and the others.  You can't help but react to, incorporate, and learn from what you read." (Hat tip to Stacy Whitman, also on twitter.)
• Roger Sutton has been posting on lots of hot topics of late, resulting in some very interesting discussions in the comments section. See "Blogs and Buzz,"  "Publishers and Bloggers," and "The fanboys can be merciless," for starters.
• Free Arts and Crafts label music sampler on Amazon. Some good stuff on there. (Via largehearted boy.)
• Finally, early reports on Salinger vs. Colting seem to indicate that the judge is thinking along the same lines as Chris Barzak. You should still read what Chris has to say, though, as an author who wrote a book in direct conversation with Catcher.

Monday Hangovers

• An interview with China Mieville kicks off his guest-blogging stint at Omnivoracious.
• Kevin Brockmeier's 50 favorite short stories in the Oxford American--several of my own favorites are included. (I do love Terry Bisson's "Bears Discover Fire," but "The Two Janets" is actually my fave from that collection. And, yay, the whole collection is on google books here, and I've handily bookmarked the Janets page for you. It starts: "I'm not one of those people who thinks you have to read a book to get something out of it. You can learn a lot about a book by picking it up, turning it over, rubbing the cover, riffling the pages open and shut. Especially if it's been read enough times before, it'll speak to you." Also, happy to see stories by Dora Goss and Kelly on there.)
• New Megan Whalen Turner book, A Conspiracy of Kings, coming in April 2010. Yay! (Via Monica.)
• Over at NPR, some indie booksellers offer summer reading recs and Eduardo Galeano's Mirrors is one of them. All this newfound Galeano discussion is such a wonderful thing. AND NPR also has a piece on a the Dictionary of American Regional English, including a fabulous list of terms. (Last link via Maud.)
• Jeff Ford's "How They Tried to Make Me Hate Reading" goes in the short list of posts that will always make me happy, from now until the end of time. You must read it. Of Silas Marner in the sixth grade: "If Rumsfeld had known of it, they seriously would have put this to use at Guantanamo." Hee.
• The new issue of Conjunctions, "Impossible Realism," edited by Brian Evenson and Bradford Morrow, looks great. There's a new Liz Hand story in it, "Hungerford Bridge," which is one of a handful that are up online. To my knowledge, the term "New Wave Fabulists" only became common after Peter Straub's guest-edited Conjunctions in Fall 2002, but definitely took on a life of its own. I would be kind of joyous if "Impossible Realists" catches on.
• Finally, let the excellence of these proposed films wash over you.

Sunday Hangovers

Closing tabs before heading to the airport:

• A podcast of my favorite Greg van Eekhout story "Will You Be An Astronaut" at Escape Pod.
• "The Meadows Museum of the Invisible."  
• People can smell/taste/etc words. 
• A fascinating post from the cinetrix about A.O. Scott's subtly brutal review of the Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida-written Away We Go. (Note: I am not an Eggers/Vida hater, but the review is worth reading.) 
• All right, off to finish packing and drive three hours to the Albuquerque airport. Thus endeth Rio Hondo 2009.  

Random Hangovers

• Jeff Ford gets a personal letter and free product from Fluff. Now that's customer service.
• Sarah Prineas reflects on the year since her first book was published. 
• An excellent essay by Sarah Waters on the inspiration for her new novel and including a bonus list of her favorite ghost stories. 
• Also in the Guardian, Ian MacKenzie's top 10 artworks in novels. 
• Errol Morris on The Uncanny Valley. 
• Stephany gets all up in the vampire house with a Twilight binge.  
• Sarah has a link to China Mieville on crime fiction, and offers some thoughts of her own. 
• Last night we had the world's most fabulous mole over polenta (which I also had for post-critique lunch today, yay!), and tonight Christopher's cooking pad thai (which never disappoints). A girl could get used to this. Now I will write the fiction for a bit.

Tuesday Hangovers

• A new copyright system designed to speed up the process has tripled it: "What the hell is the matter with that [expletive] software of yours?" one author wrote in a March 22 e-mail to the copyright agency. "I've spent more than three hours and a ton of grief trying to register my literary work and upload it. That [expletive] told me at least four times that an error had occurred and then it stopped dead. Why? Who sold you that [expletive] and why did you buy it?" The author was trying to copyright a children's book.
• Tod Goldberg plays Dungeons and Dragons for the first time in 20 years.
• Ilona Andrews on revealing gender and appearance early in fiction.
• Some recommendations of Star Trek novels for new fans.
• RJ Anderson offers some interesting thoughts about writing in the age of racefail and mammothfail.

Tuesday Hangovers

• Kathleen Duey talks about her twitter novel experiment over at Cyn's spooky place. I highly recommend following her for the installments.
• A profile of Ayelet Waldman in the WashPost; I still miss her blog. She was a natural.
• Library raves!
• Nikola Tesla and a deserted site on Long Island at Science Times. (Via Jenny D.)
• I can't remember if I've blogged this, but YA and children's writers might want to check out the new Katherine Paterson Prize at the reinvented Hunger Mountain journal from my MFAlma mater.
• Summer reading recs from Gavin and Kelly.
• Lisa Gold on the dangers of Wikipedia hoaxes and lazy fact checking.
• Maud on NPR talking about Mark Twain. Christopher and I were just talking about his Joan of Arc novel a few days ago.
• Mary at the must-read Kid Lit site reviews the most excellent Carol Lynch Williams' The Chosen One.
• Erin talks about pens and recommends her faves.
• Greg van Eekhout on revising out those bugbear repeated words, which seem to infect every manuscript.

Hangovers

• Quickquick ones today, as I am busy bee. (Yes, I know I'm failing miserably at BEDA, but I have blogged MORE, so that's something, right?) And owe people stuff, especially e-mails.
• Margo Rabb interviews Sherman Alexie, and we find out his YA novel Radioactive Love Song is delayed for now. (Here's hoping it gets finished sometime, because it sounds most excellent.) I think Flight could be packaged as YA as is--would be great to pair with Slaughterhouse-Five in the classroom, too.
• I've never even heard of John Christopher's The Death of Grass, apparently now back in print, but must check it out based on this recommendation.
• Chris Lehmann on his time at NY Magazine. (Via Maud.)
• Arthur Slade on his experience using Facebook ads to promote his new novel. I hope we see more of these kinds of posts. Very useful.
• The tweets from the Romantic Times conference are great fun to observe so far. Jason Pinter posts his entries from attending the 2007 one.
• Writing about teen sex at the Sydney Morning Herald blog.
• Editorial Anonymous with a typically good post on reviews--good ones can help, bad ones don't hurt.
• Mary at the already-dynamite KidLit.com with a post about the importance of remembering that characters have pasts and futures in addition to presents.
• Andrew Wheeler's response to Jonathan Karp's PW piece. 
• Want to live in this treehouse, someday. But the dogs would hate it.

Monday Hangovers

• The lovely and hilarious Toni McGee Causey has a post that every writer should read: "How do you know when to quit?"
• Jonathan Karp offers twelve interesting suggestions for fixing publishing in this week's PW.
• Author Lynn Viehl on the realities of her making the NYT best-seller list.
• After Chavez gives Obama a copy of Eduardo Galeano's Open Veins of Latin America its Amazon sales go through the roof. This is a happy-making thing. Any time Galeano's books are selling, I'm happy. Kind of a ballsy gift too.
• Ted Gioia asks: "Did sci-fi writers from the 1940s and 1950s anticipate the future of serious literature better than the so-called 'serious writers,' or, for that matter, the highbrow critics?"
• RIP J.G. Ballard at Jacket Copy and Omnivoracious.
• Thoughts on book promotion from Ypulse's Anastasia Goodstein.
• Compared to Geek Love? Will read, scary clown cover or not.
• Steven Johnson in the WSJ on "how the e-book will change the way we read and write."
• Yesterday's Magic District "quickie" was on favorite reference books, and some great ones were recommended. 
• Glen Hirshberg shares an excerpt from The Book of Bunk. Check it out.

Tuesday Hangovers

• Only three percent of newspaper reading occurs online? Ninety-nine percent of my own does, and I heart newspapers.
• Terry with an excellent post on dedications at About Last Night. I've been thanked in several acknowledgments, but have only the one dedication (shared with Christopher, which makes it even nicer) in the ::SOB:: last volume of the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror (until it's resurrected someday?).
• Jo Walton on reading series, and the odd practice of some publishers not labeling series books as such. Again: See it everywhere.
• A few more #amazonfail links: Kat Meyer on the problematic PR (a no comment to NPR = bad), Richard Nash on why it matters, Kelley Eskridge with lessons for managers, NYT story, LA Times. You need only go to twitter and search the hashtag to find scads more.
• Chains takes the third match in the Battle of the (Kids') Books. I'm 3 for 3 on my bracket predictions so far.
• An excerpt of Maud's novel is up at Narrative.
• The Spring 2009 issue of Subterranean is out, and includes my first review for the mag, of Carrie Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth. (I greatly enjoyed it.)
• Just one of the reasons I love my agent.

Monday Hangovers

• There's nothing like a good screed from a grammarian. Thank you for clarifying so many things that are so frequently cited and are SO WRONG, sir.
• An article attempting to demystify book advances in the NYT, and then moonrat demystifies it with a dose of truth.
• Fabulous, fabulous Larry Doyle review of the latest Pinkwater book: There will be no stores open at midnight for the latest Pinkwater, no nerd swarms, girl gaggles or nerd-girl swaggles, cloaked as wizards or vampirettes, whining at the doors, demanding completion. There will be no subsequent blockbusting tent-pole movie starring the newest hotness. There will presumably be no Newbery, again, this year. The latest Pinkwater is nothing special, only the usual wonderful.
• Nicola with a truly great writing process post. Don't miss: Trust me, if you listen to your body, you'll know when it's wrong. I get all kinds of physical signals of stress, ranging from a vague restlessness to finding it hard to breathe. The instant you begin to feel that, draw a line through the ms. Delete everything after that line. (Put it in a separate folder, if you must--but I'm telling you, you'll never use it. May as well just throw it away.)
• The Battle of the (Kids') Books has begun, with Octavian Nothing II advancing in battle one and The Trouble Begins at Eight taking battle two. My brackets are looking good so far.
• #amazonfail, of course, is the big news. A while back, I became an IndieBound affiliate and started using all IndieBound links in posts, but bemoaned the inability to leave Amazon and still keep using Typepad's supereasy Typelists for the site's sidebars. I am not a code monkey. So I'm thrilled to hear that IndieBound widgets are on the way. (And for the record, I never buy books with the Amazon gift certificates I've earned through the program--instead using it to get a Lush fix or buy the cat a new litterbox.) I'd way rather steer people to their indie bookstore, however.
  
• Some #amazonfail links: Publishers Weekly, Booksquare, Ed, Carolyn tearing it up at Jacket Copy, and Nicola (whose fabulous, brilliant books are affected! woe!). I don't disagree with those saying that final judgment shouldn't be rendered until the full verdict is in (on this particular matter, anyway), BUT the burden of proof is on Amazon. And until they step up to the plate, I'm awfully swayed by the fact that this certainly DOESN'T look like an accidental glitch. Bright side: I'm glad to know so many of you fine people who are refusing to let this get swept under the rug. LOVE.

Tuesday Hangovers

• This still counts as BEDA, even though it's a links post, right? I'll try to manage a more substantial one tomorrow.
• Jed Berry interviewed at Bookslut: "I love Edward Gorey’s umbrellas. There’s that one Edward Gorey story which is about a dog trying to find his master’s umbrella and every once in a while it cuts to an umbrella shop where this man is trying out umbrellas, until at last the whole store is full of umbrellas he has not accepted, and he leaves saying none of these umbrellas will do! The clerk is swooning with her hand against her forehead. It’s just hilarious."
• Colleen Lindsay on why writers can look to Dollhouse for pointers on what not to do.
• "Is this the future of the digital book?"
• How much does an author's photo matter? NPR explores.
• Colleen recommends Tim Wynne-Jones new book, The Uninvited, which is also getting a star in the next Horn Book. Want.
• Betsy is doing an insanely huge 100 Best Picture Books list. Laurel is doing 100 HORRIBLE Books. 
• Niall says Heroes is getting decent again. So THAT'S why I have them stockpiled on the DVR.
• And, last but not least, check out the brand spanking new KidLit.com site--I think this is gonna be good. Go win books.

Monday Hangovers

• The SLJ Battle of the (Kids') Books will start two weeks from today with a face off between Octavian Nothing Vol. II and Ways to Live Forever. The competing titles are awesome, as are the judges--this should be fun to watch. Check out the newly launched blog for details.
• NPR looks at the DRM issue, and talks with Naomi Novik, among others.
• Jo Graham on all the books she's written; many of the unsold ones sound fabulous.
• Carrie Ryan started a conversation about sex and violence in YA lit (and why the first is so much more controversial than the second), and R.J. Anderson continued it with thoughts of her own. Comments sections of interest.
• It's really too bad: There are no vampires at Boston Latin School.
• The Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year finalists are out. And the winner is The 2009-2014 World Outlook for 60-Milligram Containers of Fromage Frais, which doesn't strike me as quite odd enough. Definitely not as good as fellow contender Curbside Consultation of the Colon.
• Interesting new site launch: Filmwell. (Spotted on Twitter.) I do not know if it has the cinetrix's seal of approval.
• H.P. launches an on-demand magazine producer.
• Also in the NYT, Errol Morris begins a five part inquiry "Whose Father Was He?", about a soldier who died at Gettysburg and his family.
• Justine on hard cover vs. paperback publishing. I'm reminded of Chris Barzak's post awhile back.
• Jackie at Literary Escapism uncovers some hilarious fantasy-themed checkbook art. Once--before I was a Real Adult--my mom ordered me checks with teddy bears on them. I felt like a serial killer.
• Finally, so much fun, Ed gets his righteous hate on for Jonathan Littell's The Kindly Ones.

Tuesday Hangovers

• John Hodgman offers the kind of interesting judgment you'd expect at the Tourney of Books today, but the real squee is in the commentary, where it's revealed Frankie Landau Banks really does have a shot at ye olde zombie round. Fingers very much crossed.
• A collection of Katherine Dunn's boxing essays, One Ring Circus, is out. Want a new novel from her with a million tons of want.
• A couple of interesting posts over at the Magic District: N.K. Jemisin on day jobs and Diana Rowland on the SF ghetto phenom.
• Janni Simner discusses her fascination with apocalyptic lit over at Powell's.
• Over at the Guardian Book Blog, Jed's novel The Manual of Detection racks up another recommendation, and inspires some interesting thoughts about the difference between dream sequences in fiction of the realistic and speculative varieties.
• 30 Poets in 30 Days will celebrate children's poetry with a new poem every day in April posted at the Gotta Book blog. I'll be tuning in, as I see some faves on the list, including the divine Julie Larios.
• Christopher has some bits of good news, including that he'll be reading with Andy Duncan at the KGB Fantastic Fiction series on Dec. 16. Yes, we are finally coming to New York, so we will see y'all then. (Actually, we'll see some of you a couple of weeks early when we're there for a Certain Important Wedding.)
• As you can see, there's a lot of basketball talk going on in our house currently. Let's just say that even one of the analysts characterized Pitino's movements as "prowling" the other day. Just saying.

Tuesday Hangovers

• Thought I was getting a cold, but it was just allergies. Joy? They seem better now that the sun is shining. I hope this isn't going to be one of those years.
• Michael Dirda totally sells me on Michael Holroyd's A Strange Eventful History. Sounds wonderful.
• A documentary about the Harry Potter universe, We Are Wizards, free on Hulu.
• Maggie Stiefvater on violence in books. 
• David Byrne blogs about Sonic Youth. (Thanks to Jed.)
• Doodles!
• Publishing Trends on "Crossing Over for Kids." (Via the divine Betsy B.)
• I had no idea so many people in the kidlitosphere didn't follow the Tourney of Books. Of course, this also comforts me, in that they don't remember the year I lost in the book bloggers' pool (I was second! Due to late-round flukes!). Frankie for the zombie round! Fingers crossed!
• Adam Selzer shows you around Weird Chicago.
• R.I.P. Millard Kaufman. Very sad. 
• Melissa brings the science links.
• Clay Shirky highlights the difference between newspapers and journalism. (Link via Twitter memeverse.)
• One J.R. Angelella has a new story up at Word Riot called "You Wake Up And The Virgin Mary Statue On Your Dresser Is Crying Blood." You can also hear him read it.
• Random awesome: The Periodic Table of Typefaces. (Via Andy.)

Friday Hangovers

• "'Vampire' Unearthed from Venice Plague Grave" (happy Friday the 13th!). Also, ancient Roman joke book.
• This blog posts a story about how a book got its title each day. (Via Maud.)
• Sara Zarr on the insanity of photo retouching, and being okay with looking like yourself in your publicity photos. Right. On.
• Andrew Auseon's new, exquisitely titled Jo-Jo and the Fiendish Lot is on the streets, and there's this neato accompanying site too. 
• "The Kindle Revolution."
• Colleen tells a ghost story. We should have a designated ghost story day in the 'sphere--next Friday the 13th, perhaps?
• What's up with Drac's neckwear in the 1931 movie version?

Thursday Hangovers

• Did I vanish there? Why, yes, I'm very mysterious that way. My goal for the afternoon is to catch up on e-mail. & huge amount of links to kick out.
• Some RaceFail links (all accessible to people out of the loop, too): Susan Groppi with "Things we say and don't say" and "Frames of Reference"; Naomi Novik with "what ought to go without saying but doesn't"; Niall Harrison with "Reasons to Care about RaceFail"; Colleen Mondor with "Are you reading this wrong?"; and Chris Barzak with "On failing to keep up with RaceFail." There are soooo many more.
• This has been a pet issue of mine for years. Why have science books for kids traditionally been so dry and boring? (Via Cyn.) I'm still angry that all the personalities are removed from the stories of invention and advance, but this post gives me some hope that things have improved a bit Since My Day.
• Rachel Aaron on writing the right book (and, really, if you're not reading The Magic District yet, it's full of good posts).
• Linda Sue Park is going to join the ranks of writers for the 39 Clues series.
• Jeff Ford on his instructor John Gardner's go-to craft book, An American Rhetoric, by W.W. Watt.
• The Second Pass, a new lit site updated with new content daily. Pretty. And Maud will be contributing.
• Like I really believe the kids aren't still reading the beats. Yeah, right. And Charlie Finlay puts it best: "Like Sylvia Plath wouldn't be reading Stephanie Meyer if she was a college freshman today."
• The New York Times gets added to the list of publications full of accolades for Jed Berry's The Manual of Detection, as does Strange Horizons (nicely said, Ms. Meisner!).
• F&SF has posted all its Nebula-nominated stories online.
• Karen Healey is watching Heroes, and cracking me up with commentary on Mohinder's "science."
• An excellent profile of Lynda Barry.
• The Guardian writes up queryfail.
• Good on Jay Asher and his book's slow-building success.
• Small Beer HQ is planning (get it? get it?) for their first foray into desk calendars, with A Working Writer's Daily Planner 2010: Your Year in Writing. Sign me up. Also, please to include the dates (if available) for some of the bigger conference events -- BEA, AWP, ALA, and such, perhaps?
• Carolyn, at Paper Cuts and away from it, has personality to spare. SRSLY.
• Finally, Glen Hirshberg is blogging again, yay, and has just finished a book that sounds both ambitious and wonderful, called The Book of Bunk. I can't wait.

Monday Hangovers

• Scientific American piece on albinism.
• The latest Mind Meld asks a bunch of writers about their literary influences in the ongoing conversation of SF.
• "Why can't a woman write the great American novel?" at Salon. (Via Medialoper.)
• It's not every day a fashion piece references Gaddis -- but, then, it is by Cintra Wilson.
• Ilona Andrews has been continuing to pick apart paragraphs. They're like fascinating little autopsies, where at the end the paragraph gets entirely reanimated.
• Eliza Dushku interview in USA Today. Mom was a women's studies prof. Hmmm...
• Kate Messner on virtual author visits, with some must-read analysis about what worked and what didn't at her school's first one. These will only get more popular, and that's a fabulous thing.
• Another thoughtful piece about the "death of independent bookstores." See also the death of the novel and the death of blogging, etc. Updated: Meghan with a great rant on how the indie bookstore business model is not inferior.
• Nathan Bransford offers some thoughts on sympathetic vs. unsympathetic characters. Also, see: Holly's crazy writing theory that the truly forbidden is characters going gross. (John Green, you need to write the lovable nosepicker, just to be the exception that proves the rule.)
• Slate on the Kindle and why it may be bad for publishing. (Perhaps, though, playing devil's advocate, it will force a more sensible and speedy progression for e-books. I just hope it doesn't seal the deal as the only game in e-book town.) And Gavin has the news on Amazon backing down on the text-to-speech feature, making it title-by-title.
• Do belt-tightening times make us better artists?
• Psychedelic fish.
• The Boston Globe takes a look at a number of Mormons writing YA, including two excellent writers I was lucky enough to have in my workshops at Vermont College -- Carol Lynch Williams and Julie Berry. (And, bonus, brilliant genius Martine Leavitt -- my last semester advisor, and also a graduate of the program -- is interviewed as well.) I find the article's implication that YA is a virginal playground odd, especially considering what happens in the last Twilight book. (Isn't straight-up romance the only genre that actually requires sex? And there's probably some occasional wiggle room there.) But I do agree with Martine that story is paramount in YA and children's literature, and it's nice to see such a generally thoughtful article about a less-well-known trend in the field.
• AND, relatedly, Julie's first novel The Amaranth Enchantment is out this week. After spending the weekend with it, I can assure you it'll hit the spot if you're in the mood for a traditional, smart, light-hearted fantasy with charming thieves and diabolical plotters and mistaken identities and witches who carry their souls around with them (sort of). It's a frothy romp with a goat named Dog. And it was selected for the IndieBound spring kids list. Take note of Julie's name, because you'll be hearing way more from her. Trust me.
• Joy Williams reviews the new Flannery O'Connor biography by Brad Gooch, which I just started reading the other night.
• Stephany needs a baby name! Stop her before she goes with Angina.
• Philip Pullman's speech to the Modern Liberty Convention.
• Happy pre-birthday to Mr. McLaren, winner of most of the stuff from the Shirley Jackson auction. Maybe the year treat you well.

Tuesday Hangovers

• I would type up all the info about Small Beer offering their backlist on Scribd (which I'm just investigating), but Charlie Finlay has all the relevant dish so I'll be lazy and link to him instead. (Also, The Patriot Witch sounds awesome, and you can get a preview of that at Scribd too.)
• Over at NPR, Joss Whedon talks about Dollhouse and several women writers discuss the first couple of eps.
• Richard Florida on how the crash of 2008 and America's future.
• Cyn interviews editor and writer Stacy Whitman.
• I twittered-but-forgot-to-post-here a link to Laurel Snyder's excellent article, "Where the Wild Things Aren't," on the need to de-lame-ify much of Jewish children's lit.
• Lots of chatter here and yon about Susan Orlean using Google Docs to write her new book. I love Google Docs, although I rarely use it for fiction writing--Scrivener suits that purpose much better. But I love it to keep notes about various things and to access files so I don't have to open the Evil Evil Microsoft Word, which always makes my computer creeeeep along.
• What Laini said, and congratulations on hitting the big 5-0-0th post. I appear to be on 1555 here. Yowza.
• Okay, back to the Scrivener mines.

Weekend Hangovers

• Workworkwork proceeds apace. Clearing out some tabs.
• IndieBound has individual pages for books now, yay, and their affiliate program is supereasy to manage to boot. Check it out. 
• And how better to experience the wonders of IndieBound than to buy Jedediah Berry's* debut novel, The Manual of Detection, nownownow from a local book shop and read it as fast as you can? There is no better way. It's an IndieNext pick for March. It's a beautiful object. You want to possess it. You're getting very sleepy. I think I'd better read it again this week, so I can finally do a proper post. See also: Holly's endorsement or enter your mystery-in-need-of-solving to win.
• Nice piece in the NYT about Raleigh outsider artist Renaldo Kuhler and his imaginary Rocaterrania. A documentary film about the artist premieres this week in San Jose. Noted for the add-to-queue file.
• RIP The Middleman, though the show creator says over at the Middle Blog that he prefers to think of it as "hibernating in a high tech vat."  Oh, how the sensible, non-angry commentary reminds me of same tune after the Freaks and Geeks cancellation. How about they just keep letting you put weird awesome television on FOREVER instead of pretending one season is enough? I know the sentiments are right and necessary for, y'know, having a career, but ::shakes fist:: At any rate, the finale comic book sounds excellent.
• Downturn good news for board games? Board games are good news anytime! (A post on the new edition of Clue coming soon, by the by. WTF?!)
• Alan Gratz lives the Project Runway dream!
• More to come, but Cynthia Leitich Smith's Eternal = MAJOR WOW. You need to read this one. Nownownow. Like I said, more to come.

*Someone got a pretty site redesign! I dream of the day I graduate from template-world. It won't be anytime soon, I'm afraid.

Tuesday Hangovers

• Cooper the Cat's eye view of Seattle. (Via Kelley.)
• A couple of things caught my attention at PW recently: a column on tricking adults into reading YA and a short interview with Jo Graham (whose Black Ships I adored and whose Hand of Isis just got a starred review and is sitting near the top of my TBR pile).
• Jeff Ford recommends Jed Berry's The Manual of Detection, my favorite book of the year so far. You want this one. Trust me. And it officially releases Feb. 19.
• Meghan offers an early recommendation for Holly and Cecil's Geektastic anthology, which is one of the most fabulous anthology concepts ever and sounds like it has the execution to match.
• New Dave Schwartz novella, "Escape to Bird Island," over at The King's English.
• Bibliophile Stalker has an interview with Ben Parzybok of Couch fame (yet another book I need to read, stat).
• Some vigorous debate about ass-kicking female characters--pro, con, etc.
• Cybils winners have been announced.
• Colleen on covers and the logic therein--I actually love the Paper Towns dual covers, but I can see where they might not necessarily appeal to guys.

Friday Hangovers

• I've just attempted a Great Inbox Catch-Up, so if you sent me an e-mail and haven't gotten a response, then re-send. I vow to keep up on a weekly basis (mostly) from this point forward.
• Betsy gives some love to Kekla Magoon's The Rock and the River, which I've heard nothing but good things about.
• So Lance Armstrong won't have the most stringent drug testing protocols ever. Not sure what this means.
• A new fantasy-focused news and reviews and other stuff site, The Torch, has launched. Author Brent Hartinger is writing a great deal of the content so far. 
• The Interfictions 2 line-up is amazing, and what a good idea to have additional stories in an online annex. Can't wait.
• TV Show Music catalogues the tunes on various shows. No more fruitless rewinding to try and hear lyrics and then googling for half an hour. Yay.
• The Shirley Jackson Awards are holding a lottery to raise funds. At Readoncon, I saw one of the rocks given to nominees, which, in my humble opinion, is the coolest thing ever.
• An excellent interview with Lew Shiner about Black & White and various other topics. A snippet: "I've always felt that any individual book of mine is going to have more in common with my other books than with other books in the same "genre." I think the emphasis on genre comes more from publishers than readers. The readers I talk to just want to read a good book (whatever that means). It's the big conglomerate publishers who want to turn books into predictable commodities so they can sell the largest number of units each of the smallest number of titles. That doesn't serve writers or readers, it just serves the publishers — and them only in the short term."
• Jincy Willett has launched an online workshop. 
• Paul Di Filippo writes about several new anthologies and the state of short fiction over at the B&N Review.
• New fantasy group blog starting up, The Magic District, and the members include Tim Pratt and Greg van Eekhout, so I'll be reading it. (Greg has the best novel title ever -- Norse Code. I have title envy.)
• Also, note that the link to Greg's book is to IndieBound. I'm hoping to switch all my links over to Indiebound. (Except the ones in the sidebars, which self-generate to Amazon through Typepad's system. But I hold out hope that there will one day be code that enables me to do that too.)

Tuesday Hangovers

• Dept. of Not Again: HarperCollins lay-offs happening today. Updated: More info on the bad news.
• Check out Forgotten Books, which connects users to either the full text online and/or sources to buy really old, really cool books. (Via Jeff Ford.)
• Fabulous writer and fabulous illustrator and fabulous person Gene Brenek interviewed over at Cyn's place. Gene did all those excellent logos for various places/things in the Tantalize/Eternal universe. And he's one of my fellow Revisionistas.
• At the Daily Beast, Maud recommends that before Kate Christensen's latest novel, Trouble, comes out in June, you check out her backlist. See also: Maud's excellent piece about her father in Granta.
• Laurel Snyder has written the introduction for a new edition of E. Nesbit's Five Children and It, clearly excellent news. Can't wait to read her forthcoming novel, Any Which Wall. 
• Why do I never buy the specimen collection of Alfred Russel Wallace by accident?
• Going back to the old school New Mutants. Interesting. (Via Dave.)
• Lisa Madigan imagines a visit to the writer's workstation by Tim Gunn. God, I love this.
• An in-depth post on the concept of high concept.

Thursday Hangovers

• No time for anything but hangovers this week. No time to do much of anything. WHIIIINE.
• The last Balanchine ballerina retires.
• An interesting SLJ piece making the rounds about the kind of censorship that doesn't make headlines, but is far more pervasive.
• I miss Sara Nelson already, and I hope she does end up hanging around the book biz.
• I need to read more Elizabeth Wein, as these books sound fabulous. And, apparently, some of them are being reissued and need title assistance. Help out.
• A video that I haven't had time to watch yet making the rounds all over so it must be good -- Book By Book: The Making of a Monkey Man.
• John Green on quantifying reader appeal. See also: Karen Healey expressing delight while reading Let It Snow.
• Maureen on healthier ways of eating, and the karma of vegetables.
• Ellen Kushner has the deets on efforts to save Realms of Fantasy.
• Perhaps the book with the best title of the year is The Forest of Hands and Teeth (and it's about zombies!), and it just garnered a starred review from PW. I absolutely cannot wait to read this book.
• Cynthia Leitich Smith is the mistress of cool and apparently of excellent book trailers too. The Eternal trailer is shiny, oh so shiny.
• This is a new way to dump your online weirdo stalker.
• The KidLitosphere has a spiffy new coordinated home page. Makes sense and it's pretty. How can you beat that?

Saturday Hangovers

• Sara Zarr has a smart post about self doubt and writing over at the Teen Fiction Cafe.
• Why haven't I read Everything Beautiful yet? I loved Simmone Howell's first book.
• Chris uncovers a zombie problem in Austin. 
• I'm developing a yen to see the Inkheart movie. I'm afraid today it's C's choice though, and we're off to watch the lycans rise later.
• If only all resumes were 140 characters long. I kind of love reading these, despite the sadness of such talented people being out of work. I hope they all find jobs soon.
• Uncovering Book World's troubled past; this isn't the first time the standalone section's been axed.
• Over at the LA Times, Gavin reviews -- and recommends highly -- Alison Goodman's Eon: Dragoneye Reborn, a book that's been on my TBR stack for ages now. Sounds like a Tiptree contender to me.
• Justine collects some writers' views on pacing, including some of my most favorite favorites (like the woefully under-celebrated Ursula Dubosarsky) and recent Printz winner Melina Marchetta. 
• A discussion of the economic theories at work in Charles Stross books.
• SF Signal's Mind Meld asks various writers about the best advice they ever got.
• A sum up and some commentary about the controversy over the casting in Avatar: The Last Airbender, including comments from Gene Luen Yang.
• Welcome news: Slate actually encouraging long-range journalistic pieces with sabbaticals.
• Katha Pollitt writes in The Nation about how we can do a better job of promoting books and reading. (Thanks to Leda, for the pointer.)
• There goes Leila, cracking me up again. This time it's with an in-depth blog report of her attempt to read Flowers in the Attic.

Wednesday Snow Day Hangovers

• I know it's probably unwise to give Apple information about my iTunes library, but I'm absolutely loving the Genius Playlists. Alchemy for lazy listeners.
• ALA's lists are out: top ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, Quick Picks long list, top ten Best Books for YA, and Best Books for YA long list. These look incredibly diverse and there's tons of good stuff on them (is there usually this much discrepancy between the Printz shortlist and the top 10?). Congratulations to all who made the selection.
• It's official: Washington Post Book World will no longer publish as a standalone section. There are silver linings, as eloquently voiced by Terry and Sarah. Still, I can't help but suspect that the four pages of content to be lost will impact the coverage of genre books and children's literature, two things I've always thought Book World did an excellent job with. I hope I'm wrong. 
• Jason Pinter gathers responses to the big question for publishing at the moment: How will all the layoffs, restructuring and cost cutting solve the industry's #1 problem--getting more books into the hands of readers?
• Unaired Bill Hicks video--and Hicks' mom--to appear on David Letterman Friday.
• Ilona Andrews critiques a first paragraph and rewrites it--in my experience, this is exactly the kind of guidance that's helpful to writers on the cusp of a quality breakthrough in their work.
• The culinary Olympics: "The beef platter — of Uruguay!" the female commentator in a white chef’s jacket and high-heeled boots exclaimed in English as drums rolled and trumpets blared. I want to go!
• My dear friend (and fellow Mistress of the Fine Arts) Micol's new series the Bradford Novels launched this week with the release of GoldenGirl, and the Bradford Blog is full of celebratory goodness all month long--interviews, giveaways, scoop, etc. The Bradford books are the first teen novels designed to have a fully immersive online component that I'm aware of, with all the characters and many locales in the book having Web sites, blogs, Tumblrs and twitter feeds--and, yes, updated ones with fresh content, at that. And while I'm superexcited for this series' prospects, I'm even more excited about Micol's novel due out from Flux later this year, So Punk Rock (And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother), described as "the E! Behind the Music story of an epic Jewish band that never was" and featuring interstitial graphic sections drawn by her brother David.
• The news of Realms of Fantasy's demise is particularly sad, especially given what a track record it had as a venue for the debut of promising new writers (like one Christopher Rowe, for instance). It's really too bad that Shawna McCarthy never got the World Fantasy Award she has so long deserved. If it's possible to give her one this year, I say go for it.
• In better news, Jeff VanderMeer announces that the Best American Fantasy series continues, with the latest volume out in the next month. Support it.
• And, finally, Leila cracks me right up.

Sunday Hangovers

• The Horn Book has a new owner.
• Just updated the Read Read sidebar with a recommendation for Kelley Armstrong's The Summoning. 
• Sara Zarr has an essay up at Powell's about how authors can't escape their themes.
• Ben Dooley offers some thoughts on The Printed Blog, an interesting concept to say the least.
• Jenny D's been catching up on her light reading, including her first Gossip Girl experience. I think her take's right on; these books are filled with ironic distance. 
• Kassia offers her typically savvy take on the recent NEA report showing that reading is on the rise.
• Ed Park offers up yet another enthusiastic endorsement for The Serial Garden, which I really do have to get around to one day soon.
• Best news story of the day: Goat Detained for Armed Robbery. (And, no, going to the link won't spoil it. It gets even better.) (Via Sarah.)
• And if you need even more animal story in your day, Jeff VanderMeer offers the cupcake dog. Poor cupcake dog!
• I want to read all the book's on Erin's list too.
• Nicola uncovers our dusty future.
• The fantastical noir trend of 2009? Penguin just sent an actual copy of Jed's book, The Manual of Detection, and it's one of the most beautiful book as objects I've encountered in ages. Bonus: an excellent book between the purty covers. Put it on your list.

Tuesday Hangovers

• Leila's going to read 11 V.C. Andrews books this year. I salute you, dahlink. I hope your editions have those peekaboo covers, which I thought were dead cool as a preteen, with the menacing family portrait on the inside flap.
• Orbit's launching a new $1 e-book promotion, featuring a different discounted title every month. They've been doing some really interesting books, and it's nice to see a publisher giving something like this a try. (Orbit also does truly fabulous design work on all their books.)
• Strange Horizons' reviewers from last year offer some thoughts on their favorite things of 2008. I really have to see Let The Right One In as soon as humanly possible.
• Abigail Nussbaum offers some interesting comparative thoughts on Octavian II and Tender Morsels. Well worth checking out.
• Patrick Ness in the Guardian, writing on being called a health hazard in the Daily News for The Knife of Never Letting Go. (Via Niall.)
• Bennett on mommy panic. (Yay, let us hope that he keeps his resolution to blog more often this year.)
• The story of Beryl and Wol, the soap opera-loving dog and owl, is my favorite story ever. (Via Nicola.)

Sunday Hangovers

• I love these long-crowing roosters.
• Sarah Prineas is looking for your darlings; those lovely passages that just have to go in revision.
• Annalee Newitz writes about the future, and science fiction, in the WaPo.
• Stacy Whitman is compiling a list of excellent middle grade fantasy. She is also posting extremely funny videos summarizing "Becoming Jane."
• F&SF is going to an every-two-months publishing schedule later this spring.
• Rebecca Skloot's latest piece is everywhere--maybe because unusual helper animals are AWESOME.

Monday Hangovers

• Having survived the holidaze, I am now slowly but surely playing catch-up. If you get a desperate e-mail, please to come to my aid.
• Children's books ready for the e-world. (Via Colleen Lindsay.)
• The fabulous Carolyn Kellogg has been leading a roundtable about "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," the Fitzgerald story and the film version. Meanwhile, Andy Duncan gives the movie two thumbs down. I have absolutely no yen to see this one, not after the ruination of Death Takes a Holiday that Brad "Death Loves Peanut Butter, It's So Nuanced" Pitt starred in. Please, for the love of movies, stick with action adventures, capers, and the occasional romantic comedy opposite your wife in the future, Mr. Pitt.
• I am all about Kentucky joining the EU but would Texas really want all those other states in its Republic? (Via Ed.)
• Cynthia interviews Kelley Armstrong about The Summoning, the first of her new YA series. I read it over the weekend and LOVED. A proper discussion coming soon. 
• Another reason to love YouTube: Eleanor Powell and Buddy Rich.
• Marjorie Liu on the dangers of writing while sleepy.
• The nebulous moral universe of buying books online.
• Sara Ryan talks about writing and risk.
• The inevitable article about whether Anne should have been included in The Modern Library series. Um, YES. (Via Sarah.)
• Maureen and 10,000 hours.
• And, finally, what Chris said.
• Updated to add: My first post at The Nervous Breakdown. Hobbits and booze. That's what I'm talking about.

Tuesday-Feels-Like-Friday Hangovers

• I guess we actually do have to break down and buy some presents today, huh? Morris Book Shop, ahoy.
• Kelly Fineman gives high praise to Carrie Jones' Feed, which I read awhile back and enjoyed very much.
• Twilight art at Etsy, for when you care enough to give a teenage girl something truly creepy. (Spoilery, according to Siobhan at the Longstockings, where I snatched this link.)
• Haddayr recommends stuff she liked this year.
• Uberlibrarian Nancy Pearl gives some below the radar recommendations, and I really hope it makes our liberry buy these immediately. (Well, a few they had and I put holds on, and a few I've already read (Firmin!). But I want Borges and the Eternal Orangutans because a) bookish mystery and b) best title ever.)
• Various KGB attendees answer Liz Gorinsky's ridiculous survey on which book they'd bring to a snowbound cabin to read and which to burn for warmth. 
• Eye Candy for Bibliophiles. (Via the newly-returned to the tubes Jeff VanderMeer.)
• I want this book. Added to Wiscon dealer's room list.
• Finally: Jessica Cutler experimenting with the sci-fi? Spaceships?

Sunday Hangovers

• Lilith Saintcrow offers some thoughts about why it's so easy to dismiss urban fantasy: pt. 1 and (a rebuttal to some incensed comments in) pt. 2.
• Sarah Rees Brennan offers a typically excellent and insightful post about YA covers, and the different styles that have been popular in recent years.
• Breaking! It's a Wonderful Life actually kind of bleak. (Also, deeply strange. I love it. C has still never seen it!)
• Libba Bray compiles a treatise on and list of the worst make-out songs of all time, songs that make it impossible to smooch. Your suggestions welcome in the comments.
• Tomi Ungerer's work returns to print. This piece is an excellent primer on his delightful infamy.
• Michael Dirda highlights some excellent small presses (Big Mouth!) and recommends some creepy fiction. 
• More fascinating thoughts from Nicola, spurred by the now-developing creative coop.
• David Simon made some DVD recs on Morning Edition the other day, and was thoroughly interesting and charming. Worth a listen, especially for Wire fans.
• Fans of The Middleman may want to check this out.

Tuesday Snow Day Hangovers

• The Weather Machine People have given me a snow day to work on revisions; thank you, beneficient rulers. We've already had yummy whole wheat pancakes (frozen rain made the trek to the coffee shop seem less appealing), and, yes, the dogs got their half a Mickey Mouse pancake each.
• The Washington Post named their best kids' books in several areas over the weekend, and lists are very good.
• The WaPo also has a piece today basically recycling Anita Silvey's SLJ essay that made the rounds in October and November, questioning whether the Newbery has gotten too downer with its selections in recent years. I still say that Laura Amy Schlitz should have won for A Drowned Maiden's Hair instead of Good Masters, Sweet Ladies, and I suspect we might not be having this conversation had that happened. Whatever the case, and I think there are some valuable points raised on all sides, the Newbery is still one of the most influential, coveted awards in all of litdom and that seems unlikely to change. (Via Sarah.)
• Hardcover vs. paperback, how publishers decide. (Via Colleen.)
• Speaking of Colleen, she recently hosted Max Leone, aka the kid who did that PW piece, giving some holiday book recommendations for teenage boys. He has taste.
• The rediscovery of Correggio.
• Elizabeth Genco visits the oldest known Tarot deck in existence, at the Morgan Library, with links to photos.
• Last weekend was the Times' annual year in ideas issue. 
• Official Hot Topic Edward Body Glitter revealed!
• An excerpt from Ted Chiang's essay, "The Problem of the Traveling Salesman," in the new LCRW. (Dear Aunt G found herself under deadlines and out of advice for this one, but shall return, kiddies.)
• Jincy Willett may be running an online writing workshop, and she's looking for a couple of guinea pigs. If you haven't read her latest, The Writing Class, yet, please do so immediately.

Wednesday Hangovers

• The NYT has just posted a piece by Paul Greenberg that will appear in next week's Book Review, and asks why not a bail out for writers: What would such a bailout consist of? In the 1930s, Franklin Delano Roosevelt started the Federal Writers’ Project, under which some 6,000 out-of-work writers were hired over a period of several years to write guidebooks, oral histories, ethnographies and the like, and in the process "describe America to Americans." Unfortunately this potentially interesting philosophical exercise quickly devolves into the standard bemoaning that there are too many writers, too many MFAs, etc. etc., and the answer is to reduce them. Riiiiiight.
• By the by, I recently accepted Brad Listi's kind invitation to post at The Nervous Breakdown, and I'll probably have my first post up there today or tomorrow.
• Eamonn McCabe's photographs of writers rooms are lovely. (Via Erin.)
• A piece on Thomas Merton on the 40th anniversary of his death.
• Dueling cheap drinks pieces from the NYT and the WaPo: champagne vs. wine. We'll stick with our latest frugal-ish addiction, the French table wine our local Wine + Market shop imports and has boxed. It's a riotous blend of grapes, and delicious.
• Fabulous writer and VCFA graduate Marianna Baer discusses sex scenes in YA novels over at agent Sara Crowe's blog. Check it out.
• Speaking of sex and YA, Judy Blume's in the house over at Seven Imps.
• Also, Colleen's been making great recommendations for the holidays for many days now.
• Andrew Wheeler is monitoring the progress of the Grim Reaper through publishing, so you don't have to.
• Christopher's put up some photos showing the recent revision of our front two rooms, complete with notations (I am not a trash bug!). No living room or guest room photos yet, but they're done too. I don't understand how he managed to take that picture of his feet. I didn't take it. Emma and Puck don't have thumbs. WAIT. Hemingway does. I'm frightened. Update: Now with 100 percent more annotated writer space.

Tuesday Hangovers

• Nightshade and Electric Velocipede announce a new partnership. Hooray, guys!
• How to Walk in the Snow, A PAMPHLET by one Dave Schwartz: Plant your foot as though you were a giant whose tendons would snap under your weight if you were to walk unevenly. Also, please note that moonwalking is not recommended. There is more.
  
• Edward vs. Buffy. (Via Leila.) This is wonderful, and timely, since a couple of nights ago I felt the need for a jolt of Buffy and watched What's My Line? pt. 1 and 2. Oh, beloved show, you are still missed.
• Best of mania continues. The LA Times and Amazon both have good Best of YA lists out with plenty of overlap, and Salon has its best of the year list and a more intriguing list of recommendations from some of the editors' favorite authors. (I heartily second all Kelly's recs, especially Molly Gloss's The Hearts of Horses, which was on my tops list last year.)
• The Washington Post chronicles a memorable performance by Loretta Lynn. I'm not surprised, since the last time we saw her the wheels-off-the-tour-bus vibe was palpable. (My favorite part of that show is still when she informed us that, "Everyone song I sing sounds alike," after starting in on "You Ain't Woman Enough" for the third time.)
• The great Nicola Griffith muses on possible future business models combining artistic fulfillment and financial solvency.
• I find the happiness contagion stories fascinating.
• Matt Cheney commits hypertextualization with his story "New Practical Physics" (originally published in an issue of our beloved, late Say...).
• Justine on the neverending, all-important perfection of craft.
• This is my favorite map ever--Christopher takes Puck and Emma for a walk earlier today, before the rains arrive.

Monday Hangovers

• Last packet ever complete! And now I can really make good on all those promises to provide Actual Content Here. Yay! Also, I've toggled on some new commenty thingie that Typepad has rolled out, which is supposed to bring the interactive up in here. Or at least threaded comments and the ability to respond via e-mail. So, comment comment comment and we'll see how long it takes to blow this thing up.
• Check out The Westing Game manuscript collection online at the Cooperative Children's Book Center at UW-Madison, including audio commentary, working notes, multiple drafts with handwriting, etcetera, et-wow. I've just reread this brilliant little jewel again and it's one of those books I jealously covet the writing in. I wish I'd written it. Poking around through this stuff is almost as good.
• Christopher Barzak's latest, The Love We Share Without Knowing, manages to pull a good review out of Carolyn See in the WaPo. See also: This fabulous interview at Bookslut.
• Name Kate Daniels' dog and get the galley for book three of the most excellent series by Ilona Andrews. Want. Meanwhile: Where do all those urban fantasy cover girls get their ink?
• Rock out to nerdy girl.
• Help out some boy scouts with a charity project by clicking the linky. You know you wanna. 
• The Millions has a great Year in Reading series going with recommendations from various smarties and luminaries. Thus far, I'm most intrigued by Peter Straub's suggestions (must read Warlock pronto). Speaking of which, I need to pick up the new anthology he has out...

Tuesday Hangovers

• I've broken out the Zicam spray, to stave off burgeoning cold but probably allergy-type stuff. Headachey. Could it be all that painting? The couch beckons, but sadly we must wait for Netflix to provide the next Life season one disc before the marathon can continue. All will be wellness by Thursday night when company arrives.
• Go out and welcome Chris Barzak's second novel The Love We Share Without Knowing into the world--I hear it makes a great holiday gift. I can't wait to read it. See also: Chris does The Big Idea at Scalzi's joint.
• Gavin has the good links, about Couch events and Kelly Link being interviewed by Lizzie Skurnick in a couple of weeks.
• Christopher likes to map stuff, particularly stuff related to outlandish stories.
• John Green's ALAN speech. It's a great speech (and not just because it touches on some of the same themes as my graduating lecture, either, though it will be nice to quote): "Too many times, we say to our young people, “Hey, read this. It’s a fun read. Not too serious, you know. None of that English stuff.” As if there is some kind of dichotomy between good and fun. As if Gatsby is oatmeal and vampires are Lucky Charms. Vampires, of course, ARE Lucky Charms—they are magical and delicious and just dangerous enough to excite me. I love vampires, and I love vampire books. And please know that I would never argue against putting books kids want to read in their hands. But I am arguing that we need to make space in our classes—no matter how advanced or remedial the students—for ambitious novels. Because good is not the opposite of fun. Smart is not the opposite of fun. Boring is the opposite of fun, and when we create the smart/fun dichotomy, what we end up implying is that Gatsby is boring."
• Sara Ryan posts an excerpt from her dad's SF fanzine, autumn/winter 1957 issue.
• Justine has some questions for signing attendees.

Friday Hangovers

• E-mail catch-up has resumed in time for le holiday. I heart the new Gmail themes. (Ninja, for nowsies!)
• I had none of Matt Cheney's qualms while reading The Kingdom on the Waves, but I do remember wishing I'd been able to read the book all at once, as one experience, rather than as a divided one. Whatever your own feelings about Octavian Nothing (I or II), it's well worth reading Matt's thoughtful review.
• Genevieve Valentine over at Tor.com on the Twilight movie, with more promised! Updated: Promised more.
• Subsurface glaciers on Mars! Wow!
• Vitamins worthless? What next?
• Ray gun!
• Vampire infodumps. 
• Street theater meets Google Maps Streetview. I know someone hiding secret library Easter Eggs in GM. SHHHHHH....
• Comics for the work-a-day world in Japan.
• Day Five of the WBBT.