Codex Alera

Hey guys! My allergies are really knocking me for a loop right now, so I don't have much to say. I am enjoying the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher. I just started the fourth book, CAPTAIN'S FURY. It's the last one I bought, so I'm making a quick run to the bookstore so I can be prepared when I finish! (Jim Butcher's books may be really long, but they're quick reads. Ridiculously quick, honestly.)



Unfortunately, I'm stuck looking in used bookstores because I bought the mass market paperback right before they switched to selling the series in that awful venti size. MY BOOKS MUST MATCH. (So they don't always. I prefer for them to match. My Megan Whalen Turners are particularly disgraceful - they're all different trim sizes!)



I just looked at Amazon, and I'm quite sad because the last book was never released in mass market. I'm doomed! But they have the hardcover of sale for $4.38, which is a ridiculously good price. I'm adding it to my wishlist in case I don't find it at Half-Price.

Hopefully, I'll be visiting North Dakota soon to see my niece and nephew. The nephew is about to turn one!

Have a picture from last summer of my adorable niece and all the barrettes she made me put in her hair:

ETA: Maureen Johnson is hosting a drive for Shelterbox. If you've been looking for a place to donate in light of recent events, you might check it out.

We Give Books

We Give Books is a Pearson Foundation Initiative (Penguin) that is perhaps the easiest way ever to help out a variety of charities.

From the site's "How It Works" section:

We Give Books is a free website that enables anyone with access to the Internet to put books in the hands of children who don't have them, simply by reading online.

Simply choose the charity you want to read for and then select the books you want to read. For each book you read online, we donate a book to a leading literacy group on your behalf.

The more you read, the more we give.

That's right. You can help provide books to disenfranchised children by reading online. The books available to read are children's books, which makes this an especially great program if you're looking to read something to your child.

Read an E-Book Week

Read an E-Book Week has already started, but it lasts until March 12. If you go to the event website, there are links to publishers and authors offering free books to celebrate. Most of the books being given away are from small presses, so the quality varies greatly, but it doesn't hurt to try something new.

If you want, you can also join The E-Book Reading Challenge hosted by The Ladybug Reads.

Jodi Picoult Livestream Interview Tonight

The official deets:

Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author, will appear live in a special Livestream interview Monday, March 7 at 7pm EST as part of the Atria Literary Salon Series. The interview, moderated by book reviewer Bethanne Patrick, will celebrate the release of Picoult’s 17th novel SING YOU HOME, a story about a same-sex couple and their attempts to have a child (more details: http://bit.ly/SingYouHomeSynop). SING YOU HOME was released March 1st.



Autographed books for purchase will be available before, during and after this web event by visiting http://bit.ly/SingYouHome. A portion of proceeds from each sale will be donated to Jodi’s charity of choice, The Trevor Project (http://thetrevorproject.org), the leading national organization focused on crisis and suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. The book also includes a compact disc of original songs created for the novel and sung by Ellen Wilber, who will also be performing on the webcast.

The Facebook page is here and you can RSVP to the event. You can also watch the livestream on Facebook.

Watch live streaming video from atria at livestream.com

You can get involved with the conversation through Twitter. Just tweet @AtriaBooks with the hashtag #singyouhome. Picoult will answer selected questions during the interview.

About the Atria Salon Series:

About Atria Salon Series
This is the third installment of the Atria Literary Salon Series. The previous two celebrated authors Lauren Weisberger and Nicolle Wallace. Returning to the grand old tradition of places like the Algonquin Hotel where people would gather for stimulating conversation, Judith Curr, Executive Vice President and Publisher of Atria Books, launched the Literary Salon Series to bring together authors, editors and media for an evening of stimulating conversation and literary style.

I haven't read much by Picoult, but I enjoyed CHANGE OF HEART. (I could've sword I reviewed it here, but can't find the post.) I'm excited about SING YOU HOME since it is a novel about a same sex couple by a big author. Hopefully it will reach as wide an audience as her previous novels.

In My Mailbox (Out of My Pocketbook)

I told ya'll I'd share about my STAPLE! 2011 loot.

First, I couldn't resist buying a small painting of an owl in mint and chocolate colors. I didn't get the name of the artist at the time, but luckily had a program. It's by Nation of Amanda and it's so cute I'm not showing it to ya'll.

I bought AMERICANS UK #1 because it was cheap and the creator was nice. I like the premise - the sci-fi adventures of a rock band whose drummer is from the future, sent to stop the bassist and guitarist from being murdered. (He fails.) Turned out to not really be my thing. That happens.



Josh Lesnick gave away free copies of GIRLY #1 and 2. He's moving and wanted to get rid of them, plus they're about to come out in a new edition. I remembered reading the beginning of GIRLY long ago, so I'm looking forward to catching up. (Note: GIRLY probably counts as 18+. Haven't read much yet, but I have a feeling.) Lesnick's art style is rough but charming.

I bought a special edition of THE LESS THAN EPIC ADVENTURES OF TJ AND AMAL Chapters 1-13 by E. K. Weaver. It's about two guys who go on a road trip together and eventually fall in love. I read this one online, so I was happy to support the author. (Note: Nothing objectionable in this book, but the comic is 18+ as of Chapter 15.) Weaver's art is incredible. Her expressions are very nuanced and she has a terrific sense of timing.

NOBIGOCHU: The Worm Pup is a small volume, illustrated by Cristina Benovides (cbenav@leadpointcomics.com) and co-written by Greg Gutierrez. There aren't many words; most of the story is done through the adorable yet violent watercolor illustrations. It's a post-apocalyptic short featuring mutant creatures. Talking to Cristina, I couldn't help but recommend THE HUNGER GAMES.



Jill Thompson was one of the guests of honor and as her site bio says "is the most well-known, female comicbook artist working in the comics industry today." I bought THE SCARY GODMOTHER to give to my niece and nephew. It's a good choice, since she wrote it for her niece. This is another watercolor work. (I'm a big fan of watercolors. What can I say?)



I bought books #1-3 of Colleen AF Venable's series Guinea Pig: Pet Shop Private Eye, illustrated by Stephanie Yue. I absolutely love guinea pigs (and other cute little animals), so I couldn't pass this one by. I also intend to give these to my niece and nephew. Venable was super-duper nice, so ya'll should check her stuff out.

I don't remember what books I received this week since I traveled to Austin, but right before I left my review copy of FLYING BLIND by Deborah Cooke showed up. It's too nifty not to show off.