Eden left a comment on my You've Been Warned post asking what ARCs I've been reading lately.

First, I have to say that while I've gotten quite a few, I haven't been reading them all that quickly, since I checked out a ton of stuff at the local library within the last month. I'm currently reading Vanity Fair, which, if you don't know, is over 800 pages in 8-point font. I am 300 pages in after a week, so I'm hoping to be done by next Wednesday or Thursday if I get some good reading time in (judging from the weather, I won't be outside too much).

So here is one I've read:

Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned From Judy Blume - Judy Blume always got things just right. A quick read of a collection of pieces examining Judy Blume's books by various well known authors. If you grew up loving Judy Blume books, this will definitely appeal. I felt a little left out because so many of the authors focused on the book Deenie, which I have not read. It's now on my list. Published June 5th.

...And several on my "to read" list:

The Almost Moon - This is Alice Sebold's new book, following the success of The Lovely Bones in 2002. I really liked The Lovely Bones, even though it isn't something I normally would pick up. I'm not a fan of murder mysteries or really, any book that contains gruesome details. So I'll give this a try. Publisher marketing notes that this is a book about relationships, specifically about a daughter and the mother she murders. Scheduled publication date October 16, 2007.

Born Standing Up - Even though Steve Martin has had an uneven movie career, his books have been well received. This is his first non-fiction work about his life as a stand-up comedian. Martin notes, "I ignored my stand-up career for twenty-five years, but now, having finished this memoir, I view that time with surprising warmth. One can have, it turns out, an affection for the war years." Scheduled publication date December 4, 2007.

The Worst Years of Your Life - A collection of stories about adolescence. Billed as "...a collection with something for everyone: classic standbys, familiar contemporaries, and exciting new discoveries." I'm hoping for something similar to Kick Me and Superstud by Paul Feig (of Freaks and Geeks fame), which are hilarious in a totally wrong and disturbing way. Scheduled publication date August 21, 2007.

The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible - The title of this one pretty much gives it away. Written by AJ Jacobs, who took it upon himself to read all 32 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica to write The Know-It-All. Opposite the title page is a full page of snapshots of Jacob's gradual beard growth over the year of biblical living, which cracked me up. The conversations I've sampled between he and his wife are highly amusing. Scheduled publication date October 9,2007.

I'll do my best to get to some of these over the next month.

Posted by: Ensie at 12:02 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 Cool I'm always curious about this kind of thing.

Posted by: Eden at June 22, 2007 12:38 PM (BDCWt)

2 Glad you like it. I've gotten so many books lately, it's hard to keep up. Most of them not anything I'd be interested in reading, although I try to keep an open mind. I'm trying to jet through Vanity Fair now, which started dragging during chapter 30 (essentially an entire chapter all about the travel of a letter detailing George's being removed from his family and losing all but a small inheritance - thrilling!).

Posted by: ensie at June 22, 2007 03:39 PM (6We+3)

3 Vanity Fair sitting on my shelf in all it's teeny tiny font goodness...good to know someone is reading it!

Posted by: Jennifer at June 23, 2007 09:55 AM (knXYI)

4 It really is a good book - funny and sarcastic in a lot of places, but like many classics, it drags where minute details and asides about the culture of the time are included.

Posted by: ensie at June 23, 2007 11:16 AM (6We+3)

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I have an ARC (advance reader copy) of the new James Patterson book You've Been Warned, which will be published in September.

I am not a Patterson fan so the book will go to waste, but if you want it - shoot me an e-mail at ensie1(at)gmail(dot)com. I'll even pay for shipping.

BTW - if you search "You've Been Warned" on Google, the second hit that comes up is this site about cow abduction, which is pretty funny.

Posted by: Ensie at 07:28 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Technically, at the moment, I'm in New Jersey, but I was in New York all day, so does that count?

I've been walking my feet off at Book Expo America over the last couple of days. Very, very exciting to see all the new titles coming out, and to pick through the piles of galleys (uncorrected book proofs) to find the jems. The haul home for this event will be relatively small, as shipping the books is incredibly expensive and I can't check another bag. So far I've sent a couple of boxes home and will try to cram another 15 books into my already overstuffed suitcases. I have a strong feeling I'll be paying the $25 fee for a heavy (over 50 lbs.) case.

I'm staying at the Sheraton Suites on the Hudson River, which is adequate. Nothing too fancy for Bob's Hogs employees. The air conditioning is good, which is all I've really been concerned with. It's been incredibly hot and humid - temperatures in the 90s with rain falling in the afternoon and evening. Each morning and afternoon I take the ferry into New York. The water is disgusting, but the breeze is heavenly.

I took off my wedding ring because the heat and exhaustive days are causing my fingers to swell a little bit and it's uncomfortable. Apparently I've opened the door to getting hit on - I had one guy chat me up on the ferry and another ask me my name in the elevator. He also asked my room number, but when I declined, he watched me get off at my floor and watched while I went to my room. I walked well down the hallway, then when the elevator doors closed, I returned to my room which is almost directly across from the elevator! I was going to go down to the bar to get a drink, but on the off chance I run into the guy, I think I'll pass and hit the city for dinner instead.

I met Alison Bechdel today, which was awesome. She was signing the paperback edition of Fun Home and when I introduced myself as the Buttock Champion of the World she laughed and asked to get a couple of pictures with me (!!) The woman behind me in line was asking for pic with Alison, and I felt slightly special having Alison ask me.

My last hour at the Javits Center today was spent at a librarian session about how to select and purchase graphic novels for a collection. It was an excellent panel, very funny. The speakers consisted of librarians who assist with developing their own libraries' gn collections, a comic book owner, and a couple of consultants. One librarian has her own site, no flying no tights, and another developed the manga rating system for publisher TokyoPop. The panel ended their discussion with recommendations, which is what everyone really wanted (Just tell me what to buy! Don't make me research this scary thing!). Several manga items were listed, and Bone, Owly, and Amelia Rules were the kids suggestions. For teens I suggested Invincible, someone yelled out Runaways, and the comic book store owner mentioned Walking Dead, which I think should probably fall into adult, especially considering the torture issue that came out recently. Strangers in Paradise was recommended for adults. I wish there was more time, I could have suggested several more.

Time to change for dinner! More soon...

Posted by: Ensie at 02:45 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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