My good book fortune(s)

I'm not quite sure who this lovely lady is—Dionysus, I'm guessing—but I found her standing tall within a Philadelphia street festival, utterly and peaceably alone above the crowds (she was stilts-assisted). I return to her on this rainy morning because I feel her mood. Because I have looked out upon my pile of unread books and determined my short-term future.

Having just left Cleopatra (Stacy Schiff) in her tragic, epic Alexandria, I turn toward next titles. Some of them I've read before and will be re-reading. Some are brand-new both to the world and to me. Some are written by friends or friends of friends, one by a Pulitzer Prize winner who once surprised me with a glorious response to my Chicago Tribune review of her March, some by people I doubt I'll ever meet; two were gifts. I feel decadent, to be honest, to have found this time to read. But I have it; I'm claiming it; it will be forever mine.

My au courant (can I use that term this way?) book list, then:

Sweet Dreams, DeWitt Henry
When We Danced on Water, Evan Fallenberg (a Kindle book—about dance! about Berlin! Becca recommended!)
Dreamland Social Club, Tara Altebrando
Caleb's Crossing, Geraldine Brooks
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers
The Origin of Stories, Brian Boyd
Moments of Being, Virginia Woolf
The Liars' Club, Mary Karr
Touchy Subjects, Emma Donoghue
The Blue Flower of Forgetfulness, Cyrus Samii
The Boneshaker, Kate Milford

Stay tuned for my responses.

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Presenting Lenore Reads Dangerous Neighbors (in the midst of huge news for her)

I spent part of yesterday, as readers of this blog know, with Kate Milford, whose first book, The Boneshaker, I'll be writing of here in weeks to come.  Kate's work has been compared to Ray Bradbury's work and is described as a fusion of steampunk, historical fantasy, and magical realism—all of which got us talking about dystopian fiction. I boasted a bit about my friend, Lenore, who has supported so many writers out here in the blogosphere, designed contests and participated in them, read religiously, introduced us to her cats, and kept us informed about the travels of her talented illustrator husband, Daniel (not to mention their travels together).  In the midst of all that, Lenore put her words where her heart is, penned a dystopian novel, and sold it as both a book and film project.  And no small book/film project either.  Here's what Publishers Weekly had to say:

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers has acquired a YA novel called Level Two by Lenore Appelhans, in a joint acquisition with CBS Films. According to S&S, this is the first time the company has coordinated a deal so that an author received a simultaneous book and film offer. In Level Two, the liminal place between our world (Level One) and heaven, Felicia spends her days reliving her memories from the security of her pod—until she gets broken out by Julian, a boy she met on Earth. Appelhans writes the popular YA blog Presenting Lenore. Level Two will be published in either fall 2012 or spring 2013, with a 200,000-copy first printing.

Since I'd been telling Kate this story, I had it in mind to stop by Lenore's fine blog and let her know that she'd been with us in spirit in a Mt. Airy bookstore.  Stop by I did, only to discover this post, from Lenore, about Dangerous Neighbors.  Which made me happy and quite in awe that she had the time to do this with all the other things that are going on in her life.

Thank you, Lenore!  (And, again, congratulations.)

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The best audience member ever

 Is he not precious?  And wasn't he sweet to sit so attentively while the delightful Kate Milford (The Boneshaker) and I sat chatting at the Big Blue Marble Bookstore earlier this afternoon.  I learned about steam punk today and all manner of bicycle-powered things.  I grew nostalgic for dirigibles.  I walked Mt. Airy afterward—through the wide streets and down into a tip of Fairmount Park. 

Thank you, Maleka Fruean, for being our most gracious host.  It was a lovely (superbly sunny) afternoon.

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Upcoming: The Mt. Airy Kids' Literary Festival at the Big Blue Marble Bookstore

Spring is here, the blues are bluing at Chanticleer, and this coming weekend I'll be joining a cast of very special writers—Wendy Mass, Audrey Vernick, Stevie French, Jennifer Hubbard, Ellen Jensen Abbot, Nancy Viau, and Amy Holder among them—for the Mt. Airy Kids' Literary Festival at the Big Blue Marble Bookstore.  My event takes place on Saturday, April 9, at 3 PM, and I'll be sharing the mike and hour with the talented Kate Milford (The Boneshaker).  More information can be found here.

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