False Starts and Free Books

I’ve started writing this post about six times so far today. I’ve also made two tiny paper airplanes, answered three email reference questions, and eaten a very large cookie while sitting on the floor. Abandoning hope of creating a coherent post, I’m going straight to the good stuff.

It’s time for our first blog giveaway! Thanks to Adam at McSweeney’s, we have a beautiful new copy of Between Heaven and Here by Susan Straight to share.

Despite the shiny cover art, Straight’s work isn’t all palm trees and paradise. The title comes from The Wire, when Bubbles says “There’s a thin line between heaven and here,” and we all know any time The Wire is involved, it’s not going to be pretty.

To enter, leave a comment with the title of a book you’re currently reading by Friday, May 17th at 5:00 PM. A winner will be randomly selected from the entries and notified by email.

April Wrap Up

While not all of genre X shares my unrequited love for Nate Silver (see seriously smoldering, above), many at this month’s discussion enjoyed his book. Although there were some notable exceptions:

“I felt like my brain fell out of my butt.”

and

“I can’t read it on the train, because I can’t concentrate. I can’t read it at home, because I’ll fall asleep.”

most of us appreciated the broad scope of the work, noting that there was a chapter for everyone. Read more