Tomorrow morning I’m off to Louisville, Kentucky for the third ABA Winter Institute for three days of educational programming. I’m being reprogrammed! To buy nothing but Nora Roberts and James Patterson books! Just kidding. It’s very fun. I get to see loads of booksellers from around the country, meet some authors, drink lots of bourbon. I’m bringing along some books by authors that will be at the show: America America by Ethan Canin, The Resurrectionist by Jack O’Connell, and How the Soldier Repairs the Grammaphone by Sasa Stanisic. Don’t know much about any of them, but they look like a good lot.

I’m hoping to finish my current read K.J. Parker’s Devices and Desires before I leave tomorrow. We expanded our scifi/fantasy section last Fall and I’m trying to read more so I can add the right books to the section. So far this book is engrossing not to mention huge—over 600 pages in just the first book of the trilogy. I like the style. It’s not so serious as Tolkien. There are a lot of references to fencing and I mean a lot. has anyone read this series or any of Parker’s other books?
I did finish Mark Sarvas’s book Harry, Revised over the weekend too. I spent the better part of Saturday gulping it down. It’s good folks. I’m really proud of Mark’s accomplishment with this novel. It’s funny, sad, and reflective. The parts involving Anna were wrenching. So run out to your local bookstore when it comes out and pick up a copy. Better yet, if you’re in the Boston area, you can come see him read here at my store on May 15th.