I read this article in today’s Globe on how 2 books that Bellow inscribed for his sons right before he died got lost in the mail. You know some asshole is eBaying them right now.

When a parcel and its contents become separated, the empty package is sent to the addressee, said Bob Cannon, a spokesman for the Postal Service. The orphaned item would be sent to the Mail Recovery Center in Atlanta. “‘It’s not a hopeless situation,’ he said. ‘The good news is that it’s a specific unique item, not something generic like a fruitcake.'”

No, they are most definitely not fruitcakes. I hope these books are recovered and given to Bellow’s sons. In a nice world that would happen.

Since Ed announced his intentions, I might as well admit that I will be attending BEA this year (as part of my day job). But that won’t stop me from meeting my fellow LBCers for some drinks. Ron has secured us a location for Thursday night at the Slipper Room on Thursday, June 2nd between 6-8 PM. So come for drinks and discussions about books. I’d say I am somewhere between Barney and Homer in terms of drunken buffoonery. Good times!

Helen Falconer wrote an interesting article for the Guardian on Chicklit. She maintains that far too many books written by women are dismissed as chicklit (i.e. not serious literature).

The Globe had an article yesterday on litblogs. The Litblog Co-Op gets a mention.

Nextbook has 2 good articles (plus many more): One on how Samuel Freedman struggled to write about his mother. And in the second Joseph Lelyveld the former executive editor of NYT talks to Eric Umansky about writing his memoir.

And finally, Dan Wicket has another author interview available. This time it’s Brian DeVido, author of Every Time I Talk to Liston.

That should keep you busy for a bit.

Sam at Golden Rule Jones passed me the hat, so here are my answers:

You’re stuck inside Fahrenheit 451. Which book do you want to be saved?
The Iliad. No doubt about it. One of my all time favorites—this epic contains too much about what it is to be human to allow it to burn.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?
I had a huge crush on Johnny Tremain in elementary school. He seems hot when you’re 9.

The last book you bought was…?
Perdido Street Station by China Miéville

The last book you read was…?
Bulletproof Girl by Quinn Dalton

What are you currently reading?
Perdido Street Station by China Miéville, The First Poets: Lives of the Ancient Greek Poets by Michael Schmidt, and Snow Flower & the Secret Fan by Lisa See. My TBR list is huge. Next up I have some Harry Matthews, an Alexander Hamilton biography, and who knows what else.

Five books you would take to a desert island…
Only 5? Damn, that’s scary. Can a series count as one? Then I would take the Dorothy Dunnett series ‘The Lymond Chronicles’. And Samuel Pepys’ diaries. Those would last a while. And then Moby Dick, War and Peace, and Infinite Jest (because I would have all the time in the world to finally read the whole thing).

Who are you passing this stick on to and why?
I want to see the Rake and Carrie’s answers, so if they’re reading, I’ve thrown down the gauntlet. Actually, I am politely asking.

I can’t lie. I am really excited to read this book. Arturo Perez-Reverte is a favorite of my as is Dumas. Have I ever mentioned that I have a giant grey cat name d’Artagnan? (Yes, I am a dork.)

Ian McKellan, what are you thinking? The cast keeps getting more bizarre.

By the way, this is my 400th post! Kind of lame for a post I know. It’s barely a full post, more like a po.

I finally got my galley of the new Umberto Eco today, The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana. It looks interesting. Sprinkled with illustrations, the story follows a rare book dealer in Milan, who suffers from memory loss. I’ve never seen these words used to describe an Eco book though: “nostalgic, funny, full of heart”. We’ll see.

Back again. Phew, moving really sucks. The move itself went fine, die to the fact that we hired 2 guys and a truck. There was no way I was moving my 40 or so boxes of books (I actually never counted the boxes but there were enough, believe me). Arranging a new house takes forever. Thanks to everyone for all the kind words about the NYT article and the move. And don’t be offened if I don’t get back to you right away. Part of the problem is that we have no internet at home and we won’t have it back for at least a week! Man, have I missed you, internet! We are dumping Comcast (hate them!) in favor of Verizon, but they are slow with the sending of the modem. So I will be posting throughout the week and will even try to get up the Globe review review.

I am about to dismantle the computer to pack it away. We are moving bright and early in the am and I won’t have internet at home for at least a week. This doesn’t mean you won’t hear from me at all. It just won’t be until Monday when I get back to work. Wish me luck.

I haven’t said anything about the Schiavo case because, well, I just don’t want to say anything. But my friend Bunkosquad had this link on his blog related to the case. If you’re easily offended, well, suck it up. It’s hilarious. Plus the first comment is worth 5 stars.