The Sunday Salon: Things Making Me Happy (ALSO YOU ALL MUST WATCH BORGEN)

Next week is BEA and I'm not going. Last year I was sort of numb or something about how my book blogging life has changed and I sincerely did not care, but this year I feel really sad to be missing all the fun of socializing. I don't need books, I don't really need to network for my blog, I just miss seeing everyone and the sort of nerdy bookish zeal that is one hundred percent permissable and alas even encouraged. Also,I have no fun trips planned for the year for the first time in ages. So I think it's just kind of a bummer to be missing out, although there is still Armchair BEA!

Rather than dwell on the sorry state of affairs that is my life, I decided to focus on what is making me happy in small ways. We often can't control the big events in our lives, but I have always thought that it's good to celebrate the little things. So while the sun is baking everything in existence, and now seemed like a good time to the powers that be to tear up the roads around where I live to make them wider thus leading to tons of traffic, I can be happy about stuff like how my story drought has broken!

I really loved Jellicoe Road which was sort of my reentry into reading. (yes I will be dramatic if I want) It was such a beautiful story that I jumped into more reading with zeal. I also read the third book in the Newsflesh series, Blackout by Mira Grant. It was good, although I think more than the story itself, I thought some of the potential ideas associated with the plot were interesting. I'm now reading Code Name Verity which is interesting and different.

For film club, we watched Whip It! which I loved so much. It was a really pleasant surprise and made me feel all warm and happy inside. I also saw Dark Shadows which was nothing if not pure summer movie fun.

Andrew Peterson's new single is out and it is, of course, full of wisdom and gentleness and hope.

Also, I got a late birthday present from a friend this week which was really nice.

Borgen
This gets its own subheading because...well it's important. I remember back when Jodie was like, how can I get my American friends to watch Borgen and Call the Midwife? And the part of that I really paid attention to was Call the Midwife because it was based on a book I love (good news! PBS is showing Call the Midwife in the fall so fellow Americans we can watch it legally!) and even though she found a legal streaming link for Borgen, it was like halfway through the series so I felt like I was too behind. Then, due to some good fortune of following a twitter link, I realized that Link TV (the channel that shows Borgen) had rerun series one over Memorial Day weekend and the episodes were available for streaming for two weeks again. So I started watching because Jodie raved about the show and when does she steer me wrong? And guys, like....

It's amazing. I was genuinely surprised how quickly I just got sucked into the show and after watching two episodes I could just not stop thinking about it. I've only watched four now (the episodes are almost exactly an hour long each, so every night I've stayed up late to watch) and like...aaargh there is so much good stuff I want to say about how well written and plotted this show is, how after just four episodes I feel like I know these characters. It has been so long, so so long since I've wanted to do nothing but devour a TV show like this and think about it and bring it up all the time in unrelated conversations because I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT. I have six episodes left, yay, and season 2 premieres tomorrow.

But the reason I'm like all caps yelling at you in my subject line is because if you live in the United States you have just a very narrow window to view this legally and I don't want you to miss out because I really really really want friends to talk about this with. Look, I know that I'm always trying to get you to watch stuff like vampire shows, and female spies and shows with silly ridic titles like Switched at Birth but this time it's important okay?

The show is Danish (same producers as Forbrydelsen--the original The Killing) which means you have to read subtitles and it's a political show which probably turns you off, but like...it's so fascinating! I knew nothing about the Danish political system but it's not hard to understand within the context of the show. It also features a fictional female prime minister who is perfectly cast--she has so much charisma and is just immensely likable. And so far it's been about how she navigates the political system to hold on to her power without compromising her ideals. But there's also a female reporter who is equally as compelling. And gah I don't want to spoil anything but so far it's just been great.

So!! Now that I've (hopefully!) convinced you that you can't go another day without Borgen (literally translates as castle, but they call the show government in English) in your life, let me tell how you to watch it. Borgen is on Link TV which if you have DirecTV or Dish Network and maybe some other carriers I don't know, you should have. But in order to catch up with Series 1 you'll have to go to the Link TV website where they are available now for just about another week. So hopefully you'll have ten hours to devote to watching this! Please say you do. And then once Series 2 starts, you'll be able to view the episode on the website for two weeks.

And I don't mean to pile on the pressure but these aren't really available any other way legally, there are no DVDs for Region 1, and NBC is making an American adaptation which means there probably won't ever be. So this is your chance!!! We got a second chance guys!

The first three episodes are available until the 9th, the next three until the 10th, and the finale four until the 11th. So get on it!

Wow, whew. I haven't exerted that much evangelical zeal for anything on this blog in a long time, I hope it pays off! (yes that's a little manipulative, I knowww)

So tell me now...what little things are making you happy?

5 Books I'm Buzzing Over from Book Expo America

At Book Expo America, there are a couple of editor's buzz panels where a few books get pitched to show attendees as being books worthy of buzz and attention, potential big sellers.

While the books on these panels certainly caught my interest, I thought I'd make my own list of books at BEA that really caught my attention and excitement. It's a pretty eclectic group of books, in keeping with my pretty eclectic reading tastes.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver (HarperTeen 2/11)

This one was pretty much buzzed over by my good friend Lenore of Presenting Lenore. She sold me on it and I ended up standing in a massive line to ensure I got a copy. I've already read it...read it on my flight home and really really liked it. I think Lauren Oliver does a great job of writing commercial fiction with a literary sensibility...and the love story was to die for. It doesn't come out until next February, and I bet you'll be hearing a lot more about it!

About Delirium: Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that one love -the deliria- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love



What Good is God? by Philip Yancey (FaithWords, 10/10)

Philip Yancey writes books that generally have elements I really identify with..he's a man of faith, but acknowledges just how complex faith can be. Reaching for the Invisible God and Rumors of Another World are two books I really loved. He's also written classics such Where is God When It Hurts?, Disappointment with God, and What's so Amazing about Grace? I've been wondering where he is, and was therefore delighted when Valerie Russo of Hachette Books told me FaithWords would be publishing What Good is God? this fall. I can't wait to dig in!

About What Good is God?: Journalist and spiritual seeker Philip Yancey has always struggled with the most basic questions of the Christian faith. The question he tackles in WHAT GOOD IS GOD? concerns the practical value of belief in God. His search for the answer to this question took him to some amazing settings around the world: Mumbai, India when the firing started during the terrorist attacks; at the motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated; on the Virginia Tech campus soon after the massacre; an AA convention; and even to a conference for women in prostitution.



Stranger Here Below by Joyce Hinnefeld (Unbridled Books, 10/10)

I loved In Hovering Flight, and have been very eagerly awaiting Hinnefeld's follow-up book. I was pleased to get an ARC of Stranger Here Below. I was really disappointed to find out I missed out on meeting her, though!

About Stranger Here Below: In 1961, when Amazing Grace Jansen, a firecracker from Appalachia, meets Mary Elizabeth Cox, the daughter of a Black southern preacher, at Kentucky’s Berea College, they already carry the scars and traces of their mothers’ troubles. Poor and single, Maze’s mother has had to raise her daughter alone and fight to keep a roof over their heads. Mary Elizabeth’s mother has carried a shattering grief throughout her life, a loss so great that it has disabled her and isolated her stern husband and her brilliant, talented daughter.

The caution this has scored into Mary Elizabeth has made her defensive and too private and limited her ambitions, despite her gifts as a musician. But Maze’s earthy fearlessness might be enough to carry them both forward toward lives lived bravely in an angry world that changes by the day.

Both of them are drawn to the enigmatic Georginea Ward, an aging idealist who taught at Berea sixty years ago, fell in love with a black man, and suddenly found herself renamed as a sister in a tiny Shaker community. Sister Georgia believes in discipline and simplicity, yes. But, more important, her faith is rooted in fairness and the long reach of unconditional love.

This is a novel about three generations of women and the love that makes families where none can be expected



Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins (Chalesbridge, 7/10)

I may have mentioned a time or two that I love Mitali Perkins. Getting to hear her at the Children's Author Breakfast was a real treat, and getting a gorgeous hardcover copy of this book was very exciting. I can't wait for my box to arrive, so I can actually read it!

About Bamboo People: Chiko isn’t a fighter by nature. He’s a book-loving Burmese boy whose father, a doctor, is in prison for resisting the government. Tu Reh, on the other hand, wants to fight for freedom after watching Burmese soldiers destroy his Karenni family's home and bamboo fields. Timidity becomes courage and anger becomes compassion as each boy is changed by unlikely friendships formed under extreme circumstances.

This coming-of-age novel takes place against the political and military backdrop of modern-day Burma. Narrated by two fifteen-year-old boys on opposing sides of the conflict between the Burmese government and the Karenni, one of the many ethnic minorities in Burma, Bamboo People explores the nature of violence, power, and prejudice.



The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai by Ruiyan Xu (Macmillan, 10/10)

This one had me at the title. I actually ducked out of the Adult Author Breakfast early to make sure I'd get a galley of this when they set them out.

About the The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai: A dazzling debut novel about the power of love and language...

Li Jing, a successful, happily married businessman, is dining at a grand hotel in Shanghai when a gas explosion shatters the building. A shard of glass neatly pierces Li Jing's forehead—obliterating his ability to speak Chinese. The only words that emerge from his mouth are faltering phrases of the English he spoke as a child growing up in Virginia. Suddenly Li Jing finds himself unable to communicate with his wife, Meiling, whom he once courted with beautiful words, as she struggles to keep his business afloat and maintain a brave face for their son. The family turns to an American neurologist, Rosalyn Neal, who is as lost as Li Jing--whom she calls James--in this bewitching, bewildering city, where the two form a bond that Meiling does not need a translator to understand.

Do any of these books look good to you? Which one interests you most? If you were at BEA, which book did you pick up that you're most excited about?

5 Impressions from BookExpo America

I spent the past ten days in New York City, a few days to work on business and several days to enjoy Book Expo America, and the Book Blogger Convention.

The entire time was dizzingly busy (except for that day I took to sleep), emotional (well you know, LOST ended during that time!) and wonderful. So much happened, that I thought the best way to share some of it with you would be to condense my thoughts and feelings into 5 main points.

It's All About People
The highlight by far, for me, was meeting and seeing so many people I love. I was finally able to meet Beth Kephart (thought I feel like we barely got a chance to speak and my brain was scattered with exhaustion when we did.) She is every bit as wonderful as I suspected and on our panel at the Book Blogger Convention, I felt quite clumsy in all my responses compared to her wise and gracious ones!

I also got to meet bloggers I have long admired, such as Angie from Angieville who is exactly as cool as you would think, Ana from the Book Smugglers who is as adorable and fun loving as she seems, and Wendy from CaribousMom who is just as smart and nice as she comes across on her blog. I was also thrilled to discover that authors like Heidi Kling and Diana Peterfreund are just as nice in real life as on Twitter.

And of course, I got to see old friends, Lenore, Nicole, Natasha, Deborah, Jen, Jenn, Swapna, and more. Additionally, I was so glad to have the chance to meet publicists I've worked with for a long time, like Paul Samuelson of Sourcebooks, Erica Barmash of Harper Perennial, and the adorable and lovely Caitlin Summie of Unbridled Books.

Seeing friends is what makes BEA such a fantastic time. We all love books and most of us love books in a way that's a little lonely. It's so much fun to be able to share our enthusiasm in a group!

Books, Books, Books
Let's not kid ourselves, though! Books are a huge part of BEA! It was endless fun to visit several publishing houses throughout the week as well as all of the author signings and books being given away on the exhibition floor. I picked up several titles I'm excited about and I'll highlight a few in a later post. I mailed home probably over 100 pounds of books. Yes, I know, I get it, I'm insane.

Book Bloggers are Hot
This is my third BEA, and the first year I feel like everyone really gets book bloggers. The first year I attended BEA (the last time it was in Los Angeles, sob!) very few people had a concept of what book blogging is. This year, I think they were overwhelmed with book bloggers. Harper hosted a reception for book bloggers, Unbridled had breakfast for us one day, and the Author/Blogger reception that was a part of the Book Blogger Convention was packed. I had people stopping me to discuss what I reviewed on my blog which pretty much shocked me, as there were hundreds of book bloggers at BEA this year and I thought the poor people at the booths seemed a little worn out!

BEA Needs to Charge Less for Booth Space
Or something. They condensed two floors onto one floor this year and it was crowded and I'm pretty sure, a huge fire hazard. They moved the autographing area to the main floor and when you have huge names and celebrity authors this is not such a great idea. In fact, it was at times really miserable!

I am More Interested in Hearing from Regular Authors than Celebrity Authors
I attended the breakfasts both days, and the children's breakfast was fantastic. Cory Doctorow made excellent points about YA literature and made me all teary, Mitali Perkins was EVERY bit as fantastic as I've been imagining and gave a wonderful heartfelt talk, and Richard Peck made me laugh. But the adult author breakfast was less interesting to me. I thought Jon Stewart tried too hard with the humor (the muffin bucket joke was funny at first, no need to go on about it), Condoleezza Rice was pretty fantastic, and Mary Roach quite funny, but this was the least interesting of all the author breakfasts I've been to at BEA. I really doubt anyone will ever top Dennis LeHane and Azar Nafisi, though.

So there you have it! A few side things...New York City is so expensive I was longing for Southern California, I got to meet authors Tess Gerritsen and Laura Joh Rowland--both of whom I have loved for a long time, Howard Gordon (of 24 fame) wrote a book and is SUPER nice, and it's INCREDIBLY difficult to carry 40 pounds of books down 5 flights of stairs.

So....what did you do while I was gone?

A Few BEA Tidbits

When I was in high school, I had a picture of Anne Rice hanging up in my room. No really. Some girls might have posters of the latest teen hearthrob but me? It was a postcard I bought at Barnes and Noble of one of my favorite authors.

So it was very exciting to very briefly meet her at BEA and have her sign an ARC of her upcoming spiritual memoir, Called Out of Darkness. Which I'm dying to read, and would read right this second if I didn't have stacks of other books to read for review. Do any of you enjoy Anne Rice's books?

I also got to briefly meet Jason F. Wright, author of Christmas Jars a book you really should have in your holiday book collection. It's just that wonderful. He signed an ARC of his upcoming Recovering Charles but I couldn't help but notice he was a little paranoid....;) In any case, I'm also dying to read this book, and would read it right this second, if I didn't have stacks of other books for review...yeah you get the idea.

Right now I'm reading a book for the Spring Reading Thing, because I fell way behind when other books came in for review. It's a YA book, Wicked Lovely, but wow has it sucked me in! So far, I love it!
What are you reading?

Some Newsy Stuff

Hey guess what? I have internet again! I have tons of stuff to blog about! I also have about 14 million emails to read and it might take me a very long while to catch up on everyone else's blogs. So if this blog is hopping this week, um enjoy! :)

First, I'd like to mention that Jen of Daily Mish Mash is hosting a Movie Madness Carnival tomorrow, and even having a very fun and cool giveaway! I would like the Snack Gift Basket Premium Deluxe. I mean really, I wouldn't have to buy snacks again for a long time! Or maybe The Country Inn Breakfast Gift Basket would be a nice choice. I do enjoy indulging in an unhealthy breakfast. So you should check out the giveaway for yourself and also participate in the carnival...looks like fun.

Secondly, I'd like to point out that Alison Kent is having a very cool giveaway as well. I have never read one of her books, but I've been reading her blog for awhile now, and just won a book last week. So as soon as it shows up in the mail, I'll be reading away, and very happy. She wants you to be reading her books as well, though, so if you head over to her blog look through her backlist of published titles and tell her which one you'd like to read, she'll enter you into her very cool contest for a 50 dollar gift card to Amazon or Barnes and Noble. By the way, she is a romance writer, so um, bear that in mind.

Thirdly, I have so many little bits and pieces I want to share about BEA. I'll probably do that over the week. I will also be blogging about the big stuff at The Friendly Book Nook. I'm so behind on blogging!

Fourthly, I am having a giveaway as well, with a measly six entries. And I'm giving away a book by Rene Gutteridge! Please enter! Don't delay!

Ok, I think that's it for the moment. Look for many more posts this week. :)

In Which I Nerd Out On All of You

Hi everyone!
I'm at BEA! I say that I'm at BEA because I decided to stay in a hotel closer to downtown LA than where I live. Guess what? I don't really live that far from LA but when you add traffic into the mix it might as well be Tokyo!

BEA is awesome! I get to just casually stroll up to authors and get books signed. For free! I get to see what all the major publishing houses are releasing later in the year. I get to attend informational sessions about the industry which interests the heck out of me, but maybe not all of you. I even, wait for this, caught a glimpse of my very first Kindle today! It's so cool, and I'm dying for one. I heard Jeff Bezos the Amazon CEO give about a half hour commercial about it and it made me really want one. More on all of this over at The Friendly Book Nook when I manage to organize my thoughts.

But there are some downsides. Like when I decided to just blog at night since my computer was so heavy to lug around and I went to the parking garage and totally forgot where I parked and walked around the parking garage FOR AN HOUR until I finally found my car, because I had parked in the blue section, not the orange section like I thought. I have tons of blisters right now and yes my feet bled. Or how all the food court places look SO FULL so I didn't eat anything until tonight.

But on the bright side I'm looking out at the sun setting over the LA skyline and it's tres belle!

So tell me....what do you want to know from BEA? I'll try to find it out for you, since, after all, that's the real reason I'm here! (not so much to get free signed books, but I find it a nice bonus)