RIP Jay Lake

I'm late with this. My good friend and proprietor of my favorite Southbay bookstore The Book Frog Rebecca Glenn contacted me a week ago today to let me know that author Jay Lake had passed away. Several years ago, after wanting to read one of Mr. Lake's books for years I found myself in Berkley, California's Dark Carnival books and it was here that I acquired Pinion, which at the time I mistakenly took to be the first in Lake's Clockwork Earth series. Later I realized Pinion is actually the third book in the series, and it was Becky who ordered the first two, Mainspring and Escapement for me. They are wonderful books and although I only knew Jay Lake through his fiction I'm saddened by his passing. If he was any bit as grand as a human as he was as an imaginative author - which all personal accounts I've read in the past week confirm that he most definitely was - then the Earth lost a marvelous soul last Sunday.

As Kevin Smith would say, big bucket of win.

The Southbay's Finest Bookstore: The Book Frog

The Book Frog. The nicest staff. The most knowledgeable staff (a feat unto itself). A completely independent, "we're doing it on our own and F$^K Corporate culture" bookstore. And... a Literary Titan!!!

(and props for the Herb Alpert at the end!!!)

Joe Hill's NOS4A2

I received a nice advance copy of Joe Hill's NOS4A2 today. I am VERY much looking forward to reading it, as Hill's Heart-Shaped Box is one of my favorite books of recent years (and Horns is pretty damn awesome too! Can't wait for that movie starring Daniel Radcliffe). I'll be posting opinions on the book soon enough, however I also have my brand new copy of Peter V. Brett's The Daylight War - purchased in stunning hardcover the day of release (today) from my favorite local bookstore The Book Frog. Mr. Brett's stuff became DOR or 'Day of Release' level for me after the other two books in the series (which I speak about here) blew me the F--k away!!! But of course now I have an especially tricky conundrum - which to read first?

Choices, choices choices...

Peter V. Brett's The Daylight War

Will be released on February 12!!! Nice. I've fallen behind a bit in my reading. It's funny how no longer working at a bookstore impedes my knowledge of what's going on with my favorite authors (not that I miss retail - I DO NOT). I knew the third book in Brett's quintet was coming out in 2013, I just wasn't sure when. Imagine my surprise to look it up and find it's in a little over a week! Soooo cool. You can pre-order a copy here, or you can go to your local bookstore and buy it (if you're in the Southern Los Angeles area I recommend The Book Frog).

I talk about how I met Mr. Brett here - he actually gave me a copy of the first book in this series, The Warded Man and I am forever grateful to him for it.