Amazon discontinued the ability to create images using their SiteStripe feature and in their infinite wisdom broke all previously created images on 12/31/23. Many blogs used this feature, including this one. Expect my archives to be a hot mess of broken book cover images until I can slowly comb through 20 years of archives to make corrections.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Watch Your Back Heidi Klum

When I left for work this morning I got my "Goodbye, Have A Good Day" hug from The Boyfriend, who proceeded to tell me he thinks I've already lost weight.

TB: I think you've already lost a little weight.
Me: I just started this Hell on Monday, stop kissing my ass.
TB: ::bends over and air kisses my ass::
Me: Hardy har har.
TB: No, really. I think you have.
Me: I haven't eaten any vegetables yet today, so I'm not bloated yet. I think my body is still in shock from the roughage.

In news that isn't TMI - I figured out the other day that the walk I take on my lunch break at work is exactly one mile. And the time spent on this brisk walk just flies right on by thanks to downloadable audio books and my trusty MP3 player.

In case you haven't seen it here or here yet, September marks the month that all of Harlequin's front-list titles will be made available as ebooks. That means you can get the ebook version or the print version at the exact same time. Whatever format tickles your fancy. I personally don't do ebooks (no Reader, and do I really need to create the monster of a digital TBR pile?), but think this is pretty darn cool. And hey, even if you don't care for romance novels, Harlequin publishes "other stuff." Their Mira line has been chock full of interesting sounding suspense/thriller titles for the last several months.

Speaking of kick-ass publishers, I love the folks over at Holtzbrinck (St. Martin's Press, Tor and others) because they seem eager to share the wealth with librarians. They even have a Library Marketing Manager who has not only come out to visit with me, but has been loading me up with interesting ARCs - including the upcoming (January) Gas City by Loren D. Estleman. I adore Estleman's Amos Walker mysteries, so I'm particularly overjoyed to have an ARC - even if it's not part of that series.

Description:
A power struggle—between a police chief who has looked the other way for too long, a Mafia boss who holds the city's vices in his powerful grasp, and media reporters looking for a big story—turns what has been a minor dispute into a desperate struggle for survival.
Setting this drama in a blue-collar metropolis dominated by an oil company, Estleman, with an unerring eye for telling detail and an ear for dialogue that reveals the secret desires of his characters, crafts a fascinating, deadly tapestry of love, ambition, revenge, and redemption, a stunning portrait of the human condition.
I'm not sure how well the black and white cover will play to casual browsers in libraries and bookstores - no matter how cool I think it is (evokes the silent movie Metropolis for me). Not that I think something like a cover would steamroll Estleman. The man is what I consider a "professional writer" having penned over 60 novels. He's got his loyal fan base.

4 comments:

Rosie said...

Very entertaining! :) Personally I'm always suspicious about compliments. It's a character flaw. Makes for interesting conversation though.

Ummmm...what other interesting ARCs have you gotten to torture us with?

Wendy said...

Rosie:
Probably nothing romance readers would be interested in. Holtzbrinck has mainly been loading me up with mystery ARCs - not that I'm complaining, since I lurve mysteries. The last romance I remember getting from them was Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas. We actually got a couple copies of that one....

Crystal said...

I hate walking. I find it boring. I actually never thought to listen to ebooks well I walk. I suppose it would make my 2 be read pile smaller, plus I could decrease my butt size. Great! Now I need to buy some ebooks.

Wendy said...

Crystal:
See if your local library has jumped on the eAudio book bandwagon. That's how I get mine - no need to buy! For those that do buy, Audible.com seems to be the big name and if you have an iPod, I think you can buy them on iTunes as well.

I'm currently walking with Sue Grafton. Quite enjoyable.