I don't mind reviews; I can scan the things and get a sense of the story and characters, whether they're likely to resonate. That's fine. Useful.

However, "blah blah blah berets blah blah blah tweed elbow patches blah blah artistic merit blah blah blah want to see my etchings"?

Sod that. Boring and annoying and pompous as all hell. Who died and appointed him arbiter of art?

Raymond Chandler! Duh. :)(Picturing ghostly, yet still hungover RC going "Christ! What did I do last night?" Oh, yeah. Gave my reputation to a pipsqueak." Damn. Anybody have an aspirin?")

Thanks for the heads-up, erika--I'll take a look at it.

yeah. No problem. If you get it already, don't worry about it.

In what I think qualifies as hitting an old-school Regency writer trifecta, I've been assigned to meet Mary Balogh at the airport for our writers conference next month.

In what I think qualifies as hitting an old-school Regency writer trifecta, I've been assigned to meet Mary Balogh at the airport for our writers conference next month.

Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude!

(Sure, I think her quality's gone down in the last few years, and that there's been a lot of phoning-it-in, but DUUUUUUUUUUUDE! Mary Effin' Balogh!)

Susan, that is way cool.

She's our keynote speaker, and it's still not too late to register....

That is cool, Susan. Trifecta indeed.

I've always wanted to go to Emerald City. I got invited once when I was working, and it conflicted with something else, so I had to say no.

She's our keynote speaker, and it's still not too late to register....

Alas, I am strapped for both time and cash, but it sounds like it will be excellent!

Susan! Lure her out to breakfast!

BTW, does anyone here have a subscription to Booklist?