Power of Three

Things are piling up in threes for yours truly.

The triple play of my dad's birthday, St. Valentine's Day, and my bride's birth anniversary all fall within six days of each other.

As I write this, three inches of snow surround us.

And I have three books, all nearly completed, in progress. As I told Ann, they're all pretty darn good. I can recommend them all, though you'll have to write them down for later (or preorder them now).

The first started is Netherland, by Joseph O'Neill. I'm only 30 pages from the end of this novel from Pantheon Books. It's hard to convey just how good the book is by describing it, but I'll try. The main character is Hans, a Dutch-born, British-employed investment analyst who has found himself in New York before and after Sept. 11, 2001. Ultimately, wife and child return to England, leaving the affluent Hans at loose ends. Thusly, he renews his acquaintance with the game of cricket and thereby discovers a hidden world of Empire in the five boroughs. Sounds weird, but the plot, with its hint of a mysterious underworld, shady characters, and a transition to responsible manhood makes the book well worth reading.

Next up was A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World, by Tony Horwitz. I'm about halfway through this exploration of the forgotten explorers of North and South America between Columbus and the Pilgrims. Horwitz, who brought us Confederates in the Attic, found himself, a history major, no less, embarrassed at his dearth of knowledge about the dozen or so decades between the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria and the Mayflower. The coolness starts with the cover itself, which gives us a 9-question true-false quiz. Here's a sample:

3. America is named for a ship's chandler from Seville who wrote that native women are "taller kneeling than I am standing" and "very desirous to copulate with us Christians."

6. A black slave crossed the U.S. continent more than 160 years befor Lewis & Clark.

8. Sir Walter Raleigh planted tobacco at his colony in Roanoke and wrote that "smoking this foul weed" was bad for health but good for profits.

The third book is By Hook or By Crook: A Journey in Search of English, by David Crystal, who also wrote How Language Works and The Story of English. Mark at the store finished it first and we both found ourselves liking it but growing tired of the "Welshness" of the book. Many of the references went over our heads because we simply don't know enough about England and Wales. Still, I know that several of you are going to enjoy this one. It's filled with pleasing word origins and discussions of dialect and regional speech. And it's all done with a light touch. Shakespeare-lovers will find it particularly fascinating.

Don't mistake the fact that I have three books going as a bad reflection on any of them. I've read a couple more since I started them. Since I began walking to work a couple of years ago, I've been able to add quite a few minutes to my daily reading list by reading while I walk down Spring Street. Some think it queer, but it's actually something I've done since first grade. I recommend it.

Oh, yes. There's another 3 occupying my time. Tim Dorsey's newest Serge Storms novel, Atomic Lobster is a treat unto itself. The addition of a personal visit from the author (Tuesday, Feb. 26, at 5 p.m.) makes it doubly good. And Tim's desire for a less-formal gathering afterward makes it a three-fold pleasure.

We still have a few spots left for the after-party at Rich O's that evening. But you must reserve your space if you want to spend some extended time with this amazingly talented creator.

Tim's On the Way

Tim Dorsey is at this moment blanketing the state of Florida in support of his tenth Serge A. Storms novel, Atomic Lobster. Fans in the Sunshine State are having a ball before Tim departs for his trip to see us.

Along the way, he's blogging at his MySpace blog. Below is an entry that will tell you an awful lot about the author. It's dated Jan. 10th.

Hey everyone,

Only a little more than a week till blast off. ... People are always asking me, "Hey Tim, now that you no longer work for a newspaper, are you going to run out of ideas for your novels?" Actually, people never ask me that. I just compulsively make up crap all the time. That's why I write books. But it's still a valid question. And here's the answer: The book tour is hands-down weirder than anything I experienced in journalism. Out there is where rubber truly meets the reality road.

First priority of touring is not to become another Florida crime stat. Which is tough if you're traveling alone on business and have a soft spot for sub-budget (but historically significant) motels. After shooing off enough hookers and foiling more than a few muggings with my early-detection scumbag radar, I decided that returning from evening book signings in a suit was not the best tactic. Now I stop at convenience stores/gas stations and change into my anti-crime-victim uniform, i.e. crazy clothes that make you not just an unattractive target, but a potential social burden. My "standard" is a ratty T-shirt, laceless sneakers on the wrong feet and one of those baseball caps with the moose antlers (sweat pants w/urine stains optional) – while loudly repeating Peter Gabriel lyrics: "Shed my skin!"

But the compliments of readers more than make up for any hardships, and they always come in the least likely form. Such as the woman who handed me a cell phone in one book store and asked if I could talk with her husband who wanted to make it but couldn't. So I did. Yeah, he couldn't make it – had four years to go in the federal pen. But he said I was tops with the gang in the cell block.

Then there all the photos I get (see the "Readers' Pix" album on my page) of tattoos and Flat Stanley-esque location shots with my books. ... So thank you all for making this one of the most implausible livings in America!

Peace,

Tim

Atomic Lobster crosses the Ohio River on Tuesday, Feb. 26, for a booksigning at Destinations Booksellers in New Albany, Ind. But you can get your copy now and also reserve space at the after-party at Rich O's Public House. The in-store event starts at 5 p.m. The party at Rich O's at 7:30. Space is going fast, so reserve now.

Here's a little peek at A.L.

The Event

But then, they deserved to die...

If you're wondering what that title means, wonder no more.

Ann and I are feeling a "Serge" of energy with this morning's news that author Tim Dorsey, our very own Moby Dick, has been sighted by our lookouts.

We received today a request from HarperCollins Publishers, parent company of the William Morrow imprint that puts out the entire Dorsey fiction ouvre, that we host Tim on February 26.

Tim's "Atomic Lobster" comes out in a few days. We've long desired to have him come and meet you all, to show him our "shrine" to Serge Storms, and to introduce an even larger group to the outstanding lunacy of the series.

I'll have more to say as details firm up, but suffice it to say that this is BIG news and a milestone event for our store and our town. You will not want to miss this author appearance.

For the biggest of Dorsey fans, we'll be having a reservation-only premium event that includes a personalized copy of Atomic Lobster and fine dining. While we can't give you complete details, we are taking reservations NOW! Blog readers will get first chance, followed by our e-mail list (sign up at www.destinationsbooksellers.com), and then the general public.