Oooh lawn ornaments. Spoooooky

Last night I went to Vol 1. Brooklyn’s crowded, cheerful one year anniversary party featuring the very nice and funny Bob Powers (who has a new book out called The Werewolf’s Guide to Life: A Manual for the Newly Bitten. Illustrated by Emily Flake, of course, because everyone wants to work with Flake), John Wray (who I continue to never meet), Lev Grossman, and others.

Vol 1. Brooklyn is, I was told, “punk rock literary,” which would explain why the reading started so late I eventually had to go home just as it started, though all the kids there seemed up for a good time and I was sad I had to leave. But I did have the luxury of meeting Lev just a few hours after I had finished his wonderful book The Magicians: A Novel. So I got to tell him how much I enjoyed it and pepper him with questions about why he made certain choices. (I think this is why people live in New York, by the way.)

Anyway, what’s up North Brooklyn with all the literary action? Love it. South Brooklyn gets allll the attention. Eff that. People read here. Even if it’s art books.

Just kidding. They read books they find out about on “The Daily Show” too.

Tonight I’m going to Kerry’s party dressed as a donkey-bear. Tomorrow TD’s in town and he’s playing some show in Red Hook which I may or may not go to because driving all the way to Red Hook on Halloween is maybe not so much fun. But he’s crashing at my place and it will be nice to see him. And Sunday is my birthday, which will be spent, hopefully, dodging the rain and watching the marathon run by on Bedford Ave., and then having dinner with my family. Nice and low-key for this former punk rock literary old lady.

(10/30/09)