The Week Ahead: October 27 – November 2, 2008

“The best laid plans of mice and men …”

Yes, there was a big snafu with my plans for attending the New Literary Voices panel of our local Festival of Authors yesterday.  The panel featured Margaret Cezair-Thompson (The Pirate’s Daughter), Amy MacKinnon (Tethered) and Peter Clenott (Hunting the King).  So what happened?  What kept me from attending?  Pink-eye.  Conjunctivitis.  Wash your hands.  Don’t touch your face.  Change the towels (several times!) daily.  J is out of town on business, and I couldn’t subject a babysitter to the yuckiness of conjunctivitis!  Last week LM4 was home from preschool with it, yesterday LW6 started with it.  Let’s see, 4 kids, at a week per kid … we should be fine by Thanksgiving!  Arrrgh!  Huge kudos to my LW12, who I dropped at the library, digital recorder in hand.  With permission from the speakers, she was able to record the event so I may be able to write a post about it later in the week

Here’s what else is happening in my neck of the woods:

Wednesday 10/29 - This week’s Spotlight on Bookstores is written by Cathy at Kittling: Books.  This is our first international post, and is filled with amazing photos … I’m ready to book a flight!

Also today, tune in to Blog Talk Radio  at 1:00 pm to hear Miriam from Hachette interview Kathleen Kent about her novel, The Heretic’s Daughter.  There’s a phone number to call in with your own questions for Kathleen, or register at the website to be able to “chat” during the interview.

I’m chaperoning at my daughter’s ballroom dance lessons tonight.  Not at all bookish, but it will be interesting to see the 7th and 8th graders interacting across the sexes!  Each week I ask “who did you dance with?” (in a totally non-intrusive way, of course).  Last year she tended to dance with boys from the other schools in town, the boys she didn’t know as well.  This year there is more “connecting” with the boys from her own school. 

Thursday 10/30 – Storytime at the library for LM4 this afternoon.  We’ve missed the last two, due to vacation and illnes … I’m keeping my fingers crossed (and my hands washed) in hopes that LW6 will be back to school and we can attend storytime this week.  I’m sure they’ll have an appropriately haunting theme for the kids.

Friday 10/31 – Happy Halloweeen!  Today is the last day to enter my giveaway for a signed hardcover of Creepers!  I’ll announce the winner tomorrow.

Saturday 11/1 – This is the wind-up of our two-week Festival of Authors.  This morning I have Breakfast with the Authors at our local Colonial Inn (it’s said to be haunted!).  Authors in attendance are Elizabeth Strout (Olive Kitteridge), Jennifer Haigh (The Condition) and David Daniel (Reunion).  I’m looking forward to this event; J will be back home, so unless I have itchy eyes … I’ll be there!

We also have a Bear Family Party, celebrating Paddington’s 50th and Corduroy’s 40th birthdays!  There will be games, crafts and activities – should be fun for everyone

In my non-book world, we’re almost done switching over the closets from summer to winter clothes; lots of trips to the Goodwill bin … it feels good to purge and share what we no longer use.  I have to help the kids settle on their selections for Halloween costumes; LW6 keeps showing me very elaborate ideas from magazines (not straight-forward Family Fun type stuff, but more involved Martha Stewart-ish costumes).  What’s fun on your calendar this week?