Book blogging the pre-holiday gloom

Well, hello there! Yep, we're still here. So let's talk shop.

The 39 Clues, a new series that Scholastic is billing as the successor to Harry Potter sounds remarkably dull. Collector cards? Why not just package the books with Pogs. More Paper Cuts contributors are on the way. Editorial Ass is a blog we recently discovered, written by an extremely witty former ed assistant. Why are we so easily seduced by books about crafting, even though we never, ever craft, only tell ourselves we will? We finished the novel, and now we must see the movie. It will not be good enough. Why is it so impossible to give holiday gifts that aren't books? We're giving this away to at least two people. It's not Harold Bloom-approved, duhs, but it's as delicious a read as we've ever had. Meh, all these lists are really exhausting. Should we be reading Tree of Smoke instead of Persuasion right now? Probably. Of course, nobody can stop us. Oh happy day.