Good Monday! There are some exciting events coming up this week, including a famous feminist ‘zine-ist, a reading series about HOW TO SURVIVE, and of course, the whirlwind that is the New Yorker Festival.

First, a quick update. In case you missed it, my first review for Full Stop is now up. I reviewed Lamb by Bonnie Nadzam, who will incidentally be reading at Book Thug Nation on Wednesday.

In Personal Reading news, I have two books to share: Nom de Plume by Carmela Ciuraru and Other People We Married by Emma Straub. Nom de Plume contains a plethora of fascinating stories about famous pseudonym users like Mark Twain, Lewis Carroll, the sisters Brontë, George Orwell, Isaak Dineson—and it also provided me with an excellent fall reading list.

In Other People, Emma’s short stories are truly exquisite: provocative and honest without veering into earnestness. They’re also funny—like this passage from “Marjorie and the Birds,” about an elderly woman’s daughter who continually pops up unannounced:

Kate had a key, and used it. She came in without announcing herself via the doorman or the doorbell. Kate had the kind of look that nobody questioned; she should have been hired by terrorists. “Mom?” she called from the doorway, “Mom?”

Check out past Book Stalker posts on Carmela and Emma for more info on their books.  

And finally, I’m about 65 pages into my second novel, holla! Man, it feels good to be writing new stuff again.

Alright. On to this week’s READINGS:

MONDAY: Cindy Crabb will present The Encyclopedia of Doris, a collection of works from her decade-long, feminist ‘zine Doris.

Also, John Warner (McSweeney’s Internet Tendency) will read from his debut novel, The Funny Man.

TUESDAY: Bernard Schlink, author of The Reader, will discuss his newest, The Weekend (the man likes his standalone noun titles).

Also, this Story Collider event featuring the likes of Anna North and Carl Zimmer looks pretty sweet.

WEDNESDAY: “The How I Learned Series” is taking a turn for the intense this month: “How I Learned to Survive,” featuring Alexander Chee, Ed Gavagan, Melanie Hamlett, Jillian Lauren and Joanne Solomon.

Also, Lev Grossman will be at BookCourt. I know dude’s got one or two fans out there. (Or, like a billion.)

THURSDAY: InDigest Magazine (whom I love) will host its 1207 Reading Series, featuring Nick Demske, Adam Fell, Paul Legault and Niina Pollari.

FRIDAY: The New Yorker Festival begins! Damn, I can never get my act together early enough to buy tickets. Plus, they’re often pretty expensive. But I guess if you’re prepared to switch out a normal weekend night filled with $8 vodka sodas for one that includes T.C. Boyle, Chang Rae-Lee and Jeffrey Eugenides (and Jennifer Egan and ZZ Packer and…), well, it’s probably worth it.

I should also mention that this week I may be attending a literary event at a location with the word “secret” in its title. Intrigued? Check back Monday for the d’s.