My TBR Stack Is Going To Crush Me In My Sleep

[image via here]

We've moved. It's insane to think that it's already been a month, but it has, and we (my mister, our furry cat-child and I) now reside in Seattle. I couldn't be more excited to finally be able to settle into what is definitely my city, but losing my almost 3 hours of commuting has substantially reduced my reading time. Also, if the publishing industry could just agree to take a wee hiatus so I could catch up and pare this TBR stack down a bit... What do you mean "Not gonna happen"?!

This is also the first time I've had decent internet and a hooked-up computer in a couple of months, so I'm plotting some really good (dare I say "great"?) Book Styles for the next few weeks. Until then, I thought I'd share some Link Love with everyone as I continue scouring the interwebs for the perfect bookshelves so my books can have a proper home.

• The best trees in literature.
• Elliott Bay Book Company now has a killer young adult book group call The Elliott Bay Underground, you should check out their Tumblr page! These teens are voracious readers who write the best reviews! (Full disclosure, I might be a tad biased because I facilitate the group.) 
• Bennet sister fashion for the current times.
• I've always found physical books pleasing to own, touch and display, but this article about books becoming sexier as the medium is dying is very interesting. The Hipster's heritage movement might be good for something after all ;)
• My friend and coworker John Duvernoy recently had his first published collection of poetry, Something in the Way // Obstruction Blues, released. He had a lovely review from The Boston Review, another one on Shelf Awareness and did a stunning reading at Elliott Bay Book Company alongside Sarah Fran Wisby who is equally as stellar and someone you must be acquainted with immediately. 
• I know how I feel about it, but IS reading antisocial?
• I'm such a Shakespeare junkie.
• For anyone who's in Seattle, my bookstore is hosting a midnight release party for the upcoming Murakami: Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. I'm most excited about the "colorless" costume contest, but you might be most excited about the chance to win the opportunity to purchase one of the limited number of signed editions!
• Not bookish at all, but I found the science behind tattoo permanence mind-blowing.
• I'm not sure how I feel about library wallpaper, I mean, why not just install some shelves and some real books? But I do know I'd love owning a couple of these Penguin deck chairs!
• My friend Amanda is vlogging about being a comic book newbie over at Book Riot.

Okay, now back to the reading, and the endless unpacking.

Book Style: The Intern's Handbook

It's no secret that I'm kind of, okay REALLY, obsessed with Shane Kuhn's debut novel, The Intern's Handbook. I even interviewed him for the Ship's (B)log - An Interview with Shane Kuhn. Here's my offical review:

It’s easy to tell that Shane Kuhn has a background in movies, from the very first page his debut novel has the perfect pacing and delicate balance between humor and action that sends crowds flocking to the theaters every summer. The Handbook is, resident anti-hero, John Lago’s gift to the newer recruits at HR, Incorporated. HR, Inc. is a corporate staffing agency specializing in placing interns at some of the best corporations across the country. At least that’s what they tell the government. In reality John Lago is one of many highly trained assassins who are scooped off the streets as troubled children and groomed to infiltrate and eliminate. This is a record of Lago’s final assignment, as he approaches the ripe old age of 25 when an unpaid intern goes from being invisible to highly noticeable, before he is retired. While Lago intends his Handbook to be a learn-by-example training guide for the fresh blood at HR, Inc. it ends up doubling as an intense look at a man trying to fight his way out of a hopeless situation while attempting to keep his emotional walls high and impenetrable. Lago’s surety in his own prowess and his actual talent for survival are the perfect cross between cocky James Bond and psychologically scarred Jason Bourne. The Intern’s Handbook is a noteworthy twist on the spy thriller genre that had me at times laughing out loud and other times frantically ripping through the pages, barely breathing, rooting for John Lago to survive. 

I really couldn't decide whether to make a spy outfit or a lawyer/intern outfit... so I did both! I'll highlight some plot-pertinent touches for both of them.

Lawyer

• Actually functional gold switch-blade earrings.
• Harry Winston diamond solitaire ring.
• Coffee bean pendant necklace.
• "Come to Bed Red" nail lacquer.

Spy

• Hip holster for all your spy needs.
• Dagger stud earrings.
• "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" nail lacquer.
• "Knife Edge" ring.
• Bullet necklace with encased snake fang.
• "The Assassin" watch.

Read this now! And shoot me any hilarious (or terrifying) intern tales and or coffee recommendations!