THURSDAY 1.31.08
WHAT: Reading and signing of The Long Embrace
WHO: Author Judith Freeman
WHEN: 7 p.m.
WHERE: Book Soup
WHY: For Raymond Chandler fans, this book will illuminate many of the darkened corners of his life.

SATURDAY 2.2.08
WHAT: John Cage’s Roaratorio: A Verbivocovisual Celebration of James Joyce’s Birthday
WHO: John Cage, John Snyder, Dolores Stevens, Marjorie Perloff and Robert Winter
WHEN: 4 p.m.
WHERE: Hammer Museum
WHY: When tackled in large groups, James Joyce is less confounding. Plus, it’s free. “yes i said i will yes!”

TUESDAY 2.5.08
WHAT: NBCC GoodReads Winter List Panel
WHO: Poet Amy Gertsler, NPR book critic Veronique de Turenne, novelist Katherine Taylor, novelist and critic Darcy Cosper, and blogger and novelist Mark Sarvas
WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Skylight Books
WHY: Not only will a bunch of smart, talented people recommend a bunch of books to you, they’ll discuss the art of recommending books. It’ll be meta and lots of fun.

Literary Los Angelenos can bid on mauscripts and memoribilia at Bonham’s this coming Sunday, Feb. 18th.
Treasures include

A partial draft of Truman Capote’s screenplay adaptation of The Great Gatsby.

A collection from the Estate of Elizabeth Ainsworth, John Steinbeck’s older sister. He dedicated Tortila Flats to her, crediting her for the introduction to that culture.

A signed letter from Raymond Chandler to CBS: “Let’s face it–television is a third-rate medium.”

A Charles Schulz letter, signed Linus Van Pelt.

A signed photograph taken by Eudora Welty.

George Patton’s letter to his mother from Ft. Riley.

Our favorite is radical John Reed’s letter about how much rent he wants to get for his summer house.