Jon Katz Seats Sold Out for Tonight (Thursday, 10/6) Event at Humane Society, Plus More Notes.

1. Well, how many times have I said "Get there early" or "Buy your tickets now" and nobody listened. Alas, it's happened this time--we've sold out of seats for the Jon Katz talk tonight at the Humane Society for Going Home: Finding Peace When Pets Die. There are a few standing-room tickets, and we will also be setting up a signing line at 8 pm for folks who were not able to attend the talk. No ticket required. I expect the signing will start around 8:15. The Wisconsin Humane Society is at 4500 West Wisconsin Avenue.

2. As an addendum to yesterday's post on our first rep night, which wound up posting today because I forget to push the right button, our rep John has also written up the evening on his Paper Over Board blog. Get the scoop on more Harvard, Yale, and MIT books, including The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats. I feel this is as good a place as any to note that the Snow Day plush should be showing up in bookstores like ours momentarily.

3. Another blog that gives you additional insight to one of our events is Stacie's post as the Pfister Narrator on a bookseller-librarian dinner with Lisa McMann, author of The Unwanteds. Now quite a bit of this dinner is about building a 24 hour cable television network and the programs you would include, but it was a fascinating way to get everybody to talk at a dinner party, and it certainly does give some insight into the attendees.

4. Erin Morgenstern, author of the breakout hit, The Night Circus, passed through town between two events that spanned the metro area with events at Next Chapter to the north and Books and Company to the west. She stopped by with our rep Jason to sign stock and regale us of tales of stores decked out in elaborate signs and filled with tarot cards and clocks, and folks showing up to the events in black and white, with a red scarf or accent, of course.

5. Excluding all the folks reading this who attended, you missed a great event with Stacy Schiff, author of Cleopatra: A Life. This was each author's first trip to Milwaukee, and knowing that we rarely get serious history and biography authors, to tour town, Schiff was a rare treat, being that it was just ten days before the opening of the Milwaukee Public Museum exhibit. It's even rarer for serious nonfiction authors to tour for the paperback, but Back Bay is on the the same page we are--that the book makes a great reading group selection. If you look at our case, we have at least three groups reading it this month with more on the way.

6. There are several announcements in the past day that usually lead to a scramble for books. The Nobel prize for literature went to Swedish poet Tomas Transtromer.  There are books available from New Directions, Graywolf, and Ecco (which is part of Harper).  It should take a while to reprint--don't expect anything in the store if you stop by today.  Also Steve Jobs's passing is probably leading a number of people to look for more to read. Walter Isaacson's biography (Steve Jobs) is coming out November 21, though it's quite possible that if it's ready, the publisher will move it up. (Editor's note: They did! To October 24.  Thanks, Wendy!)

We have signed copies of Schiff (hardcover and paperback), Morgenstern, and Katz available, or will have the last one as of tomorrow. Visit our website for your book of choice, either bound or e style.