(1) Oh, Falling Skies.  You had me at “history professor leads resistance in post-apocalyptic aftermath of alien invasion.”  (AWE.SOME.)  (He, like, randomly talks about Alexander the Great to buck up the troops.  Did they specifically design this show for me or what?)  (Plus there’s an actress from Veronica Mars in it!  This would only be more splendiferous if it were Logan Echolls or Veronica herself instead, but I’ll take it.)

And THEN it turns out the series (shiny and new! now on TNT!) is SET IN BOSTON!  (Post-apocalyptic Boston!  Overrun with aliens!)  So we have hilarious Red Sox-Yankees metaphors (in case you’re wondering, the bad guy aliens are the Yankees) AND best of all, in the pilot Noah Wyle totes name-dropped my current hometown, and then they fought aliens there!  Or rather here!  HERE in my Boston suburb where I currently live!  WEIRD AS! 

Although I’m pretty sure they’re actually shooting it in Vancouver and pulling these names randomly off a map, but it’s still completely awesome.  Now someone just needs to be like: “All right, you take a squadron up Arsenal Street and we’ll meet at the Not Your Average Joe’s next to the library” and I will have some kind of joy attack of Too Much Joy.  The only thing we’re missing so far, really, is a Dunkin’ Donuts reference, but I have faith that their crack team of Boston authenticity experts will work that in somehow.  :-)  YAY SHOW.  I am all yours!

(2) OMG there is TOTALLY A LESBIAN in The Count of Monte Cristo.  FOR REALS.  I think this might literally be the best book ever.

(3)  Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww:

As the NYTimes Motherlode blogger put it, “The First Dad shows the First Mom how it’s done!”  :-)  Hee!

Oh, OK, one more thing.  Have you seen that J.K. Rowling has put up a new website and is about to make a big announcement?  WHAT IS IT WHAT IS IT???  In fact, as I type this, the countdown says there’s only 3 hours until the announcement happens.  Three more hours!  I could just stay awake until 7am and find out right away!

Yeah, I’m not going to do that.  I am going to bed (at 4am) like a civilized person, and so I will hear the big announcement when I wake up at noon (LIKE A CIVILIZED PERSON).  😉

More soon!  Oh, I have a new book coming out in a week or two.  Aha!  Something to blog about next week!  There you go; now you know I will be back, whether this deadline has eaten me alive or not.  :-)  Happy summer, everyone!  If you’re looking for something to do, I recommend Falling Skies and The Count of Monte Cristo, especially if you happen to like Boston, aliens, Noah Wyle, elaborate revenge plots, or awesomeness.