February 12, 2006: Short Takes

• We rarely have unskilled job opportunities here, though we get a lot of inquiries. While "Shipping Clerk" is not literally unskilled, it's one of the few that we might be willing to train on the job. Here's the information.
• A friend gave me a very good book a couple of weeks ago. Shadows Over Baker Street is an original anthology on the theme "What if Sherlock Holmes had faced the horrors of the Cthulhu Mythos?" Several great stories here, with Neil Gaiman's "A Study in Emerald" leading the pack.
• Another good book simply showed up in my mailbox . . . a promo copy from a publisher. Usually these hit the "Take to Half Price Books" stack before I've read five pages. Not this one. I read it in one sitting, and have kept it on my desk and dipped into it again and again. It's To Crush the Moon, by Wil McCarthy. I must now hunt down everything else he has written. This novel just sparkles with ideas, and it's written in an intelligent yet lively voice that I really enjoyed. It turns out to be the climax of a series of four, but it read just fine by itself. Ignore the drivelous and grammar-challenged blurb on the back cover!
• Several of you have asked if there will be a Stakeholders' Report this year. Yes, and fairly soon; our 2005 books are closing right now (much sooner than last year), and I want to include that information in the report.
• I had a fantastic time at WarpCon and will post a report soon. I also suffered badly from jet lag going both ways . . . and am still not over it. I hope this does not represent a trend.