1. Comic-Con. I want to attend Comic-Con before I die. Story workshops, artist talent searches, expert panels, exclusive screenings, and great, literary characters come to life--the heroes and villains of comic books and graphic novels. It's like grown-up Disneyland (ish) with the colorful labyrinth of booths and epic photo opportunities and swag. So much free stuff. And, of course, I'm a supporter of any time a group of people gathers to discuss the art of storytelling and encourage young artists...while wearing costumes. 

2. The American Novel. PBS has launched a series about the American novel, covering 50 novels over 200 years. Starting with The Last of the Mohicans and going on through Marilynne Robinson's Gilead, the in-depth review hits all the high points that you'd expect, as well as unearthing titles I'd never heard of. What are you, A Hazard of New Fortunes? Who are you, Frank Norris? They also break down the prominent themes of "the American novel," offer synopses and author bios, and have an interactive element where you can sound off about the novel that really gets your nationalism going. Once again, PBS, you've tricked me into thinking that learning is fun. 

3. Book Bookmarks. 

These are little printings of poetry collections from James Wright and Robert Bly. This is almost as charming as when the promotional material for Lloyd Kahn's Tiny Homes book was a tiny tiny copy of Tiny Homes. 

"The books, published by Wesleyan University Press, are so small you can put them in your back pocket, your shirt pocket, or maybe even that little vestigial pocket inside the pocket of your jeans. They’re so small that I’ve used them as temporary bookmarks for other, regular-size books."

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