Hugo awards best novel: The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon. Tor books has nice coverage of the awards. [Thx Cory D.] More: hugoawards.com.
Fishbowl LA: Will the Zell Book Sell?
M&M points us to Sarah Schmelling’s acutely cool HAMLET (Facebook News Feed Edition). We pay it forward to you. BTW: Michelle Nicolosi’s smart Google Reader Shared Items is my new favorite web read.
Orange County’s last orchards: Opinion contributing editor and author of the syndicated “¡Ask a Mexican!” column, Gustavo Arellano writes about the last historic groves and the real history behind them. Read his essay at the LAT. His new book, Orange County: A Personal History, is due out in September.
Back yard (r)evolution: In the SF Chron, nature and garden writers Ron Sullivan and Joe Eaton praise the just out From Yard to Garden: The Domestication of America’s Home Grounds for its wit, “enlightening archival photographs” and “fascinating oddments.” Read more at the SF Gate.
Meet the authors of the California Authors Directory. Visit the directory to discover writers like Andrew Sean Greer, a San Francisco novelist whose latest book, 
You can shop online from your local independent booksellers.