As my editor keeps reminding me, I have three books out, or about to be out: LIFE SENTENCES, the hardcover, goes on sale March 7, but yesterday saw the release of the mass market paperback of ANOTHER THING TO FALL, while WHAT THE DEAD KNOW has been released as a gorgeous trade paperback. Yep, that's a whole lotta Lippman.

And, serendipitously, the terrific writer John Connolly has made WHAT THE DEAD KNOW his book club selection this month. The conversation is just getting under way here. You have to register to participate, but it's worth it. The conversation is on a pretty high level. However, be aware that there are spoilers galore; this is very much a forum for people who have read the book.

As for French flaps, a joke I can't stop making: Those are simply paperbacks with "folded" covers, which create the same sensation as a hardcover with a removable cover.

In an interview yesterday, I was asked how I felt about being reviewed. It's a tough question, even on book #15. And it makes me want to ask people here if, in their jobs, their is something comparable to being the book-a-year writer whose performance reviews are oh-so-public? Do the teachers here read their student evaluations? How many people here even have regular performance reviews? In twenty years as a journalist, I believe I had three.