You can download Kelly Link’s short story collection Magic for Beginners FREE! I haven’t read the entire collection (it’s been sitting on my shelf for longer than I care to admit). However, her story “Stone Animals” is in this collection and that fan-fucking-weird-tastic story is worth the click alone. It’s available as a PDF, HTML file, RTF, any file format you want to read. Awesome.

The Strib interviews Richard Russo who will be here Wednesday as part of the Talking Volumes series.

Yesterday I spent 3 or so hours glued to the La-Z-Grrl reading Elizabeth McCracken’s memoir An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination. I read it from cover to cover in one sitting. It’s that good. My review will come later but in the meantime you can go read her lovely Book Notes Essay on Largehearted Boy (if you aren’t familiar with the Book Notes essays, it’s where writers write about the music they listened to while writing or inspired their book). The NY Times also reviewed the book this week (though I think having another woman who gave birth to a stillborn child review the book is probably not the best move, because the book will appeal to more than just grieving mothers). If you’re new to McCracken (oh and if you are I weep for you and what you’re missing out on), Kelly pointed out a short story from Zoetrope: All Story, “Something Amazing.”

From Bookslut we learn that Neil Gaiman is reading a chapter The Graveyard Book at each of his reading tour stops. The readings are being recorded and posted online. Once the tour is complete, you can watch him read the entire book. Nice. Gaiman will be reading at the United Church of Christ in St. Paul on Wednesday (see the Red Balloon for more info).

The LA Times raves about Candian Miriam Toews’ The Flying Troutmans. Toews will read at Magers & Quinn on Wednesday, October 22nd.