Oh, I have so much to report! I'm just back from a whistle-stop tour of Kansas City, MO and the surrounding area. I was invited there by the Mid-Continent Public Library System to speak to book club members on Tuesday night and then on Wednesday morning, to 47 book club coordinators from their branch libraries. It will take me more than one post to cover it all, and I'm now kicking myself that I didn't take more photos.
I think I'll go somewhat in reverse and report first on my 
last stop of the trip - to the famed Rainy Day Books. I have heard about this store for years and was determined to go there and I'm so glad that I did. I was very impressed. While small, this store uses every inch of their space so well. The children's section is well stocked - and I was happy to hear from the staff (after I pointedly directed their attention to the Betsy-Tacy feature on the back of the Spring Kids Indie Next Brochure) that the Betsy-Tacy books have been selling very well! The trade paperback area is gorgeous and I could have browsed it forever. There was a nice display of Moonflower Vine, the recent Kansas City book club pick and I was so happy to find the Charlotte Chandler biography of Katharine Hepburn, I Know Where I'm Going - a book I learned about after Adriana Trigiani praised Chandler, and her Hollywood biographies, on my show last week.
I also picked up the "Mommy went on a trip" present for my 4 yo - Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, which we read today and he (and I) loved. Rainy Day boasts a huge schedule of author events - just in the next month they'll welcome Jim Lehrer, Richard Russo, Candace Bushnell and Yann Martel. You can subscribe to their newsletter, become a fan on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. If you are visiting in the area, you must make make Rainy Day a stop on your trip.
