"Topograph" reading tonight at Queens University of Charlotte

Several authors whose works are included in "Topograph: New Writing from the Carolinas and the Landscape Beyond" will give a free reading tonight, Feb. 24, at Queens University's Sykes Auditorium.
"Topograph," edited by Jeff Jackson and published by Novello Festival Press, includes one-minute stories, poetry, memoir and short stories.
The evening begins with a Q&A with Jackson at 6:30 p.m. Anthology authors, including novelist and poet Alan Michael Parker, memoirist Shireen Campbell, poet Janice Fuller and cult author Scott McClanahan, will read at 7:30 p.m.

"Fishing North Carolina" author speaks in Charlotte

Award-winning hunting and fishing writer Mike Marsh will be in Charlotte Friday and Saturday to sign copies of his new book, "Fishing North Carolina" (John F. Blair; $19.95).

Publisher John F. Blair touts this new guide as the only book that covers fishing opportunities in all the state's regions -- from Mateo to Murphy, in other words. It includes detailed maps as well as advice on best time to fish, best way to fish and best lures to use.

Marsh will be at Jesse Brown's Outdoors at 4732 Sharon Road 6-8 p.m. Friday, Feb.25, and at Bass Pro Shop, 8181 Concord Mills Blvd. 10 a.m.-noon on Saturday, Feb. 26.

Andy Lawler, you've won my Kim Harrison book giveaway

Kim Harrison's just-out novel is "Pale Demon," the urban fantasy tale of a witch named Rachel Morgan who's forced to take a cross-country trip with an elf, a pixie and a vampire. Don't you hate it when that happens?

Andy Lawler, you've won a copy. Send me your mailing address, and I'll get it to you. (My email: pkelley@charlotteobserver.com).

Thanks, all who entered. Check back for another giveaway soon.

London's Daily Mail discovers Charlotte writer's memoir of sex, every day, for a year

Charlotte's Charla Muller made a splash two years ago when she published "365 Nights: A Memoir of Intimacy," her story of the unusual 40th birthday gift she gave her husband - sex every day for a year. The story generated big-time buzz, including a piece in The New York Times' Sunday Styles section.

Now, with the paperback about to be released in England, London's Daily Mail offers up a feature on Charla.

Charla Muller's book, co-written with Charlotte's Betsy Thorpe, has been published in six languages. In Switzerland, it was a top-10 bestseller.

The Daily Mail writes a nice piece on Charla as "an ordinary working mum" who delivers an unusual birthday gift. My favorite part? A reader's comment: "I gave my hubby a gold pocket watch, and very happy he was with it too."

Win a copy of Kim Harrison's new fantasy, "Pale Demon"

If you're a fan of urban fantasy, I've got a book giveaway you'll love.

Win a copy of "Pale Demon," the newest tale of dark magic and supernatural adventure from bestselling author Kim Harrison.

Post a comment on this blog with your name or some way to identify you -- not just "anonymous."

Then, make sure to check back on Tuesday, Feb. 22, when I'll randomly select a winner.

Harrison, who lived until recently in Rock Hill, has now relocated to Michigan. Read more about her in my latest column, in Sunday's Observer.

Ron Rash at Park Road Books next week

Ron Rash will sign copies of his newest award-winning short story collection, "Burning Bright," 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22 at Charlotte's Park Road Books, 4139 Park Road.

The collection, winner of the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, is now available in paperback for $12.99.

Rash, a Boiling Springs native who teaches at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, has won international acclaim for his poetry, short stories and novels. The 12 stories in "Burning Bright," set in Appalachia, include tales of meth addicts, poverty and hard luck. "Burning Bright finds a narrow sweet spot between Raymond Carver's minimalism and William Faulkner's Gothic," says The Washington Post.

The New York Times now lists e-book bestsellers

Sunday marked a literary milestone. For the first time, The New York Times published an e-book bestseller list.

Digital books -- purchased to be read on electronic readers, such as Amazon's Kindle, Barnes & Noble's Nook or the iPad -- now account for 9 percent of books sales. And the numbers continue to climb.

"For top fiction titles, the typical e-book share was upward of 60 percent of total sales, with John Grisham’s latest, "The Confession," hitting 75 percent," The New York Times reports.

The world of e-book technology, vendors and publishers remains in flux, so these early efforts to track e-book sales leave out many categories.

The Times isn't counting perennial sellers, required classroom reading, textbooks, reference and test preparation guides, journals, workbooks, calorie counters, shopping guides, comics, crossword puzzles and self-published books.

It's also not tracking e-book sales for advice and how-to books, children’s books and graphic books, though it plans to add those "at a future date."