Down and Out

I mentioned a few days ago that I was feeling a little bit under the weather. That's now a major understatement. I have been basically on the couch or in bed for days! Usually if I were home this much, I would be getting a ton of reading done, but noooooooo....I just space out. I'm feeling a little guilty that I'm abandoning my blog duties too, but I don't really have a choice!

Even though I haven't been reading or writing much, something exciting did happen to me yesterday. I received an e-mail from an author who ran across my blog. Her name is Xujun Eberlein and she wants to send me a copy of her new book APOLOGIES FORTHCOMING. It is a collection of stories centered around China's Cultural Revolution. I know next to nothing about the history of China so I'm hoping that I can learn a lot by reading her book.

After I responded to her e-mail saying that I would love to read and review her book, I started doing a little background research on Ms. Eberlein. She has a interesting website which also features her blog. As I was reading her bio, I found out that she has an amazing background -- she moved to the United States in 1988 from China and received a PhD in Transportation Engineering from M.I.T. in 1995! In 2003, she gave up her job with a high tech firm to become a writer in 2003. Since then, she has won numerous awards for her writing including the 2007 Tartt Fiction Award for APOLOGIES FORTHCOMING! There was absolutely no mention of any of these honors in her e-mail. I jokingly wrote back to Ms. Eberlein and mentioned that if I had her credentials, I would be doing a little more bragging!

It goes without saying that I am extremely flattered that she even asked me to read her book! I am so looking forward to reading APOLOGIES FORTHCOMING, and I will be sure to share my thoughts with you after I receive it.