I’ve been remiss in my blogging. (Yet again.) Thus this shorthand update of pleasant book-related news:
1) The paperback of The Colony was released about a month ago.
2) The paperback was a BookSense pick of the month, as was the hardcover.
3) The paperback has cracked the bestseller list, as did the hardcover. Thanks to everyone who bought one. (Now go buy another.)
4) The Colony is a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. My competition is as follows:

• Taylor Branch, At Canaan’s Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-68 (Simon & Schuster)
• Niall Ferguson, The War of the World: Twentieth-Century Conflict and the Descent of the West (Penguin Press)
• Nathaniel Philbrick, Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War (Viking)
• John Tayman, The Colony (Lisa Drew / Scribner)
• Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 (Alfred A. Knopf)

If I were a betting man, I’d put money on Lawrence Wright. But if you wish to witness my comeuppance in person — or just enjoy the Times Festival of Books, you can purchase tickets here. (The awards are on the evening of Friday, April 27th, followed, that Saturday and Sunday, by the Festival. 130,000 attendees. 400 authors, including me. Six stages. Autographs! Sun! Sand! Snacks! Check it out!)