I try to avoid turning my blog into a publicity machine, but this has been the kind of week that leaves a gal uninspired, in addition to which, I have two nice pieces of news. So brace yourselves.

The first comes with a thank you — to Kirkus Reviews, for their review of Bitterblue, which is beautiful (the review, I mean!) not just in content, but in form. At the moment, the full review is only available online to subscribers.  I’m sorry about that, because it’s a really lovely review. The most spoiler-conscious among you should probably avoid it (YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED), though all things considered, it manages to be nice and vague about plot. Here’s a (spoiler-free) excerpt for those of you who aren’t subscribers, but would like a taste: “Gorgeous, textured prose is filled with images of strange beauty and restrained horror. It propels an intricate narrative dense with subplots and rich in characters familiar and new.”

The second news is a mention of Graceling in the March 5 issue of People Magazine (the one with Elizabeth Smart on the cover), in a section about what you should read now that you’re done with The Hunger Games. Although if you only check out one thing in People this week, make it Martha Stewart’s dog on page 18. I cannot believe that’s a real dog.

That’s my news.

In news not mine, I really liked this Salon article: “The Mainstream Myth About Eating Disorders,” by Autumn Whitefield-Madrano. “A new awareness campaign once again directly ties eating disorders to body image. The reality is much more complex.” Yes. Good piece.

Finally, for some much-needed perspective, time-lapse footage of Earth, taken from the International Space Station (thanks B!). Look at our beautiful world: