Happy Independent Bookstore Day! I’m so grateful for all of the support I have been shown by indie retailers over the past few months. If you’re looking for something to do today, pop into your local store—there’s a lot going on!

I was recently interviewed about Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside by Jocelyn Eikenburg on her website, Speaking of China. We discussed how I conceived of Guillard and Daniel as well as the central themes of the book. Jocelyn’s own writing has been featured in two anthologies about expat life in China (Unsavory Elements and How Does One Dress to Buy Dragonfruit?), and she’s currently working on a memoir, Red All Over.

I’m still waiting to hear the results from the INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards, for which UMDC is a finalist in Literary Fiction, but they’ve just announced that there will be another medal this year: The Readers’ Choice. The title with the most comments on its finalist page will receive this award, so I’m hopeful that UMDC will do well, given my wonderful network of backers (read: YOU). To post a short endorsement of UMDC, click here and scroll down.

UMDC currently has 48 reviews on Amazon! I went to a wedding in Santa Barbara recently and sat down next to a woman who turned out to be one of the site’s Top 500 Reviewers. In an incredible act of kindness, she bought, read and reviewed the book in under a week. Just goes to show you (or, in this case, me) that you never know who’s out there willing to help. I would love to get to 50 reviews. If you haven’t left one yet and would be willing to do so, the link can be found here. Thanks!

Dear readers and supporters of Trekonomics,