Overpacking

I'm headed to San Francisco and Santa Cruz till the 12th, and while I'm only bringing three pairs of shoes (flats, tennis shoes, and boots, all black--oh, OK, and a pair of horrid white Dyeables flats for Zombie Prom), I've got eight books in my trusty/huge Hello Kitty shoulder bag:

• Snake Catcher
• The Book of Dead Philosophers
• Smile As They Bow, Nu Nu Yi: the first work by an author living in Burma to be published in the U.S., it's about (the cultural equivalent of) drag queens.
• The Possession of Mr. Cave, Matt Haig: I read and loved his The Labrador Pact last March--a heartbreaking tale narrated by a dog trying vainly to keep his human family together. This one's out next month.
• On Beauty, Zadie Smith: White Teeth is a fave; this one I got below cost cause it was all shelf-worn.
• Stranger Things Happen, Kelly Link: Ten of her stories are recollected for YA readers in last year's Pretty Monsters, and they are jaw-dropping: glorious, Borgesian horror/fantasy. "Magic for Beginners" is one of the best things I've ever read.
• To The Wedding, John Berger: Recommended by my former co-worker Jason.
• Dark Banquet: Blood and the Curious Lives of Blood-Feeding Creatures, Bill Schutt: Well, I am going to Zombie Prom, after all.
  
• Also: issues 20-22 of the Buffy Season 8 comics, which feature a Big Bad called "Twilight." I'd say Joss Whedon is a genius, but I think that goes without saying anymore, right?