Last week in the Workman offices, Peter Workman had the pleasure of congratulating Becky Anderson, of Anderson’s Book Shop in Naperville, Illinois for winning our Rivendell bike giveaway celebrating Just Ride by Grant Petersen. Ms. Anderson won her choice of a Sam Hillborn or a Betty Foy bicycle from Rivendell Bicycle Works (this fine specimen below is just a placeholder until she gets her shiny new pedals underfoot!).

If any of you book sellers are tuning in just now, please take note: We had so much fun with this promotion (hello, Indie bestseller list!), that we’re doing it AGAIN! Get your orders in, booksellers, and you’ll be entered to win bike number two in our giveaway.

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So, that happened last week, then this happened this week:

“Your bible has just been written. Grant Petersen’s Just Ride is a wonderfully sane, down to earth and frequently funny guide to riding, maintaining, fixing and enjoying your bicycle.”
-Dave Eggers, New York Times Book Review, July 29

It’s one thing to get reviewed by Dave Eggers, but to be an editor’s choice among such notable folks as Cicero and Nabokov, well, we’re quite tickled.

Wednesday’s great for many reasons, but our favorite is Wednesday Cute, your weekly dose of cute things from around the Web. This week: singing clouds, a hand-held pony, and a tooth-brushing PSA to end them all.

It may seem an unlikely source for cute things (after all, their motto isn’t “All the CUTE That’s Fit to Print.” Although it should be), but last week the New York Times brought us dock-diving dogs and I’m still not over it. This week’s Times photo is a bit older but just as charming: “Billed as the smallest pony in the world: Santab, which at the age of a year is only 25 inches high and weighs 60 pounds [!!!], on display as an attraction in a London store.” See this and more great photos of old at The Lively Morgue, an oft-updated blog of pictures from the Times archives.

•  We know the adage says you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but when this six-year-old guessed the plot of classic novels based solely on the jacket art, we considered erasing that old expression from our memories and encouraging children far and wide to judge away! A choice line, from her review of Jane Eyre: “This is about a girl that goes mining. I don’t know why, but she looks like she would go mining, mining for gold.” Don’t let Jane hear you say that, kid.
• If you didn’t think clouds could be cute, you haven’t seen Cloudy, an animated short about the lives of the world’s most adorable clouds.

Usually we’d just link to a video we like, but this is too good not to put right here on the page. The Oregon Dental Association made a PSA about brushing your teeth called Teach Me How to Brushy. That’s right: It’s based on “Teach Me How to Dougie,” and it features kids breaking it down in the name of oral hygiene. We know it’s aimed at children, but it’s even inspired us to floss (and brushy).

[youtube]http://youtu.be/5ugQLL65BKc[/youtube]

• We don’t mean to obsess, but have you seen the entries in the My Dog Needs Glasses contest?! They’re…wait for it…SO CUTE. And hey, if you upload a photo of YOUR dog wearing glasses by July 31 you’re entered to win a signed copy of Barney Saltzberg’s Arlo Needs Glasses, probably one of the cutest books of all time. Who doesn’t want that?
• The 2012 Olympics are exciting, impressive, inspiring—but are they cute? Not really. You know what are cute? THE GUINEA PIG GAMES.

This kitten—named Nugget, for cute’s sake—loves Bananagrams. There’s not much more to say. You win this round, Cute Overload.

—Avery, who as a kid had a toothbrush that sang “I’m your friend Brushy-Brushy, / I keep your teeth shiny and bright. / Please brush with me every day, / Morning, noon, and night!”

It’s hard not to be inspired by Austin Kleon’s Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative–a book that hit the New York Times best-seller list and has quickly won over creative types who love Austin’s simple but profound advice. This very feature, Live By the Book, is all about everyday inspiration brought to you by books, so this week we’re turning the tables, and asking: What inspires you? Please tell us below, in the comments (a Pantone postcard would be nice, but might take too long), and a copy of Austin’s book could be yours!

Live by the Book: Steal Like an Artist by workmanpub

Is it a framed piece of art, like one of Austin’s own Newspaper Blackout poems? If you’re the photography type, would the vintage filter on a Lomography Domino Camera send you out on a snapping excursion? Or does the blank page inspire you? Maybe perching at an (out)standing workstation gets your creative juices flowing. But if you’re really stuck, we do hope you have an Artist’s Mini Survival Kit at the ready!

If, on the other hand, you’re really feeling like a powerhouse of imagination, it’s wise to have multiple surfaces (like a real, working, mini Etch-a-Sketch necklace — you know, for when the sketchbook isn’t handy) on which to scribble your best creative secrets. And they wouldn’t be creative secrets if you didn’t have the option of eliminating any trace of your notes and sketches. No, seriously,  I mustache you to erase that.

[vimeo]http://player.vimeo.com/video/37086074″ width=”500″ height=”281″ frameborder=”0″ webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen>

Steal Like An Artist Book Trailer from Austin Kleon on Vimeo.

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PS: Rule #8 (page 100 in Steal Like An Artist): Be Nice. Make Friends.

Image from Live by the Book: BBQ USA by workmanpub

Become a Master of the Grill with Help from Workman & Steven Raichlen! #BBQUSA

Looking to improve your grilling game? We’re here to help. Tag Workman Publishing on Facebook or tweet us using the #BBQUSA hashtag, and send us your tips and questions about the perfect barbecue foods and how to host a successful BBQ. Your tweet or tag will qualify as an entry for a chance to win a BBQ kit, including books by grilling expert Steven Raichlen!

On Wednesday 8/8/2012 at 8pm ET, we will announce the winners during a live Twitter chat with Steven Raichlen (@sraichlen). Steven will put your grilling questions to rest, and you’ll be ready to bring the heat. Follow the chat by using the hashtag #BBQUSA, and get the answers to all of your questions & more!

2 Grand Prize Winners will receive:

• 2 “I Love My Ribs!” aprons
• 1 jar of Steven Raichlen’s Planet Barbecue grilling sauce
• 1 copy of BBQ USA, 1 copy of Best Ribs Ever & 1 copy of Barbecue Bible by Steven Raichlen
• 50 napkins inspired by John T. Edge’s Truck Food Cookbook

3 Second Place Winners will receive:

• 1 “I Love My Ribs!” apron
• 1 Copy of BBQ USA & 1 copy of Best Ribs Ever by Steven Raichlen
• 50 napkins inspired by John T. Edge’s Truck Food Cookbook

To enter the #BBQUSA contest, follow these steps:

1)         Follow Workman Publishing on Twitter (so we can DM you if you win!).

2)         Tweet at Workman Publishing using the #BBQUSA hashtag or tag us on Facebook with your tips or questions on how to host a successful BBQ! Both qualify as an entry for a chance to win a BBQ kit. Entries must be received between noon ET on 7/19/2012 and midnight ET on 8/8/2012

3)         Each Twitter and Facebook account is allowed multiple entries – keep entering!

4)         Join the Twitter chat with Steven Raichlen (@sraichlen) on Wednesday 8/8/2012 at 8pm ET with the hashtag #BBQUSA, to find out if you’ve won!

Steven’s other titles from Workman Publishing

Click here for the Official Rules

Click here to sign up for Steven Raichlen’s email list

Here at Workman we’re devouring books right and left at a voracious pace. Don’t take my  word for it–check out this unprecedented #FridayReads list!!

Here’s the quick run-down:

Albert of Adelaide, by Howard Anderson
The Manhattan Monologues, by Louis Auchincloss
Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
The Perfect Scent, Chandler Burr
Wherever I Wind Up, by R.A. Dickey
The Virgin Suicides, by Jeffrey Eugenides
Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn (x2!)
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, by Laura Hillenbrand
Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo
Profiles in Courage, by John F. Kennedy
Under the Banner of Heaven, by Jon Krakauer
Defending Jacob, by William Landay
The End of Normal, by Stephanie Madoff Mack
A Ship Without a Sail: The Life of Lorenz Hart, by Gary Marmorstein
Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell
What Alice Forgot, by Liane Moriarty
Me Before You, by Jojo Moyes
Bel Canto, by Anne Patchett
Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry, by Leanne Shapton
Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America, by Russell Short
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith
Just Kids, by Patti Smith
Wild, by Cheryl Strayed
The Age of Miracles, by  Karen Thompson Walker (x2!)
Perfumes, the A to Z Guide, by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez
Beautiful Ruins, by Jess Walter
Code Name Verity, by Elizabeth Wein
The Family Fang, by Kevin Wilson
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?, by Jeanette Winterson
Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back, by Andrew Zolli

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And in our own words:

The Manhattan Monologues by Louis Auchincloss.  He was a chronicler of Manhattan society—as well as being of that society himself. He’d published something like 75 books before he died a few years ago.  This book is a collection of monologues—short stories of one character talking to the reader about his or her life in Manhattan—starting at the beginning of the 20^th century and going up to the end.  Each one is like a delicious, sophisticated cocktail. Also, thanks to Erin K., I’m reading Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry by Leanne Shapton. It’s a fictional love story told in the form of an auction catalog, describing the objects that were part of the building up and breaking down of a relationship. It’s the most unusual and creative approach to story telling.  It’s the answer to the literary cry: “show me something I haven’t seen before!” –Mary Ellen

Unbroken. Fabulous book. Just finished Island at the Center of the World. Anyone who lives in NY or environs should read this. –Janet H.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. So good! –Zatio

After having it on my nightstand for nearly two years (which included one move to a new home), I finally read Just Kids. What an incredible story of friendship, unconditional love, creativity, passion, belief, innocence (and its loss), and art. As beautiful as I hoped it would be. –Elise

I’m reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed. It is just as good, and heartbreaking, as I imagined it would be. –Leslie

I’m currently in love with Albert of Adelaide by Howard Anderson. Imagine a western, set in Australia, with a platypus as the protagonist. –John D.

Just downloaded Wherever I Wind Up by Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.  Can’t wait to get started. –Ian

I stayed up until 2 a.m. last Sunday night to finishGone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  If you like untrustworthy narrators (Presumed Innocent,A Simple Plan, etc…), well…let’s just say that this novel takes untrustworthiness to a whole new level. –Bob

I am reading Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back, by Andrew Zolli (Free Press).  It’s a fascinating read that connects scientific data, social innovations, stories and experiences to create a road map of how to handle crisis.  It also shows the intricate balance of decision making, influence, and how to be of service to the community at large.  An eye-opener. –Kate T

I’m on a Jeffrey Eugenides kick, apparently, because after reading The Marriage Plot the other week I read The Virgin Suicides. Now it’s on to another dysfunctional family story: The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson, a novel about a couple of performance artists who force their children to act as tools in their bizarre publicity stunts/art pieces. –Avery

I just finished reading Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (a great find at BEA!).  –June

Just finished What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty and Age of Miracles by  Karen Thompson Walker. Both amazing, fast quality reads, you’ll be sad when they’re over.  –John J.

Pride and Prejudice (—not even Pride and Prejudice and Zombies…I’m going straight-up old school! –Jean-Marc

After a brief hiatus (I was in England! English accents: so cute), Wednesday Cute is back and cute as ever. This week we’re bringing you little kids at Comic Con, a giant yarn-bombed alligator, and a canine sport so cool (and cute) that you’ll put away your Frisbee in shame.

Let’s jump right in: Doggy dock diving is a sport and it’s the cutest thing ever. Basically, dogs leap from docks over the water and straight into your heart. This slideshow alone is reason enough to buy a subscription to the New York Times. (Photo by Megan Bearder)

• Did you ever give your little sister or brother a haircut with a pair of safety scissors? Your parents were mad, right? They wouldn’t have been mad if you’d been as cute as these girls. Here, NPR reporter Jeff Cohen talks to his two very young daughters about what could have possibly been going through their minds as the older snipped the younger’s long locks. The resulting interview is more adorable than you can even imagine.
• Watch this baby turtle eat a raspberry. You won’t be sorry.

The Avengers was a great movie, but it was lacking in the aww department. What’s that you say? Comic Con kiddies dressed as super heroes? WHOA, super adorable! Below, Mini-Hawkeye and the Tiny Flash—the latter a familiar friend from the DC Universe. (via The Mary Sue)

• We love unlikely friendships! So we went ape over this monkey who’s adopted a litter of puppies as her own.
• Have we mentioned that Arlo needs glasses? Enter a photo of your bespectacled dog in our contest for a chance to win a signed copy of the adorable book!

An already awesome alligator-shaped playground (!!) became all the more spectacular when yarn-bomber Olek and a team of “crocheteiros” covered the structure in colorful yarn. Going rainbow-colored and fuzzy would do a lot to improve alligators’ reputations as a species. (via Flavorwire)

• If someone were to bring to ME to the beach, I certainly wouldn’t drag my adorably big paws and floppy ears and tiny fluffy tail through the sand!

—Avery, who’s going to send her dog to dock diving camp

I should warn: This is a bit of a selfish blog post. Seeing as I will be starting college this fall, I have been gathering as much information as I can about classes, activities, social life, etc. Unfortunately, this means that I spend an unhealthy amount of time on College Confidential and Rate My Professor. This obsession is also why a book entitled College in a Nutskull caught my eye while I was perusing the book room a few days ago. If you’re not familiar with this book, it is essentially a compilation of hilarious factual errors and is quite simply, sublime.

As funny as this book is, I had expected a how-to book and was surprised when it turned out not to be. So I figured, why not seek how-to advice about college from Workman people? The following is a short list of great advice. You may not be in college anymore but hopefully you find this pertinent to some aspect of your life (for example, knowing how to do laundry is very important).

Some wise nuggets:

I think anyone would agree—this is sound advice. Workman people must be pretty smart!

Also recommended to me for my college transition were The College Cookbook  and The Girl’s Guide to Absolutely Everything, which may conveniently go missing right around the time I leave Workman for school this fall…

 -Zatio (Rising Frosh)

When an editor and her assistant are on the same wavelength–working together as one well-oiled, fine-tuned machine–it’s a beautiful thing. When they arrive at the office dressed almost identically, it’s just freaky! Or maybe it just means they shop at the same stores. Below, witness the coincidental (it WAS a coincidence, we swear!) matching outfits of editor Suzanne and her assistant Erin.

Proof that great minds pink…er, THINK alike!

P.S. Note coincidental placement of the pink feather boa in the background…

Okay, we mean run for the poolside cabana, don’t jump in with your precious pages, or, even worse, that expensive e-reader! (Cannonball!) From the freezing air-conditioned Workman offices, we will now bring to you a short update to our last #FridayReads: Heat Wave Edition, with this late-breaking news: It’s still hot!*

Let us know what you’re reading in the comments!

Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi by Geoff Dyer

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James (someone confessed!)

Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew B. Crawford

The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter by Dr. Meg Jay

To add to that, we’re happy to divulge that some non-Workman employees have our books on their reading lists! Linkage below:

• Whitney Port shares her love of Arlo Needs Glasses. (<3)**

• Kristen Kemp reports that Steal Like an Artist is on the Facebook/Goodreads list of best books for summer.

And, speaking of heat waves, I’m headed to Florida this weekend for a wedding, and plan to make a dent in my summer read, A Game of Thrones (I know, people, I’m late to the party! But best get started before WINTER COMES, right? Eh?).

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*It honestly is not that bad in New York, as compared to other places… though I’m sure others everyone else will disagree with me; I was raised in the desert, after all.

**Alert! Alert! PUT GLASSES ON YOUR DOG!

Hi There,

I’m Zatio. I’ve been interning at Workman for a few weeks, spending time in various departments, and helping out with different tasks. I’ve worked in special sales, gift sales, and now, editorial. This has been a wonderful experience that has given me a glimpse of what real, adult life is like. I just graduated from high school and am heading off to college (already!) in August.

I have lived in New York for my whole life. It would be fair to call me a true New Yorker. As a result of this, I know how to get around the city. I am accustomed to crowds, small spaces, smog, and traffic. And there is nowhere else I would rather live. This also means that I am often impatient, easily incensed, and quick to complain—especially about New York City. These characteristics are why I found this particular project so interesting. As you’ll see from the following survey, everyone has different feelings about this city. But, I think, even through our gripes and frustrations, we love this place for all its quirks.

In the spirit of a pair of Workman books: Don’t You Just Hate That? and 14,000 Things to Be Happy About, we’ve decided to make a special Workman collection of loves and hates related to New York City. The following is a list of some funny, some serious, and some curious pet peeves and best things about the Big Apple.

—Zatio (a proud New Yorker)