McSweeney me.

My favorite book publisher, McSweeney's, is having a bit of trouble with finances. Like true artists, they've sacrificed fiscally irresponsible creative output.

Anyhow, they're having a bake sale. Only with books.

Of their notables authors: Dave Eggers, Nick Hornby, Ben Greenman, David Byrne (yeah that David Byrne) with special appearances by Jonathan Safran Foer and many other brilliant names, both established and (more commonly) emerging.

Of their notable (or at least eye-catching) titles: What is the What, The Polysyllabic Spree, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, The Secret Language of Sleep: A Couple's Guide to the Thirty-Nine Positions, Here They Come, The Pharmacist's Mate, Superbad, English as she is Spoke, Jokes told about Babies in Heaven

You've probably never heard of most of these, but I promise that your investments will be rewarded ten-fold. These guys are like The Royal Tenenbaums for books. Or Broken Social Scene for publishing. Whichever you prefer really.

As always, I'm probably too enthusiastic about making recommendations.

They also do quarterly DVDs of random shorts and other obscure footage (which they call Wholpin), quarterly books of essays (which they call McSweeney's Quarterly), a monthly music magazine w/ accompanying mix CD (which they call The Believer), and I think they have a Book-of-the-Month club. So you can subscribe and get really satisfying stuff delivered to your door regularly to remind you that you should read more and watch less telly.

Oh and next time you're in San Francisco, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago or Ann Arbor, you should make a point to stop by one of their 826 stores -- these are retail stores for McSweeney's merchandise, but also home to free writing/tutoring centers supporting local students who want to learn how to write good. And they usually have a theme, like pirates or superheroes, so they also sell stuff like pirate merchandise and superhero accessories. It'll make sense when you visit. Kind of.

And if you've read this far, just know that the best book I've read recently is What is the What, by Dave Eggers. This is a novelized autobiography of a Sudanese refugee who walked, as a boy, from his home in Sudan with the Lost Boys to Ethiopia, then Kenya, before ultimately being resettled to Atlanta. Really really brilliant. And proceeds for that one go to one of a few different charities. Come to think of it, if you really want one just let me know and I'll buy you a copy and write it off to good karma.