Bookspotting and Wedding Planning

My grandparents' porch, utterly devoid of stress

Over the last few weeks, I've been wrapping up my work responsibilities, finishing the edits for the Expat Women in Asia anthology, and doing a little bit of writing when I can squeeze it in. I'm trying to get all these things out of the way this month because I am getting married in July! 

Planning a wedding from abroad has not been nearly as difficult as I expected, though I'll have a lot to do in the three weeks between my arrival in the US and the actual ceremony. We are getting married in the seaside town in Oregon where my grandparents live (I've visited them there every summer since they retired from their own expat life in Asia). Because it's a small town, we have the huge advantage of not very many choices: only two florists to choose from, one photographer, two reception-compatible restaurants, etc. The disadvantage is that folks in the town prefer to make arrangements over the phone and take a long time to respond to emails. Fortunately, my mom has been calling people when necessary and I'm sure all the details will fall into place. 

Have you planned a major event long distance before? Did you find it more or less stressful than being there in the thick of things?

In bookspotting news, I saw a woman reading a book called Women Beyond the Wire on the train. A young man had what looked like a textbook called Power System something or other. Another man was carrying Thinking Fast and Slow under his arm in Kowloon Bay. This morning, a group of teenagers standing in the MTR station were discussing a textbook called Science Mysteries. This week I also spotted one Hong Kong guidebook (Lonely Planet version), a handful of Chinese books, and one novel with flames on the cover. What are people reading in your town this week?