Seth Marko, co-owner of the Book Catapult in San Diego, came home from a winter convention with chest pains and went straight to the hospital; his wife/co-owner had to help with his recovery, and the only full-time staffer came home from the same convention with bird flu. So the owners of four other San Diego bookstores (plus a bookseller couple from Los Angeles) pitched in to staff the Catapult rather than allowing it to close. — Publishers Weekly