Not to toot our own horns (okay, just a little) but a couple of former The Hill staffers have books coming out next month.

David Grann, whose book “The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon” was a New York Times bestseller, obsesses about obsession in his new book: “The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness and Obsession."

And if you haven’t read “The Lost City of Z” yet, it’s out in paperback.

Sarah Pekkanen’s debut novel, “The Opposite of Me,” is the story of twin sisters who couldn’t be more different. It will hit bookstores March 9th.

Both Grann and Pekkanen were original staffers when The Hill started in 1994 and then moved on: Grann to The New Republic and The New Yorker and Pekkanen went to the Baltimore Sun before turning to writing full time.

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and congressional Democrats were seen at a popular Capitol Hill eatery on Tuesday night, but it wasn't a bipartisan breaking of bread.

Cantor was among a dozen lawmakers spotted at Sonoma, where dueling party fundraisers occupied the second floor.

On one side, Texas Democrats turned out to support Houston Mayor Bill White's (D) run for governor. Spotted ducking upstairs were Reps. Al Green, Chet Edwards, Sheila Jackson Lee, Charles Gonzalez, Nick Lampson, Ciro Rodriguez, Lloyd Doggett, Gene Green, and Eddie Bernice Johnson.

On the other side of the aisle, literally and figuratively, was a party for Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.), and despite a misspelled sign (that indicate a "Whitman" fundraiser) his Virginia GOP colleagues found their way to the party, including Cantor (pictured here at his 2009 holiday party), Bob Goodlatte, and Thelma Drake.

Located a few blocks from House office buildings, Sonoma is a popular spot for political fundraisers.

Congressional offices were warned Tuesday afternoon of an expected surge in the number of mass emails, phone calls, and faxes to members' offices on Wednesday, part of a "Virtual March for Healthcare" organized by the political action organization MoveOn.org.

The email was sent to administrative managers, chief clerks, and system administrators across Capitol Hill, who shared it with their colleagues.

It warned that congressional staffers should expect to see "an increase in the faxes coming in to your offices, and possibly a higher than normal volume of e-mail." To prevent the automated calls and messages from clogging up regular business lines, administrators were asked to remind staff to check their voicemail and fax machines more frequently Wednesday. The mass fax is pictured here.

Moveon.org's website touted the virtual march at the top of their website Wednesday morning, and a ticker displayed more than 156,000 messages reportedly sent by 9:30 a.m. 

Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) offered a tribute on the House floor Monday to the High Priestess of Soul, the late American jazz singer Nina Simone on what would have been her 77th birthday.

Best known for her low, smoldering voice, Simone's classics include melodic numbers like "My Baby Just Cares for Me,'' more seductive songs, like "I Want a Little Sugar in my Bowl," and driving vocal beats, heard best in 1965's "Sinnerman."

Shuler praised the North Carolina native for her work during the civil rights movement, and recounted a story of how Simone, at age 12, refused to play in a piano recital because her parents had been moved from the front row to make room for a white family.

Simone died in the South of France in 2003; she was 70 years old.

The House of Representatives observed a moment of silence Monday in memory of Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), who died Feb. 8 from complications of surgery.

This was the first full day of legislative business since snowstorms forced an early Presidents' Day Recess adjournment less than a day after Murtha died. One week later, on Feb. 16, more than 50 lawmakers attended his funeral in Johnstown, Pa.

The House has now has two vacancies. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) resigned from the lower chamber last month.

Get your McKinley High School t-shirts ready because the cast of the hit Fox show set at the fictional high school, Glee, has been invited to attend this year’s White House Easter egg roll.
 
Entertainment Weekly reported that the First Lady has invited the young energetic cast of performers to sing at the annual tradition since 1878.
 
First daughters Malia and Sasha are huge fans of the cult hit, which is on hiatus until early April. For all you “Gleeks” out there wishing to attend, the Easter egg roll is open to an online lottery on Thursday at midnight.

One of the Senate's longest-standing traditions was carried out on Monday by Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.).

Burris became the 114th member of the upper chamber to perform the annual Feb. 22 reading of George Washington's Farewell Address to Congress, a tradition which began during the Civil War and has continued uninterrupted since 1896.

The 7,641-word statement usually takes about 45 minutes to read out loud, although Florida Sen. Paula Hawkins (D) got through it in 39 minutes in 1985, setting the record for brevity.

The address warns against the threat of partisanship, and urges people to put national interest ahead of personal jealousies.

At the end of his reading, Burris signed the black, leather-bound book traditionally signed by the reader of the address, which is maintained by the Secretary of the Senate.

Last year's address was read by Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.).