Thank you! Really! Thank you!

Christmas Eve.

The holiday seasons have been full. From Thanksgiving on it's been busy at the store. Lots of gift wrapping, festively dressed customers and staff. There was a great response to the Window Decoration Reading Program. Everyday someone was sitting in the window reading. And folks seemed to relish the chance to be still and read for a "golden hour." Only one day was so bitter cold that it chased two readers from the rocker. But that was it. Otherwise it was well received. It was lovely to have someone engrossed in a good book.

As for me, I've been enjoying the Advent season with reflective morning readings from an Advent sourcebook I mentioned last year as well as using Merton's Book of Hours for my daily contemplation.

I'm currently reading Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson (author of Gilead) which is a slow, savoring read that offers the story of two young girls who are being cared for by a series of relatives. The cold, wintry setting is perfect for this time of the year.

Enjoy the Christmas season and have a blessed New Year. I'll be around.

On the radio

I was offered a last minute chance to be on the radio Tuesday Dec 11 (WAMC) so I took it. Here are the books I talked about:

When You Were Me by Robert Rodi. Rodi's one of my favorite authors, I've mentioned this book on this page before. Middle-aged gay man who wants to recapture a youth he never had.
See How It's Made by Dorling-Kindersly. This is a series of small "documentaries" in book form, photos that show how things are made from ballet shoes to sausages. Great kids book for the inquisitive.
Chester by Melanie Watt. Another fun kids book about a cat that keeps taking over the author's story about a mouse. A big, fat, pushy cat with a permanent red marker.
Michael Tolliver Lives by Armistead Maupin. The latest (last?) in the Tales of the City series. A must read for fans.
Awakenings: Asian Wisdom for Every Day by Danielle & Olivier Follmi. A small format, thick photo book with a different quote to go with each picture.
The Book of General Ignorance: Everything You Think You Know is Wrong by John Lloyd and John Mitchinson. For the know-it-all in your life who will undoubtedly learn something here (but they'll never admit it!).
Finding the Still Point: A Beginner's Guide to Zen Meditation by John Daido Loori. A small, practical book about how to meditate. Posture, breathing, a CD is included. Perfect for the stressed out person in your life (or is that you?).
One Bowl: A Guide to Eating for Body and Spirit by Don Gerrard. Regretfully I didn't get a chance to mention this book. A spiritual way to look at how and what we eat and its implications for the world. Very inspiring.

Keep those cards and letters coming!

I am not one to be snoopy or nosey. (Okay, maybe a teeny bit) You can give me a present and it will remained untouched until the time I'm supposed to open it. I won't shake it, lift it, squeeze it. I'll just wait. Waiting is half the joy. Opening is the other half. Maybe that's why I'm so well suited to Advent. A season of waiting. It's what winter is all about. We wait for the next snowfall, or the next warm day, or Spring.


On a more personal note I have never snooped into someone's personal writings like journals, diaries or letters. I just don't think I belong there unless I'm invited. But now I feel like I'm being given an invitation to snoop. On our shelves at the bookstore is a collection of books that hold the letters of some fascinating folks.

Edward Abbey, the Mitford sisters, Noel Coward and Arthur Conan Doyles letters are ripe for the picking (up). I just love to see how writers write when they aren't considering publication. The most intimate of expressions are even more clearly revealed than they would be in a book that's been honed into a crisp public presentation. But these letters are personal correspondence between friends and family. Here we see joy and pain intermingled.

I enjoy the discovery of a writer's inner world. When I first read some of Merton's letters I felt as if I had gotten to know him even better. This revelation is even more interesting when it's a famous person. Sure, we're consumed with a cult of celebrity these days. Tell-all news stories have replaced the substantive facts of our world. I'm not talking about a prurient interest in muck here. These are real people who did remarkable things and even left their marks on the world. How they related to the day to day things interests me, their slice-of-life experiences. It's those inner workings of life that hold my interest when I read a book. And here we can read about the choices, the consequences, the advice, the unheeded warnings of lives now open for public viewing. Maybe there is a bit of voyeurism involved, I'll confess that, but not at the cost of disrupting lives. No one will be hurt by opening up these books. A view into the past can help to shed light on our present world, and that can only be helpful, right?

It has begun.

Yesterday was the first day of the Window Reader Decorations. And I must say I'm quite pleased. I'm hoping to get a copy of the picture of the guy who came with socks that had different colors for each toe! Awesome! Thanks, Howard. But there have been some wonderfully festive folks who have arrived and sat for their hour of reading. Today's Victorian Stroll made for some beautiful Victorian costumes. The folks who sat were focused on their books and oblivious to the fact that they were on display.

There are still plenty of times available from now until December 24.

As for the Stroll. It was a lot of fun and so very cold. The snow and cold kept a lot of folks away. Still, it was a good day and our two performers: Troy's flamenco guitarist Maria Zemantauski and Adirondack harpist Martha Gallagher made for a festive venue. The cold drew the folks inside and the music kept them there. What a delight!

I'm pleased with the look and feel of the store at this time of the year. Our decorations are minimal, the books provide the ambience we want, along with the atmosphere of an old Victorian book shop. If you've never seen it, you must come. In the meantime, I'll work on taking some pictures and post them here.

Take time to enjoy the seasons of Advent, Hanukkah, Solstice, Christmas and Kwanzaa. Don't forget to breathe. And really, come and sit in our window. Rest with a good book. You owe it to yourself to be calm this time of the year.