Thoughts on the Holidays (and a few books)

I guess you must have surmised that I'm back from vacation since I haven't written in a while. All that wonderful reading and now I'm back to being a slug. I didn't even make my 100 books in a year goal and was shamed to listen to my friend Maryellen tell the whole world on NPR yesterday that she read 133 books this past year and has a goal of 144 for next! Whew.
http://wgcu.org/programs/gulfcoastlive/archive/2009/12/28/book-review-2009.aspx

OK, I did have my sister here over the Christmas weekend but is that an excuse? Not really, since she's a reader too. But then, she doesn't do newspapers and mine take me hours to get through. I'm also half way through my first book discussion book of the new year, City of Refuge by Tom Piazza. I chose it almost a year ago while still in the throes of outrage over FEMA and New Orleans and the lack of attention to that city's crisis. I like to choose discussion books that will bring out emotions and controversy otherwise what is there to talk about? This one should do the trick as it follows two families in two disparate neighborhoods in the Crescent city as they deal with the run up and aftermath of the broken levies. As background Don and I watched the first part of Spike Lee's heartbreaking documentary When the Levies Broke. It isn't easy being informed.

Since I've been reviewing for Library Journal I've had all but one review published which means, if I may brag for a minute, that I've had a review in almost every issue for the last two years. There's nothing like seeing one's name and words in print to boost the ego for just a minute or two. I just finished a fantastic debut novel that my regular readers know I'm not allowed to speak about until the review is published. The ear-catching title is The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors. Suffice it to say you must keep an eye out for an April printing. Read about this delightful author at:
http://micheleyoung-stone.com/

Yesterday I received another debut novel, almost 400 pages, by a Pulitzer Prize winning biologist. Yes, I have the new year's weekend off and guess what I'll be doing? In the meantime just a word about the other Updike. Who knew that John's son David was (is) such a talent. I've gotten to enjoy short stories as I never have before because we have such an abbreviated lunch break at work - usually 20 minutes of actual quiet time and even then only if I go out to the picnic table by the dumpster - that it's hard to concentrate on anything more involved. Old Girlfriends is a beautifully written, thought-provoking collection of stories about relationships that rings so true that at the end of one of the stories I had to emit an audible sigh.

I can't remember - an over 60 affliction - if I've written about one of our wonderful new volunteers at my library but I just can't stop commenting on the multi talented Kathryn Taubert who's become a computer coach for us. Among her many talents is writing and she has a blog for the Naples Daily News:
http://blogs.naplesnews.com/lifeslowlane/

In a previous posting she wrote about the holidays and specifically, about the difference between being alone and being lonely. This is one of my favorite themes and one that I runimate upon quite often (especially during the holidays) because of where my life has taken me. There are no words to express how lucky I feel to be where I'm at right now. I NEVER think oh I wish I was younger or I wish I could start over or wasn't it great to be 30 or 40 or whatever. Back when I was married, which seems a lifetime ago, I was so desperately lonely and no one knew. For that matter few of my friends or family, to my mind, really knew me at all. We were always surrounded by an entourage and I learned early on that one can be loneliest in a crowd.
A lesson learned here is that we mustn't condescend to or feel sorry for someone who may be alone during the holidays. Many people actually enjoy their own company and will choose to be with a crowd if they get the hankering or may choose to be alone to take a bubble bath, read a book, watch old movies or feed people at a soup kitchen. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Off to the dentist for a marathon drilling. This won't be pretty.