National Book Festival; Arlington Library Book Sale

Washington, DC, is great for many reasons. These are two of them: the Arlington Library Book Sale on September 28 and the National Book Festival on September 29.

And you thought wiffle ball was a kids game!!

Nasty Wiffle Pitcher - Watch more free videos

Book Group: A Discussion of Grief with Lewis & Didion

As you all know, I've had trouble getting our book group off the ground. But I haven't given up. This month I invite you to join me as I read two books on grief--The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion and A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis.

Grief is a timely topic for our family. I don't think feelings of grief are limited to death and dying. I believe we experience shades of grief anytime someone close to us suffers. We have seen several members of our family suffer physical afflictions lately. This has been a summer of grieving.

As Didion mentions part way through her book, "given that grief remain[s] the most general of afflictions its literature seem[s] remarkably spare." Moreover, I think grief is difficult to discuss in today's culture; we don't confront death as often, or as intimately, as did generations past. As a result, in the few instances in which I have grieved, I have often felt lost and unable to sort through my emotions. I did not understand my feelings or know whether they were normal. These books, if nothing more, helped me understand my emotions. I found comfort knowing that others felt the same things and reacted the same way.

Please join me in reading (or re-reading) The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion and A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis. I'll plan to discuss these books the first week in October.

Finally, I'd like to know who would be interested in discussing these books online and/or by phone. To discuss online, I can start a google group that would facilitate discussion by e-mail. To discuss by phone, I have researched several free or low cost conference line services. A conference line would allow us to meet monthly for 1-2 hours by phone. I'm thinking we could pick a Sunday evening. The only cost would be long distance charges associated with the call (2 to five cents per minute, per person w/ a calling card). Please let me know if you are interested in one or both of these options.

Happy Reading!!

Happy Birthday, Roald Dahl

Thanks for many hours of happy reading!!

Literary Treasures

On Sunday The Guardian published an interesting article asking 50 celebrated writers to nominate their favorite literary treasure--brilliant but underrated novels that deserve a second chance to shine.

So I asked myself, "Of the novels I've read, which would I say is the most underrated?" My answer: Dead Souls by Nicolai Gogol. Flannery O'Connor declared Gogol "necessary along with the light." I couldn't say it better.

So I ask you, "what is your favorite literary treasure?"