Spotlight On My Favorite Local Book Shop

The wonderful book blog, She Is Too Fond Of Books, has recently posted my essay on The Book Shop in Beverly Farms.  It's a fabulous little shop and everyone there is very friendly and helpful.

It seems that even the big bookstores are struggling these days, so it is more important than ever that we do everything we can to support our local independent book shops. Small is beautiful!

I hope you will take a peek at my essay, and visit Dawn's blog often.  It is lots of fun, and loaded with great reviews and information-- even recipes!

The Book Shop in Beverly Farms

My 'Dumpling Day' Got Snowed On

Well, I tried.  I was totally prepared to walk around blustery Cambridge so I was wearing sensible layers of clothing, my down coat, my warm boots, my shearling mittens.  I had my ticket in my purse.

I brushed the snow off my car and off I went.  I was going to take the train down to Boston, then the Red Line to Cambridge, for Grace Lin's book launch party for her new book, Dumpling Days.  I'd been planning it for weeks.


I needed to make a couple of stops in town before driving to the train station, but...  I never made it to the train.  The roads were so slick that my car wasn't getting any traction and I was sliding around corners.  In mid-skid the "Service Engine" light went on, so I thought, "Uh-oh, that's not good."

I drove another couple of miles toward the train station and decided the wisest thing to do was to turn around and go home.  I was worried about my car, about sliding into a ditch–– and I was worried that some other car would crash into me.  Why are there always crazy people on the road who drive way too fast in a snow storm?

Well, life is full of little disappointments.  I'm very sorry I didn't make it yesterday to the book launch party, but maybe I'll still get a chance to attend one of her events in the future.  Hopefully, the next one will be in the summer!

PS:  You can visit Grace's blog to see all the fun (and the goodie bag!) that I missed.   :(

At least the snow is pretty.

This Is Why Angus Loves Opera

I just made an amazing discovery––

You can watch videos of the most wonderful musical performances on the planet on YouTube. (I know, I should have figured this out ages ago, but when it comes to technology I'm pretty much a dinosaur.)

This is probably my favorite duet (from Lakmé), performed by two incredible sopranos, Anna Netrebko and Elina Garanca.

Turn up the volume, and be ready to be thrilled.

Resolutions

I never liked the idea of making New Year's resolutions.  Too often they seem doomed to fail, and then you feel defeated.  I much prefer to have goals.  Goals are more reasonable; you can work toward them slowly, and then even if you don't fully succeed, you can feel good that you have made progress.

This year my goal is to push myself further beyond the boundaries of my quiet, introverted 'comfort zone.'  MouseSqueaks was a huge step for me, and as it turns out–– it's really fun.  But it seems far less daunting than actually going out to schools and libraries and introducing myself, with a copy of Angus MacMouse in hand.  (And that's exactly what authors have to do these days.  Unless you are already well-known, publishers don't have the time, staff, or money to promote your book for you.)

I've been making excuses for months, and the silly thing is, I know that once I have done it, I'll realize that it wasn't so difficult or painful after all.  People are invariably very nice and happy to help.  So, why is this so hard?

I should follow the example of my own character, Angus MacMouse, who despite his diminutive stature, didn't let anything stop him from doing what he needed to do.

I'll let you know in a few weeks if I've made any progress.

In the meantime, I wish you all a very happy and healthy New Year!  As John Lennon wrote in his song, War Is Over :  "Let's hope it's a good one, without any fear."