Eight years ago today, terrorists attacked the United States of America.
Does anyone remember?
Anyone?
Get Well Mr. Mayor
It is with some dismay that I learned former NYC mayor Ed Koch is in the hospital, awaiting major heart surgery. Mr. Koch is one of those outsized personalities that make New York City the place that it is. He is a unique character in the pantheon of famous politicians. I remember my earliest days living in the City when Koch was mayor. He did a difficult job with panache, never shied from issuing his opinion, and stood up for a city that many others were all to happy to bemoan. He also has a good sense of the man in the street, the average person who lives a regular life, which is a sensibility that is claimed by rarely present in modern leaders.
So, get well, Mr. Mayor! (And since I won’t be around this December let me say happy birthday number 85 now.)
At Book Expo America
I attended Book Expo America this year, if for no other reason, to get a glimpse of the publishing industry’s changes. Publishing endured some wrenching upheavals in the previous 12 months. There have been consolidations among companies, staff reductions, and title suspensions to name a few. There has also been an increased presence of the electronic readers such as Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s reader. Still, there are plenty of paper books out there. Here I am at the Spanish publishing pavilion where some fine examples of printing could be seen.
A Spanish printing company displayed their version of medieval texts, printed and bound seemingly as they were several hundred years ago. It was impressive, but no photos allowed. Books have been growing in popularity in Spain, and I look forward to seeing my own work translated into Spanish soon. Many of my characters are Spanish speakers, from Colombia or elsewhere in the Spanish-speaking world.
That’s me up there, grinning like a fool to be among the printed pages. Couldn’t help myself, really, standing in the middle of so many books and people interested in the same. Trade shows are a natural opportunity to network, do business, and gauge trends. At the same time, it’s simply fun to be among like minded souls. Relax and enjoy it.
John Irving, at BEA
While at Book Expo America, I attended a little talk that included John Irving. I’ve read several of Irving’s books, and with rare exception, find them insightful and enthralling. Here you see Irving on the video screen.
The Cider House Rules and A Widow For One Year are at the top of my list of Irving books. I’ve read both of them twice, although it has been a long time since those readings. Listening to Irving talk about story telling and his take on the content of his own books was fascinating. It’s a rare opportunity to hear an author speak in person and thus get their opinions unfiltered by the likes of reporters or TV talking heads.
Keep reading. It’s good for you.
