Books As Presents

This time of year is often melancholy for me.   I have fond memories of puppies now gone flooding my top of mind.   Christmas is over, days are still short – nights long and dark.   

 

Though we have a few celebrations to consider:  Mom&Dad’s wedding anniversary, Gma’s birthday, Dad’s Jan 1 birthday and only a few weeks to follow for Mom’s birthday, I always feel a hesistancy somehow assigned to these few days that are inbetween the bookends of Christmas and New Years.

Do I set New Year’s Resolutions?   Take the holiday decorations down now or the first week in January?   Untrim the tree?   I’ve moved the unwrapped presents from under said tree and found places for these new items.   I know I really should organize my greeting card list – whose did I receive?   Whose address to update?    Or do I flip the channels to watch THE-BEST-OF-2007 (music videos, sports plays, fashion flops.)    I’ve found the resolutions written down from last year with merely a glance to see if I’ve totally forgotten any.     And with this awareness, I decide that January is not too late to write down goals for 2008…

One of the gifts received was a book on BBQ that highlighted grand establishments and their techniques from all over the country.   One happens to be in Massachusetts; in Hatfield.     DJ and I kicked around the idea to spend today, Saturday, in travel to Hatfield, just north of Springfield along the Connecticut River for the chance to taste this Barbeque.

HOWEVER.    Something inspired DJ to give more google-review-research to this place and guess what.

Last year, the Boston Globe reports that Holy Smokes indeed, happened to go up in smoke!   Burned. to. the. ground.   

So we won’t be driving over to Hatfield today.     Now what?

Let me share the book-related activity I enjoyed yesterday!    I went to an independent bookstore in Dartmouth called Baker Books.     Holly & I really enjoy this store.      I asked about quite a few books that I’ve seen reviewed and recommended in blogworld:    anything by A.A.Gill, the Charles DeLint books, and, of course, Anna Karenina. 

Here’s the cover I purchased:   

and what else did I buy?  I BOUGHT A PRESENT FOR MY DAD.    (thus the title of this post!)   Yes, a book.     I happened to buy him a book for Christmas, too:   

This was a Borders impulse purchase.     and now, I bought him one I want to read.     I want to read FIRST.   Before I ship it off to him!   Is this so bad, so wrong?     I’m already too late to mail the package in time to arrive for his birthday!    and it’s already in my possession!     It looks like a very fast read (if not bloody violent – but I knew that already and it started on page 2.   page TWO!)   So, since Dad probably isn’t reading this blog right now and it’s doubtful Auntie Lil has read this far, and MOM?   ah,   Mom can keep or secret.   OR…  she’ll probably tell me that he read this a long time ago!!

It’s Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men:    Besides, I want to see the movie and what reviews I’ve read on both, make it just as enjoyable trying to match the Coen Bro’s version to the written version (as compared to the usual experience of being disappointed “Book is always better.”     I love this stuff!

So, Mom?  let me know…    If I should ship it anyway.     Don’t worry – I’ve got GOOD STUFF for you, too!   xoxo, Care