The Generosity of Others

MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone observing today. I hope today as well as every other day is filled with love and happiness - and of course, books. Today in Northeast Ohio we have a rather ugly day. It's cold, but not cold enough for snow so it's raining. The snow has melted and there's lots of muck and mess. And it's windy.

However, I have a lot of cause to be happy despite the weather. And that happiness comes from the generosity of others. In the last week my email box and regular mail box have been filled with beautiful cards and sentiments that truly mean the world to me. In addition, some folks have bestowed extra gifts on me and I'm overwhelmed; I really was not expecting this at all. I know folks will be asking about them, so I decided to share them with you today:

I've been looking forward to this follow-up to Robin's first Sydney Fitzpatrick novel, FACE OF A KILLER. So this put a big smile on my face when it arrived.

C.J. Box's new Joe Pickett novel really surprised me when it showed up, but even more so when it was personalized to me. What may have made me smile the most, though, was when the giver informed me that C.J. remembered me when she asked him to sign it. :)

Hopefully you can see this next picture. The book at the top, THE GIFT OF MURDER, is a collection of short stories. The proceeds from the sale of these books went to Toys for Tots. Doesn't it always warm your heart when you receive a gift that was more than a gift just to you? The person who bestowed this on me will never know just how precious a gift I think that is.

Yessiree, it's a digital reader! A Cool-ER. Plus it came with a handful of books on it that I've been wanting to read. I think you can see Donald Westlake's here in the picture. I've also started Megan Abbott's QUEENPIN on this. I'm learning all the little ins and outs, so I'll definitely be updating you on that more later. And it's purple! For those that haven't heard of the Cool-ER, the biggest factor for me on liking this is that it isn't proprietary. They do have a large e-book store online, but the reader itself takes many different digital formats and it will also accept my audio books. If all goes as planned, I have three major trips planned for 2010 and this will be a great thing to have along on those!

I think my friends must have gotten tired of hearing me say, "I'd really like to read Carl Hiaasen. I haven't read him yet." I was surprised to receive this book, and there's also a different Hiaasen title on my digital reader. But that's another factor that really makes a gift special, isn't it? When people pay attention to things you say and do, and then find a special gift based on that info. Wow!

And drum roll, please....This beauty will be going in a frame to be hung on the wall. Not only is this a picture of a setting from R.C.'s THE MONKEY'S RAINCOAT...signed by R.C. himself. It's the one setting in L.A. I got to visit when I was there with my sister this past March. She and I went to Griffith Park for the day. I'm not sure if that's why my friend gave me this one, but it sure does make it even extra special...if that was possible! :)

Alright, I better wrap this up. I have to do one more extended family "thing" today and then the rest of the weekend is mine - all mine! But, before I leave, I wanted to let you know that if you're in the Northeast Ohio area, Steve Hockensmith is going to be at the Chagrin Falls Library on Tuesday evening. I'm definitely going - I can't wait; if you're interested, you can register here. It's free, but the library requests that you register so they have an idea of how many people will be attending.

Thank you to everyone who stops by my blog, leaves a comment, emails, tweets, whatever. You, too, give me gifts every day. I am so thankful to be able to share books with you. I'm also especially thankful for my online friends who help feed my obsession with word games over on Facebook! I just love those games! Thank you for the gift of your time. How precious a gift that is.

My little gift to you today is the gift of music...and no, I'm not going to sing. That would be a punishment, not a gift. I've seen Harry and Lucien perform together in concert, and I think they are amazing. Hope you enjoy this fun little song and have a very merry Christmas.