Archives - Weekly Update

Since 'tis the season….we created this holiday greeting for you, which we hope you enjoy with much appreciation from me and the entire staff at Bookreporter.com. It is “constructed” from my Bets On Picks and other books we featured prominently this year. The idea was inspired by some wreaths created by students that I saw in the windows of the Academy of Art University when I was in San Francisco earlier this month. Click on the image to the right to see a larger version of it.

My mailboxes --- both snail mail and email --- are stressing me out with holiday offers. These days I open my email and see "40% off today with FREE shipping" on at least 10 items. I wonder if I need yet another pair of Levi's jeans, or cookware from Williams-Sonoma or Pottery Barn or the Sundance catalog. And these are just the non-book offers. I find myself feeling that I am woefully behind on ALL things holiday and out of breath just from reading email. I open my mail with my finger on the delete key poised to hit it.

I am writing from a plane somewhere over the middle of the country as I head to San Francisco. Surprisingly, I am not going to a conference or any bookish event. Shockingly, I am going on a four-day vacation. I got this spur-of-the-moment plan as I needed some more miles to make gold status on Continental, and I entered into some Starwood program in October where I needed 10 nights in a hotel for triple-bonus points. Now ask if I have ever cashed in miles for travel or points for hotels; no is the answer. But these days with air travel, having some status when you travel like a pack mule like me does matter.