Archives - Weekly Update

I was thinking the other night how different life has been since March. Besides the fear and uncertainty that has permeated our lives, there is also a realness to these days. I feel like people are editing the way they look --- and act --- a lot less. We are seeing newscasters in their homes; on a personal note, I am broadcasting "Bookreporter Talks To" from my dining room instead of a New York office. My husband jokes that I will need to find a new spot to film before Thanksgiving (which feels like a lifetime away).

You might think I am crazy, but I believe we are in a real golden moment for books and reading. With limited sports on the air (hello, baseball...welcome back), and broadcast television, streaming and feature film production delayed or on hold, books are having a huge opportunistic moment. Unlike other entertainment projects that require in-person collaboration, most of publishing can be done brilliantly while we are all remote. Books can be acquired, edited and publicized pre-publication without requiring in-person live collaboration. They can be promoted in places like this newsletter and at virtual events, and then can be purchased to be shipped or picked up from a local bookseller.

Sometime over the past week or so, while playing in the garden (aka weeding), I managed to get in the way of some poison oak. Thus I have two fingers that look like something out of a horror show...and, of course, they are on my right hand, which is my dominant hand. I really do not have the time or the patience to be a good patient about this, especially since typing requires bending my fingers. Luckily, the week was busy enough to keep me distracted for at least part of the time...but, yowser, this has not been fun. I have three pairs of gardening gloves, and I have to remember to wear them. I also managed to lose both trowels over the last few weeks. I think I need to get my gardening game a bit more under control.

Thanks to all of you who answered our question about the best timing for our first live virtual reader event. I am excited to announce that "Bookaccino Live: A Lively Talk About Books" will be held on Wednesday, July 15th at 2pm ET. We plan to introduce some of the staff, and then I will give a presentation on a number of great books for summer reading --- and a quick sneak peek into fall. Sign up here for the link to attend via Zoom. Prior to the event, you will be sent a login and password to give you access. I am looking forward to “seeing” many of you there! I am going to have fun selecting books to share with you!

2020 has felt like a decade, especially from March to June. Phew! Remember when masks were just worn on Halloween and Mardi Gras? When indoor dining was what you did when it rained? When the word “unprecedented” was not used every day? When you had no idea exactly how long six feet was? And socially distanced was not part of the lexicon? And how about quarantine (which the last time I dealt with was when I had scarlet fever when I was six)? All this came to pass since early March, a mere four months ago. Seriously, I think we all need a three-day weekend. Actually, I think this year it should be Fourth of July WEEK!