There are books that stay with me long after I have finished them. I am sure that many of you know what I am talking about when I say this. This month we are featuring two books that did this for me. The first is The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion. The intensity and depth of Didion's writing of the year after the death of her husband, John Dunne, is inspiring. I have shared this book with so many people for its stark look at grief. It would lend itself to a fabulous discussion. If you would like to read more about my personal thoughts on this book, read the blog that I wrote after seeing Didion last November.

Well it's the end of February and it seems winter has just begun. It's been chillier in New York the last couple of days than it's been all year --- it's the kind of weather that makes curling up with a good book even sweeter.

I am watching the wind whipping the leaves on our front lawn up and down the block. We now have the leaves from at least three blocks away on our lawn while ours have floated three blocks west. I broke my "Always Work at Home on Fridays" rule to attend the Comicon Convention at the Jacob Javits Center in the city, where graphic novels, manga and good old comic books rule! I recognized Archie and not much else. It's a whole other world --- and it's selling like crazy!