How Di's Book Blog Has Changed My Life (Part 1)

Your reluctant guest blogger today is Amy my BFF (that's best friend forever for those of you who do not have adolescent girls). Please note that I used Amy's most gorgeous picture here so she won't be mad at me for quoting her recent comment and using it for my blog. I don't know if bleaders typically read the comments, so I felt that this deserved it's own post.

Diane and I used to write letters to one another post college, because Long- Distance (haley, have your mom explain it to you) was just too expensive. Then we got married to wealthy men (hah!)--well, then we got married and had dual incomes, which meant we could call each other. Once email and cell phones arrived on the scene, we began a more frequent correspondence.

my point being--at NO TIME during all the years of friendship and sharing of books have i EVER been dissed PUBLICALLY for my book suggestions. Excoriated in letters? absolutely. have i ever heard her say "what were you smoking when you read that book?" on the phone? many times. However, it's always just been between me and diane, a lone suburban housewife and her college friend--i've made some stellar suggestions (The Sparrow) and some that she's disliked intensely (A Winter's Tale).

Then there's a matter of A Prayer For Owen Meany, or should i say A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY. DIANE KEPT INSISTING I READ THIS BOOK AND I JUST COULDN'T GET PAST THE FACT THAT EVERYONE IN IT WAS SCREAMING ALL THE TIME. But she persisted, and i found my way past the caps and ended up loving the book. NOT ONCE did i disparage her to my wide network of book loving friends. I simply took the good with the bad and moved on. Have i disliked some of her other suggestions? Intensely. but you'll never know about it (if you're still reading this incredibly long-winded post) because it's between me and my FRIEND, and also because i don't have a blog because if i did our house and my family would implode.

But here. Here in blogworld, my every suggestion is held up before the scrutiny of thousands (though from lack of comments, one could think only few) of bleaders who come here daily (or in my case, hourly) to scan for new books. And there, before hundreds or thousands of pairs of eyes, i find myself on probabtion yet again. A more timid soul than i might give up at this point, never to mention another book again. Perhaps you, dear bleader(s), are hoping that's true. lucky for those who hope it's NOT true, i am anything but timid. i may be bowed, but i am not broken. like the phoenix, i shall rise again. but not until i have checked my suggestion with anyone i meet on the street, at the bookstore, at the library, at my book group, in the pages of bookmarks, entertainment weekly and the New York Times Book Review. only when i am assured of a stellar review will i dare whisper the title into diane's ear and then anxiously await her verdict.

people-are you with me?

alias amy

NOTE FROM DI: Amy's sign-off is a sly reference to Alias Grace which I threw against the wall after reading about 40 pages. Amy insisted that I give it at least 50 pages and it ended up being one of my favorite books that year. So trust me, Amy has a long history of positive reinforcement to offset her current probationary status.

Comments

[Susan Helene Gottfried]

I still say I'm willing to be a go-between for some of these books, to make doubly sure that Di will either hate or love them. *wink*

But seriously, you guys read more literary stuff than I am prone to. Which is fine; you're expanding my horizons nicely.

Oh, and guys, I'm on the fence about this Stolen Child book. You may begin lobbying me to your side of THAT particular war at any time.

[Shirley]

Hey, I'm glad you disagree- makes reading Di's blog even more fascinating.