today is the last day of my first year owning a bookstore. each day brings amazing books, people and great joy. i’m still paying the bills and am all in all terribly grateful.the elections have come and gone bringing reasons to be hopeful. More importantly, as alice walker suggests, we can take this time to rest, reflect and “enjoy the pause”. there’s no need to rush into action, analysis, and that old favorite, blame. it’s going to take clarity and energy….enjoy the pause.there are too many books to recommend…i’m totally hooked on donna leon’s mysteries with humane and thoughtful guido brunetti investigating wrong-doings in present day venice. the pleasure is particularly in the details…of family, food, and the ancient and ever provoking city itself.i have recently discovered sam kane’s older books about south america. “running the amazon” and “savages”. the first covers a group of folks endeavoring to kayak, etc. the amazon from its source high in the andes to emptying into the atlantic. “savages” follows a group of indigenous activists trying to make sense of the oil company’s invasions and protect their homeland.btw…most authors have websites that can be interesting and informative. recently i visited j. k. rowling’s (harry potter) site which had lots of fun bells and whistles and louie l’amour’s site that included extra biographical info about the intrepid cowboy/writer.all i know for sure in this moment is that …it’s all connected and love existsbest regards, cheri