Author Reading

There sure are some nasty bugs going around this winter. Might have to consider the flu shot next year. On on to some fun stuff.

I was at a book reading/signing at my local bookstore last week. The featured author was Jodi Picoult. I have read several of her books, and love this one. The place was packed with about 250 people, some of whom arrived 4 hours early to get a seat and a ticket to have books signed. I cannot think of the last time I was surrounded by so many readers, and interestingly, so many young women - middle or high school age. When Jodi got up to the podium, the girls in front of me started nudging each other and nodding vigorously to things she said. Very heart warming I must say.

Ms. Picoult read from her new book and answered questions from various books. It was interesting to hear her talk about her research project and talk about how she learned about the Gnostic Gospels and the selection process for how the church decided which books to include, and which books to delete from the final version of the New Testament. Now, as someone who has read about this, it was not really news to me, but there was a visible strain in many of the people there. There seemed to be a general lack of air for awhile, until she moved on to, oh the death penalty - the room seemed to take a collective breath. Fascinating.