Much Happiness to All!

A Trip to Trinidad (and a minor rant)

When was the last time I was tempted to blow off other responsibilities in order to keep turning pages? Olive Kitteridge, perhaps.  Or maybe The Road.  My fondness for books set in exotic places drew me to 'Til the Well runs Dry, and my common sense told me not to even read the blurbs or I'd be hooked and nothing would get accomplished until I finished the book.  I keep the store open longer if needed during the holidays to be sure that everyone who needs a book for Christmas gets a book  Then, what about all the other holiday prep fun (I wouldn't call it prep work, because it isn't that, it rally is prep fun for me).  No time to sink into an involved story.  If you're thinking that I must have hit the snooze button on my common sense alarm, you are correct.  

What I discovered was another one of those hard to put down stories - beginning in 1940 Trinidad and focusing on the strength of then 16 year-old, Marcia Garcia. Strong-willed smart-mouthed Marcia protects a family secret with a passion that leads to threatening entanglements and political misbehavior.  

These characters are stunning and the author lets us experience their physical and emotional evolution over twenty years.  Marcia's four children, her fair weather husband, ruthless uncle and the manipulative obeah woman all twist and turn in Marcia's life on an island "rich with laughter, calypso, beaches and salty air, sweet fruits and spicy stews...".  

This book mesmerizes and transports.  Putting it down to do play adult for a day or so isn't so bad.  It makes the reading last longer.  My friend Pat once told me about a book that made her happy just looking at it and touching the cover.  I understand that now.

Extra bits....I seldom (if ever) comment negatively about people with whom I interact.  But, here's a big, bold, Grinchy message to the sales rep who just left tyring to sell me advertising ....it's not a bright idea to open your pitch with "I suppose there aren't many people beating down the doors to buy a book theses days."  FYI fellow, book sales were up 6% nationally last month.  There has been consistent growth throughout 2015 and numerous indie bookstores have opened their doors or expanded. Here at LaDeDa we have felt the resurgence of interest in small, independent business, and thanks to loyal customers and gracious, personable staff, we are thriving after nearly twenty years.  Oh, guess what, I may have just talked myself out of needing your services.  

Please excuse that outburst.  The rest of my world is filled with unicorns.

Thanks for stopping by.

LaDeDa Bev

Dear Santa

Some letters are torn. Others are stained (peanut butter being the most popular), folded, crumpled, creased into paper airplanes.  They are written in crayon, marker, pen, pencil and on computer.  Some have been illustrated and some have been given an assist from mom or dad.  The grammar is often atrocious and the spelling worse - but one thing is for sure, these letters are loaded with charm.

Head Elf, Pat Koch sifted through thousands of letters to compile this silly and often heartwarming collection of letters from the 1930-'s through the present.  Pat lives in Santa Claus, Indiana - yes, that is a real place. In 1930, her father began helping the Postmaster of SC, Indiana answer each and every Santa letter that passed through the local office.  When he grew too ill to continue, Pat moved home and took over without missing a single jingle.  Lucky for us she has generously shared the joys of her work.

Whether the envelopes come with stamps or without, are addressed to "The Big Red Guy on Jingle Bell Lane" of simply "To Santa", for over 100 years, millions of these letters have poured into Santa Claus, Indiana from all parts of the world.  The are candid, warm, whimsical, and often blunt.  One child hopes to make life better with a time machine. An adult woman asks for a man.  

I have two personal favorites.  A boy asking for his own elf at first agrees to return the little  guy to the North Pole after a pre-determined length of time. By the end of the letter, he has reconsidered that offer and says it would be best if he just kept the elf and gave Santa updates every three months or so.  

Flipping through the book I stopped randomly on a letter from the 90's.  This kid is probably a CEO in some Fortune 500 company by this time.  He gives Santa some advice in his letter which I'm paraphrasing because if I start to hunt for it again, I'll get lost reading and not get back to this post for a while.  Basically, he advises Santa saying "You've got a big night ahead of you.  Don't eat a big meal; that will slow you down.  Your'best course of action is to get in, leave the gifts and get out."  CEO material, right?

This is definitely  a keepsake book.  And, who knows, maybe you'll find your letter to Santa inside.  

Thanks for stopping by

LaDeDa Bev