Thanks, all, for the nice wishes. I see a name and it makes me fondly remember a do, a trip, some drinks or a FT thread.

And, since I don’t mind giving gifts on my b-day:


I just finished The Fingersmith by Sarah Walters, it’s a Victorian gothic romp full of English thieves, con artists, and insane asylums; with lesbians….I’ll need a permission slip from your mommy before I can let you read it.

Re-read Cold Sassy Tree which is a gem. And am blowing thru all the Mankell Wallendar novels….The Swedish police in rustic Ystad are just not prepared the changing world…kinda like Mayberry RFD meets the Godfather, except in this case Sheriff Taylor has a drinking problem, women problems, lacks self-confidence and is diabetic.

If I’ve been haunted by one book this last year it’s The Book Thief about an orphan who steals books during Nazi book burnings. It is narrated by Death.

The woman who wrote The Man who Loved Cat Dancing said that she wrote the book because she couldn’t find anything good to read; maybe if I didn’t like so much what I am reading (not to mention Masterpiece Theatre’s Downton Abbey), I’d crank out a book of my own….

This morning Mrs. Jailer informed me that my birthday celebrations are offically over (although half a rum cake remains), so it's back to the grind for me.