Under the Tree

I hope all of you out there are enjoying the holidays. I must have been on Santa's nice list this year, judging by the lovely bunch of books I found Christmas morning:



My daughter gave me The Gorgeous Nothings, a photographic collection of the actual poems and poem fragments Emily Dickinson wrote on scraps of paper and the backs of envelopes; my Library Thing secret Santa sent me Out of Africa by Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen), I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Dr. Maya Angelou and Anguished English, Richard Lederer's hilarious look at how much abuse the language has taken over time; and my friend Jill gifted me The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith, J.K. Rowling's not-so-secret adult mystery pseudonym. I also received a gift card for Barnes & Noble from my kid so I can do a little book shopping of my own.

I enjoy when people give me books as gifts. Of course it's the thought that really counts, but their choices are always interesting to me, too. I probably would not have picked out any of these books for myself except maybe the Dickinson collection and the Angelou, which is a welcome addition because my old reading copy of Bird is starting to fall apart.

Did Santa leave any books under your tree? Let us know in comments.