Sunday Salon #36 - Sunday 21 December

Today it feels like we are galloping towards Christmas.
Did you know that NORAD tracks Santa on Christmas Eve?


Here down under today is also the Summer Solstice - the "longest day" of the year, which feels a bit strange as we really haven't had much warmer weather so far.

It is also apparently St. Thomas' Day. Apparently traditionally in England the poor went from door-to-door begging, collecting food stuffs for the coming Christmas feast. Dove Grey Reader wrote about this custom today.

We finished our Christmas shopping yesterday and today I've been wrapping the gifts - virtually all books, so the wrapping is pretty easy.

This week's posts:

• Looking for books to buy?
• Review: THE BIRTHDAY PRESENT, Barbara Vine
• Spreading the Love, thanks Cathy
• Forgotten Book: THE KILLING GIFT, Bari Wood
• Review, AGATHA RAISIN and THE QUICHE OF DEATH, M.C. Beaton
• Poll: How many hours a week do you spend reading for pleasure
  

18 people participated in the poll, and basically proved for me that many who visit here are dedicated readers.
more than 15 hours a week : 6
10-15 hours: 8
5-9 hours: 2
less than 5 hours: 2
That's my last poll for the year. If you have taken part in any of them, thank you. I'll run some more in 2009.

Breaking News

• Robin Agnew's Top 10
• Mostly Fiction's Top Reads for 2008
• Henning Mankell actually dislikes Kurt Wallander!
• San Fran Chronicle - 50 best fiction and poetry
• 5 exotic detectives
• Bookspot Central - Favorite Reads 2008
• Philadelphia Inquirer - What the staff has been reading
• Sydney Morning Herald Critic's choice 2008
• Marilyn Stasio's Notable Crime Fiction for 2008
• What do Blokes like to read?
• Seattle Times Best Mystery Fiction 2008
• Amazon.com's Top 100 books for 2008
• The Times Christmas Books: Crime
• LA Times Crime Fiction Favourites 2008
• NPR top 5 in crime fiction 2008
• The Best in American Literature - National book Awards

Currently Reading

• now - THE PRIVATE PATIENT, P.D. James
• sometime soon - THE 19TH WIFE, David Ebershoff
• also listening to - CORDUROY MANSIONS, Alexander McCall Smith, ready for ch. 70
• in the car - SEVEN ANCIENT WONDERS, Matthew Reilly