Barrel Fever by David Sedaris

L is visiting! She's staying overnight and then going into San Francisco tomorrow to see an opera... a work-related trip, it seems. The LA Opera will be producing Manon Lescaut next year, so she and her boss decided to see the SF Opera's production.

We went out to a lovely dinner in downtown Walnut Creek this evening at Prima, and during dinner, I suddenly remembered to ask her, "Are you going to call my podcast?"

"Yeah, I keep meaning to do that. I was going to call and read a passage from Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris."

"Well, let's do it tonight."

"What, do you have the book at home?"

"Oh, no. I forgot about that part. Right."

"We could go buy one."

"Yeah, OK. Let's go to the bookstore after dinner."

So after we were stuffed, we strolled over to Bonanza Street Books, not two blocks away. They did not have Holidays on Ice, but they did have Barrel Fever, which includes, according to L, the best Christmas story ever: "SantaLand Diaries." As I walked around the store with the book in my hand browsing the displays, I marveled over how long it's been since I bought a book in an actual bookstore not my own. I imagined how other people get to walk around bookshops, looking for interesting finds and stumbling across something exciting. I liked the feeling of walking up to the counter and making a purchase. Maybe I should do it more often. Support the other bookstores-- I know how hard it is.

Now I'm going to get L to call the podcast line-- I do so want to hear about Sedaris' stint as an elf in Macy's.

Barrel Fever by David Sedaris