Musing on a Friday Afternoon!

"It's not the heat it's the humidity" is the saying that comes mind as I walk around the parking lot of my office building, working towards my daily movement (steps!) goal. My conversation with a fellow book reader and reviewer helped distract me from the sweat running down the center of my back and the discomfort of the heavy, sticky air pasting my hair to my scalp. Did I mention that I detest heat and humidity? Suffering the indignity of both at the same time drives me crazy.

But this is not a weather report or a message to the meteorological complaint department. This is about reading books and talking about books and how books can bring different people, even complete strangers, together. This is about my call of distraction today.

Kelli and I were strangers. We met on Goodreads. She lives in Norwell, MA, attended UMass-Amherst, and is a prolific book reviewer.

I spend a lot of time on Goodreads, maybe too much. Coincidentally enough I went to UMass-Amherst albeit over a decade earlier, drank my share of really, really cheap beer at the Blue Wall and equally have a love affair with the coast of Maine.

I was introduced to Kelli through mutual Goodreads friend Lisa from the CT shore. I don't remember why but I was afraid of Kelli. Maybe it was her sharp tongue or superior whit. I read her reviews and watched her vehemently defend her positions on books and authors. Maybe it was not fear at all. Perhaps it was intimidation. Yes, that's it. She intimidated me even though we had not one iota of interaction. So if we never met or interacted in any way, then I am intimidating myself right?

Lisa, from somewhere in CT, one of the shore towns I think, highly recommended I befriend Kelli on Goodreads. I did. Now we talk once a week about books and the folks who write them. We critique the plot, dig into the language and the flow of the story, poke at the believably of the tale and share our relationship with the characters.

Nothing personal my literary friends but somethings, often times really, we question the author's judgement, challenge the story-line and walk away with some very strong opinions about the books we read that we share on Goodreads

The power of books and the people who write them can bring total strangers together to not only discuss your creations but forge lasting and enduring friendships centered around your written words.

Thank goodness for the authors in the world!