Could it be that writers are attracted to baseball because it's the sole American sport that one can watch while reading a book?
In the Books section of this past weekend's Wall Street Journal, Stuart Isacoff picked the five best books on cultural turning points. The fourth, Bad Boy of Music by George Anthell, is described as containing the author's "memorable observations on music," including "the reasons a Mozart concerto is like a baseball game."
Driving around New Jersey last weekend, we saw a lot of Ukrainian flags (more than we see here in South Florida). And I found the sight not only touching but encouraging, as I thought: Perhaps Americans are ready for a memoir that takes Eastern Europe as one of its subjects.
Someone who had never been to our condo before commented on the number of books and then asked the proverbial question, “Have you read them all?”
“I’ve read a lot of them,” I gave my standard reply. Then I added, “And I’ve written a few of them.”
Gifts this year included essays, travel books, a biography and, weighing in at 15 pounds, a two-volume collection of New Yorker cartoons. (Rarely has anything so light been so heavy.) This last present was courtesy of our neighbors Charles and Claudine, who also distinguished themselves by presenting me with three bandannas imprinted with the covers of my books.