Seeing John Derbyshire in a Dream

I got a brief mention in the paper today. See The Sunday Challenger's article on blogs here. Not much about me, but what the heck - it's publicity. My hit counter isn't exactly spinning though.

Also, I picked up a book this weekend I fell in love with a few years ago. The author, John Derbyshire, writes for National Review. I think that's where I heard about the book. Anyway, I thought I'd send him a note of thanks. Here it is. Go buy the book. It's beautiful.

Mr. Derbyshire,
Thanks again for writing your book Seeing Calvin Coolidge in a Dream.

It has been one of those books that I put in a special category of only reading once. Meaning that I loved it but the joy was also a function of time, place, and mood that most likely could never be recreated. Instead of ruining the initial experience by re-reading I typically just decide not to touch it again.

I began this at 14 after reading A Farewell to Arms over a couple days on vacation in Canada at 15 or so, Madame Bovary over a long lonely weekend Freshman year of college, and A Thousand Years of Solitude read on the beaches of South Carolina in my mid-twenties. There's a few more but your in good company.

This Saturday morning I picked up your book again and innocently started reading it and all of a sudden it was done and I enjoyed it just as much. It's just wonderful. I'm terribly jealous that I may never be able to accomplish the same thing with my writing; but I'm glad you did.

Thanks again.

Stay You.
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