OUR BOOKS ARRIVED!

Yeah! After waiting FOUR MONTHS, our box of books finally arrived today! The box was mailed from Louisville on November 10. The box was intact, and the "M" bag hadn't even been opened...we now have quite a collection of bags from the USPS. If I have room I guess I'll try to stuff them in a suitcase and take them back with me in April.

The box wasn't large, but it did contain several magazines, including the issue of TIME in which Art was quoted. Also included were quite a few paperbacks by an author I haven't read before, Daniel Silva and one by David Baldacci. Each author has writtten quite a few books, so if I like these I'll look for more in the future.

I also picked up a copy of Jonathan Harr's "The Lost Painting", set in Italy of course. Mr. Harr also wrote "A Civil Action" which was made into a movie, and was at one time the neighbor of our friends Bob and Rosemary when they lived in Perugia. Bill Bryson's newest book, "The Life and Times of the Thuderbolt Kid" promises to be as much fun as his previous books. When we were in the states in November we saw "Flags of Our Fathers" and I wanted to know more, so I bought the book and included it in my shipment.

Last, but certainly not least, was the copy of "Heat" by Bill Buford. THIS is the book I've been dying to read! Mr Buford chronicles his time working in the kitchen of Mario Batali's Babbo restaurant in New York, and his travels to Italy to learn more about food and cooking.

I'd almost given up on this box of books ever arriving, but now that it has, I'm going to open "Heat" and start reading!