Norton Juster and back

On Thursday, Peterbird and I went to the library. He noticed the white board saying that Norton Juster would be talking and signing books on Saturday at 10:30 a.m.

Naturally, we looked for THE BOOK, the one I make everyone read who comes over to our apartment. The one I grew up with, whose humor is still not old. [Hee. "... didn't know what to do with her hands ..."] Evidently, it's also been made into an animated movie. I urge you: go buy The Dot and the Line, A Romance in Lower Mathematics. Everyone should at least read it. The republished version is definitely different, though. I purloined my mother's copy (no, I'm not giving it back!) from 30 years ago.

So anyway, we looked and looked for this book. It is blue, so I looked for blue. Only after Peterbird had gone (to a nursing home Liturgy and his soccer game) with the car did I find the book. It was in with the other children's books, spine-out. The spine is white. Augh. So I raced through a shower and into clothes and dashed out with the camera, money, extra batteries, two pens, The Dot and the Line, and keys—at 10:20. I remembered it taking me about an hour to walk from the T-stop, and the library is a bit farther than that. I knocked on the Guggs' door, hoping that they might be interested and want to come, too, but they had stayed up late, and seemed to be just getting up. I apologized for disturbing and whisked out the door. I jogged and walked as quickly as I could, and was about halfway to the library (lots of uphill), up comes Mr. Gugg to save me. He drove me the rest of the way to the library, for which my tired little legs and back were (and are) sorely grateful. I wasn't even terribly late.

Norton Juster reads his new book The Hello, Goodbye Window.	Mr. Juster reads the words while Chris Raschka, the book's illustrator, draws the pictures.
Mr. Juster is very good at reading books; he remembers to show the pictures.	Mr. Raschka keeps drawing.
Mr. Juster answers questions.	"For our friends at the Brookline Library."
Mr. Juster signs the purloined copy of The Dot and the Line.	Mr. Juster signs The Phantom Tollbooth.

Both Mr. Juster and Mr. Raschka were kind, humorous, and personable. I bought three copies of The Dot and the Line, and my first of The Phantom Tollbooth. (We may have had a copy, but that probably went with sister J, in much the same way that The Dot and the Line came with me; my first time to read The Phantom Tollbooth was in college at Reve's house. We do have the movie version on VHS, though.)

So, with uplifted heart (and significantly lightened pocketbook), I walked home, enjoying the walk.



Dear readers: Should I, or shouldn't I? it has the movie I want on it, and Doris Day isn't bad ... I know I shouldn't, but ... EEEEP!!!

I love my library.