| I'm so grateful to you for reading our books newsletter this year. I hope it's provided a little entertainment and some useful direction to books you've enjoyed. Now, consider how much more The Washington Post has to offer — like those reviews and stories I'm always linking to. If you've thought about becoming a paid subscriber, now is the time: Get unlimited access to the entire Washington Post for just $0.99 every four weeks for one year. This deal includes everything, from the most in-depth political news to the most entertaining features. It's like getting a great book every day! Click here to subscribe. Deck the halls: Ron, Madeline and Dawn Charles made it to St. Louis – but just barely. (Ron Charles, Sr./The Washington Post) | The Omicron Conundrum: As the variant of concern spread across the country like a Muzak version of "Santa Baby," Dawn and I spent several sleepless nights worrying about our travel plans. In the words of Dr. Seuss, we puzzled till our puzzler was sore. The two of us had airline tickets to see my parents in St. Louis, where we would also meet up with our younger daughter who was flying in from New York. Then we were to fly on to see our elder daughter in San Francisco and finally make the long flight back to Washington. But with this week's grim news, that suddenly sounded like a lot of time waiting in airports next to That Man who wears his mask as a cravat. We're all vaccinated and boosted, but with breakthrough cases rising, we were concerned about putting my parents at risk. One expert would tell us that vaccinated people should not cancel their holiday plans, while another would explain how to cancel flights, hotels and other holiday bookings as omicron surges. Finally, after polling our friends and relatives more times than undecided voters in Iowa, we made peace with the idea of flying and packed our bags. But as we got ready to leave for the airport, we chickened out yet again, threw our stuff in the car and drove to St. Louis. Well, Dawn drove. I fulfilled the crucial role of Live Book Narrator. "They also serve who only sit and read." Some 14 hours later, we arrived at my parents' place covid-free, having enjoyed a big chunk of Hanya Yanagihara's upcoming novel, "To Paradise," which I'll tell you about next month. Till then, thanks for giving me the week off, and best wishes to every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small. Review ● By Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Lavie Tidhar ● Read more » | | | Send questions or comments about our book coverage to ron.charles@washpost.com. (He's supposed to be on vacation, but he'll try to get back to you when Dawn isn't looking.) You can read last week's issue here. And if you know anyone who might enjoy this newsletter, please forward it to them – and remind them it's free! To subscribe, click here. Interested in advertising in our bookish newsletter? Contact Michael King at michael.king@washpost.com. |
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