if i might be a bit indulgent in my first entry into Readers and Book Lovers (yes, i DID use caps there - this is an important group!), may i start with a bit of a personal story.
in 2004, i had begun riding my beautiful younger horse again after a long hiatus. we had hurdles to cross - he was overweight, i was not fit. i travelled out of town for a week to work in san diego, he was to be "worked" (lunged and ridden) the week i was gone. what i didn't know the day i got back, saddle him and got up on his back, was that it had rained that whole week so the young barn manager took him out of the paddock and put him in a small stall - and left him there all week without working him! 20 minutes into the ride, i learned how to dismount rapidly without meaning to do so. the resulting 6 days in the hospital until the clamshell brace for my broken back arrived gave me time to start choosing the library of books to read during the next four months of recovery.
come with me over the squiggle and i'll share how that experience led me to my favorite author of all time!