Book Report

I've just started reading Amy Krouse Rosenthal's Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, and it is delightful. I can barely sit still while reading it - the urge to try out her ideas strikes insistently and frequently. For example, Rosenthal describes a diversion she enjoyed for almost a year, where she would leave spare change in an envelope in a public place. Whoever finds the change was to spend it on some small treat - and write on the enclosed postcard what they did with the money. She even got several postcards back! I also like the book because the writing is so exquisite that she reminds me how magical and special the smallest gestures and experiences can be. Plus, there are lists! And Dave Eggers style illustrations! The way she has organized and categorized influential moments in her life, well, I love it. Good stuff. It is always a promising sign when you start reading a book and you become immediately more alert and aware, so you can savor every bit.