Starshine

The sun is shining and I have a star.

A Kirkus star, that is. Harcourt got an advance copy of the Unnameables review that will be in the September 1 issue, and to my utter amazement it's a starred one. It concludes:

Booraem’s debut is an ever-surprising, genre-defying page-turner. Realistic
characters deal with philosophical problems in vivid, flowing prose that is
evocative and often funny. A sort of combination of witch-trial-era Salem
and The Giver, this book offers a treat with nearly every page turn.

I am pumped.

In other news, our friends Linda and Michael just left, heading home for Rhode Island. Being the perfect visitors, they left their weather karma behind. It's supposed to be sunny today and tomorrow, take a brief cloud break Monday, and be sunny again Tuesday.

In their honor, here's a peek into the Further Adventures of Dudley, Bon Vivant:

This (left) is Dudley trying to get to know the cat. All he knows of her is the fur she's left on her little cat door, which leads to the cellar and her litter box. Callie barks her fool head off when Dudley gets out of the car and heads for the house, tipping off McGonagall that it's time to head for shelter. Sometimes she plagues Dudley by huddling just on the other side of the cat door, so he knows she's there but can't see her. Sometimes she sticks her head out for a split second. Anytime a waft of air moves the flap, Dudley freezes in position for a good ten minutes. And still nothing happens.

Here's the cat's-eye view

and the dog's-eye view...

and the recovery (below) on the chair in my office.

Linda and I did some kayaking the past couple of days but (perhaps mercifully) I kept forgetting my camera. Take my word for it...blue skies, spruce-covered islands (which someone compared to Don King's hair), tropical-looking (and arctic-feeling) water. You can't beat it.

And I have a star.