I don’t read enough, so I randomly will segue into different areas by random clicks on web pages, or by whimsical  strolls down unfamiliar aisles in bookstores.  Its like a physical randomization while walking in NYC- you sometimes find something new and unique, or at least you get some exercise.

I last used the nickname of one of my kids schoolmates, and came across an interesting book about a storyteller.  It interspersed a story between chapters that unfolded about a trying period in the life of the author, Ben Izzy.  [Izzy short for Isabella] I recommend the book- its a quick read, with some interesting old world stories – some which were familiar to me, others that came fresh.  The short folk stories span the world, covering the bible, the Greeks, some Jewish and some Zen.

My latest wandering comes in the form of “Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven”, which finally came off my reserve queue at NYPL.  So long ago that I didn’t remember how I chanced upon it.  Its part memoir and travelogue.  The provocative title and cover photo do catch your eye, but there was then something familiar… I couldn’t quite place it, then I did a little digging online, and it turns out that the author was a high school classmate.   We weren’t close, but we must have had some classes together, as her back cover photo made me scratch below the surface.

Coincidences are funny- I’ll write again when I’ve read it.