The biggest book fair in town is organized by the local Episcopalian church. It’s a huge affair, 20,000 books on offer, all money goes to charity. People go crazy, dragging away boxfuls of reading matter. I’ve found some treasures there over the years.

The book fair runs for two days. It starts on Friday afternoon, and only the parishioners can attend because the church, understandably, wants to give them first dibs. We do something similar at my church where our famous spinach and feta pies go to members of our congregation first, and then what’s left is sold outside the parish.

On Saturday morning, everybody else is welcome to the fair. It’s always been like this, and everybody in town is used to it.

But then things changed. The first day of the fair is still reserved for parishioners but now it’s called “first day by pre-registration only because of COVID.” On the second day, COVID magically disappears, and everybody is welcome to storm the fair in droves.

I have no idea why people do this. It’s a tiny town. The book fair is a fixture. Everybody knows COVID is a half-baked, newfangled excuse. I wish people just stopped putting on pious facial expressions and intoning, “It’s COOOOVEEED…” at every turn. It’s not COVID. It’s you doing the completely normal, human thing nobody judges you for. So do it already and stop mentioning COVID.

Friends, I know there are people of many linguistic backgrounds here. I would be very grateful if you mention any anti-neoliberal works of literature in your languages that you might have come across.

By anti-neoliberal I mean literature that expresses a sense of discomfort with fluidity, austerity, globalization, lack of certainty, the erosion of stable identities and attachments, death of family and religion, and everything else that the woke (aka neoliberal) revolution is bringing us.

I’m looking for art, not political essays. The authors’ political beliefs don’t matter. I already have Spain, France, and Greece. I’d love to have Italy and Eastern Europe. If there’s something German or Nordic, that would be great but I’m not holding my breath.

In Florida, I finally figured out why kitchen islands have cutouts on one side. You are supposed to put bar stools under them, and then people can sit there facing you while you feed them. It’s so cool! N and I eat while I entertain them, and they don’t have a choice because I’m right there in their faces.

I’m urgently buying two bright orange bar stools.

Why bright orange?

Because why not?