For the quirky reader, try “The Life-span of a Fact” by John B’Agata and Jim Fingal, about the fascinating middle ground between truth and almost truth.

For me, I am buying two books. One is “When I Was a Child I Read Books” by Marilynn Robinson. She is a beautiful writer, and I know these essays will speak to me.

The other is a book of poems by Mary Oliver, “A Thousand Mornings.” My favorite is:

I go down to the shore in the morning
And depending on the hour the waves
Are rolling in or moving out,
And I say, oh, I am miserable,
What shall…
What should I do? And the sea
In its lovely voice says:
Excuse me, I have work to do.

Copyright © 2013 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.