Last weekend the weather was gorgeous. Early Saturday morning I headed outside with OXYGEN, a novel by Carol Cassella, and plunked myself down in the hammock. When I looked up a few hours later I was on page 200. I love books that tug me into the story like that. OXYGEN is the story of an anesthesiologist who has something go deadly wrong with a patient during what seems like a routine surgery. It then moves on to explore the impact and aftermath that follows.

Whenever possible I like to get out to author readings in the city. Last night my older son and I went to see Jonathan Tropper’s standing room-only event for THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU. Jonathan read from parts of three chapters of the book, giving readers a version of a book reading based on the style of a movie trailer --- just some highlights. For the record, it worked. Since I enjoyed the humor in this book, during the Q&A I asked him if he gave a lot of thought to the comedic timing in his books. I will get to the answer in a moment, but first I must share my embarrassment. Unbeknownst to me for years I have been pronouncing "comedic" with the British affectation, with a “long e” sound instead of the American way with a “short e.” (And now I feel like an English teacher.) You can hear both versions here by clicking on the little flags at the top of this page.