Happy Halloween! I'm very excited about today --- I'm dressing up as a witch to walk around the neighborhood with one of my best friends. My younger son is getting his wish: he is going to be a ghost. I bought him a white sheet this weekend since we did not have any in the house. He is wildly excited about this. My older son is on the fence about whether to accompany us or hand out the candy. He is pawing through the candy bucket here! Speaking of treats, Kidsreads.com has lots of terrific books for you in October.

Happy Halloween! I feel like a kid today. I'm dressing up as a witch to walk around the neighborhood trick or treating with one of my best friends. My younger son is getting his wish: he is going to be a ghost. I bought him a white sheet this weekend since we did not have any in the house. He is wildly excited about this. My older son is on the fence about whether to accompany us or hand out the candy. He is pawing through the candy bucket here! I have decided that Daylight Savings Time HAS to end before Halloween next year so it can be dark enough early to trick or treat!

Whew! If the past few weeks' weather gave me any illusions about the hazy lazy days of summer sticking around, they’re gone now. It FINALLY got cold, my two sons are buried in homework, my older son is stressing his college applications, our pool finally has been closed up for the season (gee, I really wanted to swim on Halloween this year) and the leaves are starting to drop. Time really flies, especially with so many things begging for our attention. Luckily for me, lots of those things are book-related.

Last weekend in Miami/Coral Gables was just lovely. I still am dreaming of the pool at the Biltmore --- all 80 meters of it. I had a room overlooking it, and when I opened my drapes the water was my view --- perfect! I lounged when not doing laps, though my pool reading was not typical resort fare.

I am writing from Coral Gables, FL where I am in town for the Books & Books 25th Anniversary activities, which include the Book Club Twister Mixer on Sunday afternoon where I will be sharing book ideas with book clubs. You can read more about all of the Books & Books events here, and if you are attending be sure to look for me to say hi.

As October races by, it is finally starting to feel like autumn in New York. Our building’s air-conditioning system went silent on Monday as the temperatures outside hover in the high 50s and low 60s. The trees outside my window still are green, but each passing breeze seems to leave behind a golden shimmer in the leaves. When the sun sets, I feel an unfamiliar chill and I know summer really has left us. This month’s FaithfulReader.com update features titles that will be a great companion during those cool autumn days ahead.