Small Damages, The LA Times, and Caribousmom

Late in this day I sat down at my desk for the first time and there discovered two kindnesses.

The first from my friend Wendy of Caribousmom, one of those extraordinarily gifted people who reads, who writes, who heals, who thinks, who quilts, who makes flowers grow.  She had read Small Damages and (sneaky woman that she is) had decided to blog about it. Her words are indescribably gorgeous, and so meaningful to me.  Read them all simply to see how beautifully Wendy writes.  Here is a passage dear to me:

I loved this novel and its appealing young protagonist. I loved the journey, and the discovery, the hope and the sadness, the path toward healing after trauma, the knowledge that we are never really alone, and that home is not a place on a map but the people who love you. Beth Kephart is an artist with words and Small Damages is another astonishing literary success.

Shortly after reading Wendy's beautiful post I learned from my friend Paul Hartel—a Hollywood type, an LA guy—that he had found Small Damages in the pages of his newspaper, The LA Times, in the 2012 Summer Reading Guide.

My surprise is sincere.  My happiness radiant.