Happy Birthday to my Friend and Fellow Reader B.!

I treasure friends with whom I can talk about books. One of my very good friends, “B.,” is also one of my very best fellow devotees to books and reading. I have mentioned her in this blog a couple of times over the years. Besides, or rather as an important part of, being very good friends for years and years (and years!), we have shared so much in the world of books. We have talked about what we have read and are reading, we have given each other books, we have exchanged articles and clippings, we have recommended books to each other, and we have shared book news. I have learned so much from her, as she is deeply educated and grounded in the world of English literature. As she has been slightly downsizing the contents of her apartment in recent years, she has given me some beautiful and meaningful books from her collection, books which I will always treasure for themselves and because they are from her. Most of all, we have shared the joy and delight of the world of books. We both get excited about Jane Austen! George Eliot! Virginia Woolf! Barbara Pym! And so many, many more writers and books. Thank you, B., for all those conversations and all the ways we share our love of books and reading. I am writing today because I want to pay tribute to this very special friend on her very special “big” birthday. Happy, happy birthday, dear friend, with much appreciation and love!