This summer Bob and I stumbled upon a couple of books collectively called the Beach Reading series by Mark Abramson. We enjoyed them very much and recommended them to Dr. Bob Coldren. The gay-themed novels set in San Francisco are peopled with wonderfully realized characters; the books are also in great measure a tour guide to the City by the Bay. Anyone with an elementary knowledge of the area will know exactly where the action is taking place. As I frequently do, I reviewed these books for my Amazon account . . . Imagine my surprise when I opened my e-mail one morning this week and discovered a message from Mark. He thanked me for my reviews and asked if I knew about his other books. (I already had the third in the series on my Amazon wish list but did not know of the fourth. And, I was to learn, he is already at work on the fifth.) I could go on if space permitted, but happily refer you to Mark's website where you can meet him and learn more about this delightful series. www.beachreading.net . . . This is not the first time that my reviews have drawn attention. You may remember that Melissa Herman contacted me shortly after reading The Blue Orchard because she had seen my review on the Amazon pages . . . Well, I guess we have reached the end of an era of sorts. I just read that the Liberace Museum in Las Vegas will soon close its doors to the public. We oldsters remember his remarkable piano playing and his fifteen-minute TV series with the ever-present candelabra on the piano. He was a major entertainment figure for fifty years or so, all flash and constantly plagued by rumors about his sexuality. But his talent spared him even the most vicious critics. I wonder: if we did a man-in-the-street survey today just how many persons would recognize his name? Very few under forty, I should think . . .
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