Happy Birthday, Shirley Jackson



It's the birthday of Shirley Jackson, (books by this author) born in San Francisco (1919). Her short story "The Lottery" made her famous when it came out in The New Yorker in 1948. It's a story about a small New England town where one resident is chosen by lottery each year to be stoned to death. She wrote the story in two hours.

Elizabeth loved Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

Merry Christmas

Dear readers of this blog, and contributors, and friends.

It has been a difficult couple of months leading up to December 2, thinking of Elizabeth still not in the world to enjoy the world and the people she loved. And now that the holidays are here I am trying to think of a way to bring Christmas back to Elizabeth and my memories of her.

Why not spread the news of the book funds? The book funds were established to buy books for libraries where children as inquisitive and passionate about reading could find all sorts of titles to enjoy.

Here are the names and addresses of the funds. Giving a little something to the fund is like giving a Christmas present to Elizabeth.


Tusten Cochecton Library
Narrowsburg, NY 12764


CBA Library
6245 Randall Rd.
Syracuse, NY 13214

How Dina Aunty relished her memories. Mummy and Daddy were the same, talking about their yesterdays and smiling in that sad-happy way while selecting each picture, each frame from the past, examining it lovingly before it vanished again in the mist. But nobody ever forgot anything, not really, though sometimes they pretended, when it suited them. Memories were permanent. Sorrowful ones remained sad even with the passing of time, yet happy ones could never be re-created—not with the same joy. Remembering bred its own peculiar sorrow. It seemed so unfair: that time should render both sadness and happiness into a source of pain.

> From A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry