It's been a great weekend so far, weather and all - chilly and crisp, a harbinger of the October to come - and I feel alarmingly well rested and high-spirited, as though there's bound to be a catch somewhere.

Yesterday I read Neil Gaiman's Coraline.

Yes, it took me a whole year to finally get around to it, and I'm slightly embarrassed that it's been sitting on my bookshelf (in the ever-growing "unread" section) until now, but also very pleased that I hadn't read it, because it was a fantastic little story that contributed enormously to making yesterday a Very Good Day.

I can recommend the book heartily to everyone. Don't be put off by the fact that you'll probably have to look for it in the kid's section of the bookstore. It's a dark and moody fairy tale that works just as well for adults - at least those of us with a modicum of imagination left - and it doesn't talk down to kids at all, which means that, if you do have kids, convince them to read it, or read it to them. They will absolutely adore it.  ¶ 12:41