Z is for Zigzag Paz

The end of the alphabet, the end of the challenge--today feels a little sad to me! Showing up to blog every day has been an important experience; going through my keeper books even more so. Examining why I have kept a book, and given others away (many, many others) has brought back all kinds of memories, good and bad, and has also confirmed that I've made the right choices. The books I've listed this past month will always be keepers; they make my world whole.

Today's keeper is no exception. Zigzag Paz by Pamela Anne Zolkov, published in 2011, is the only memoir I own. Primarily set in South Africa, it's a journey of the heart that is truly unforgettable. To read my earlier review of the book (which remains one of my most popular posts according to my sidebar!)  just click here. I feel the same way today as I did when I wrote that original post--Zigzag Paz is a wonderful story, well-written and thought-provoking--and it has recipes! How cool is that?

But what I really want to say today is what Zigzag Paz has come to symbolize to me now that I've had my blog for several years, as well as a Twitter account, a Facebook page, a website, a JacketFlap account, an Author's Den page (I think that's all!); in other words, the Internet. 

I met Pam through the Internet via Twitter. Twitter! I would never have thought back when I was first reading, say, The Alexandria Quartet or Vanity Fair, that I would one day have a combination TV-typewriter that would take me to as far away as South Africa, or even the next state over, giving me the chance to meet amazing people like Pamela Zolkov. 

It's been such a privilege, a science-fiction fantasy come true, to be able to communicate with you all wherever you are, whatever time zone you're in. How lucky I am to get up every day and know you're out there somewhere, working on your own creative projects, filling the world with your creativity and good thoughts. I'm so grateful to you all!

Thank you for reading my blog, thank you for the work you do, thank you for sharing your books and art. And thank you, especially, Pam, for writing Zigzag Paz and introducing me to so many new vistas through your book. It means a lot to me.

So with that I'll sign off for a little while. I need to digest this whole "blogging every day" thing. Tomorrow I'll be selecting a winner for a print copy of Overtaken, and will announce who that is in a few days after I've heard back from him or her. There's still time to win--just leave a comment on any of my A-Z blog posts from this month and I'll enter your name in the random drawing. 

But now I have to go find a tissue. I'm feeling very emotional saying goodbye to the challenge and to you. Who'd have thunk it? Take care and I'll see you all again in about a week. Keep reading good books!