Today is a pink ruffles & butterflies type of a day!

Yesterday was blue?

When I was in high school, my grandmother fell in love with a book by new author Jean Auel. I think she read the book two or three times, then insisted I read it. Actually, she bought me a copy of The Clan of the Cave Bear because she didn't want to give me her copy.

Now you have to understand, this was unusual. Not that Gramma fell in love with a book. Previous to Clan of the Cave Bear, I remember Gramma insisting that I read James Michener, Pearl S. Buck, Erma Bombeck, and Roots. But she was always willing to give me her copy when she was finished, with the understanding that I was to pass it along to the next person in the family. So when she bought me my own copy of Clan of the Cave Bear, I knew it was a special book.

Over the years, I think I've read that book at least twenty times. Maybe more. I've read it enough that I can pick it up and open to any page, and know exactly what is going on. I can probably quote the next sentence, if I really put my mind to it.

As each of the sequels came out, Gramma and I would race to be the first one to read it so that we could spoil the plot for the other. (Me: Hey Gramma, did you know that Ayla...? Gramma's reply: Wait to you read how she ....!)

On top of all the wonderful memories the series brings to mind of my grandmother, I really love the books themselves, just for themselves. My daughter recently reread them (yes, I had insisted that she read them when she was in high school - it's a family tradition, after all) and she was totally embarrassed that any of us would have ever admitted to reading this level of literature. Since I routinely admit to reading Harlequin romances (hey, they're cheap junk food for the mind when you don't want to have to think!), I personally still love my Children of the Earth series.

So I was very excited when my daughter told me that Jean Auel was going to be at the Strand to sign her new book, The Land of Painted Caves. This is the last of the Earth Children series, and I really wanted to visit my daughter and meet Ms. Auel. Unfortunately, money and timing conspired against my making the trip.

Since I couldn't be there, and she knew how much it meant to me, my very wonderful daughter sent me this:

A copy of the first book in the series (since my copy mysteriously disappeared), and a copy of the new/last book.

BOTH of which have been signed by Jean Auel!

Guess what I'll be reading this week.