Winter Silence

The Bay Area is going through a cold snap, which makes it hard to run up my front steps (there are more than 30 of them) in the mornings to get my newspapers. But it also means the sky is crystal clear and sound seems muffled. As I was coming back down my stairs yesterday morning I paused. I couldn’t hear any car noise. All I heard was the chirping of the birds. Just a few squeaks as they flew from tree to tree, but it was a lovely way to start my morning.

A little mea culpa: I linked to the Gawker poll on the country’s most annoying literary couples. Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida were outscoring Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman by a few tenths of a percentage point. While Vida and Eggers may annoy some people, they are both undeniable talented. This week, both have books on the San Francisco Chronicle’s bestseller list. Her book, Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name, is making its first appearance on the list, coming in at #3. His book, What is the What, has been on the bestseller list for 19 weeks. This week it is number #5, down from last week’s #1.