Today, I attended a reading for my cousin's book, "Because You Are My Baby." However, my cousin wasn't there. Instead, her sister, read from the book and engaged the handful of children in conversation. The whole thing took less than 30 minutes.

In other words: We spent more time driving down to Coral Gables and back than we actually did at the bookstore hosting the event. For the record, Books & Books is as wonderful a bookstore as I had imagined, and I'm glad I went.

I just wished my cousin could have been there to read her own words. Alas, she was halfway around the world, bonding with her daughter. Who can blame her for missing the reading?