Just in time to plump your personal library or to make a gift purchase for your favorite reader friend, this list has been published: https://parade.com/1285756/michael-giltz/best-mystery-books/. Click on the link to access and then determine if you’ve read any/all of the books listed. I feel privileged to call one of these renowned authors my friend.

Here’s another list if that one doesn’t suit your style or genre (forgive the ad placement, please. Our local paper needs all the subscribers it can get): https://www.ocregister.com/2021/12/07/here-are-the-bestsellers-at-southern-californias-independent-bookstores-49/?fbclid=IwAR3XWhpCYIjnBTM3PQ34AE91u2j02uFqlWj_XbNuzIqT158_tEsk4i175Go

But I digress…

Back to the problem at hand. This cliche is apropos this season because (wink-wink) because books are handheld.Permission to groan at the semi-awkward pun, Constant Reader.

And, now for the issue with which the book world grapples.

There’s a disruption in the supply chain, as there is with almost any item one can think of, including the kinesthesiology tape that supports my knees and ankle. Germaine to other needs in my life – and likely to yours – there’s a shortage of paper to print all the millions of books from which we can choose as gifts of durable joy!

My husband prefers hard covers with real pages to turn and doesn’t even own a Kindle. How is this going to work?

It’s as if the Grinch hoarded paper… or was it the obsessive-compulsive humans who clamored for paper products as the pandemic panic set in, clearing shelves of toilet paper?! Ack!

According to CNN 27,000 trees are cut down daily to produce toilet paper… Holy crap!

Whether you trek to a still-standing bookstore or buy online, I hope your holiday gift recipients are blessed with books they’ll enjoy and cherish forever…

BTW, I’d feel blessed if you followed this link to purchase one of my books: https://www.pjcolando.com