With Eva, Once Again

Every time that I’ve crossed paths with Eva the experience has been delightful. The first time we met—online, that is—was through the intercession of a reader of Eva’s outstanding book-review site, A Striped Armchair. At the time I was in the midst of a virtual book tour for Meet Me under the Ceiba. On the day we first exchanged thoughts a furious debate was taking place on Eva’s site regarding her commitment—made public that morning—to read more works by authors of color. What’s more, she urged others to do the same.

The reader who brought us together also happened to drop by the site that was hosting Meet Me under the Ceiba, and she asked for my opinion of Eva’s decision. As a result of my reply, Eva invited me to contribute a guest post. I agreed and a couple of months later my take on the matter, “Leisure Time and Reading in a Shrinking—Yet Colorful—World,” appeared on A Striped Armchair. I had a marvelous time that day reading and responding to readers’ reactions to my contribution.

Since that day, Eva and I remained in touch. A few months later, in a “Sunday Salon” post, she shared her impressions on Meet Me under the Ceiba.

And yesterday, to my delight, Eva reviewed Bernardo and the Virgin. Eva’s reviews are always insightful and, more importantly, honest. Anyone who reads her thoughts on Bernardo will see that she pulls no punches. Yet, in spite of Eva’s candor, I believe that the novel emerges rather well.

I'm certain our paths will cross again, and I'm also certain that our exchanges will be, as usual, memorable.