What books shall one take on a creative retreat? Growing up in a household with two librarians, it stands to reason that this might be the first item addressed when planning for some quiet time among the evergreens. Below is the list:

My Antonia | Willa Cather 
The Spell of the Sensuous | David Abram
Holy Bible (NRSV)
American Visions | Robert Hughes
The Picture of Dorian Gray | Oscar WIlde
The Book of Common Prayer
The Gift | Lewis Hyde

Some are to reference and some to inspire. Some are there as a reward for waiting so long and some to make good on my claim of being the type of friend one might want to have.

Almost every blog that I frequent has, at one time or another, apologized for a period of inactivity, which is a behavior I've honestly puzzled over as it could imply a few things. 

1. The author of the blog understands that they have a readership and wishes to maintain a convivial exchange with said readership.
2. The author of the blog assumes the readership will have noticed or be disillusioned by the inactivity on the site.
3. The author of the blog presumes that the blog medium inspires a sort of fickle reading relationship where new content is the primary reason for readership in the first place.

And then there's number 4, which I believe is where I fall:

4. The author of the blog wishes to assuage their own guilty feelings over prolonged inactivity by assuming an audience, thereby having a rationale for apology to someone apart from just themselves.