Boardwalk, Pelicans, Red Rocks and Books!

I just finished reading Joan Didion's book, The Year of Magical Thinking. This writer of novels and essays lost her writer husband in 2004 due to a sudden massive heart attack and a little less than 2 years later lost her 39 year old daughter, who died from multiple complications that began with a bad case of pneumonia. Didion is 72 years old. It's an interesting and honest view of the grieving process but, as you might imagine, a bit of a "downer" to read. It seems that I've chosen to follow that read with another "tragic" tale, albeit this one fictional. I'm now reading The Good Life, written by Jay McInerney (who wrote Bright Lights, Big City, which was made into a movie in which Michael J. Fox starred). This is a tale of relationships in the aftermath of 9/11 in New York City. One critic, Keir Graff, praises McInerney and states, "There have been a number of 9/11 novels lately, as writers grapple with what that terrible day means to us. This one is essential." Essential. I'll find out.