Just finished an extremely rewarding read, Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch. It's all about a missing piece of priceless art, it's a beautiful coming of age story and it is also all about the art of mourning. Imagine Holden Caulfield now in his late twenties, just that wee bit corrupted yet golden at the core, seeking redemption even as he slowly sinks into the morass of everyday life. NYC plays a vital role, adding major heft to the way the storyline progresses. And that rising inflection to the sentences spoken by virtually everyone in the book? Very NYC. Very catching. (Am tempted to put question marks at the end of both those statements. ) Truly a work of substance.