Editorial November 2004 4th BookLoons Birthday By Hilary Williamson Wild geese wheel on high Black V's scrawled on blue Fall's gold fades below BookLoons is four years old this month! Thanks once again to more than twenty enthusiastic Reviewers spread across North America, for their friendship, support, and steady weekly contributions to over 4000 book reviews and columns. Thanks always to my husband Serge for invaluable technical help. And all of us at BookLoons are grateful to the publishers, publicists, and authors who make an exciting selection of books available to us for review and for contests. Last but never least, thanks to all of you who drop in, occasionally or on a regular basis, to this virtual 'corner bookstore in a global village', and especially to those few who take the time from busy lives to give us encouraging feedback! Looking back on the beginnings of BookLoons in Fall 2000, it seemed then that ubiquitous e-books were, if not imminent, at least on the horizon. Four years and quite a variety of devices later, e-book technology is still not user friendly, though the recent development of reflective displays (aiming for the readability of paper) do sound promising. On the other hand, audiobook devices and availability (including downloading) have taken off, a welcome development for those who like to take in a book while baking, driving or jogging. Personally, though I read fast and am usually too impatient to listen to books, I love sharing audiobooks with my sons while driving long distances, or listening together to a suspenseful author at home on a dark winter evening. But most of the time, I still revel in the weight of a new hardcover by a favorite author in my hands, and the satisfaction of opening up that first page. I hope that you do too, and that you'll visit us often in the coming year to share our love of books and reading. Time seems to have accelerated once again, our fourth year is passing even faster than the first three, and we're rushing towards the holiday season. Take a look at our past Holiday Roundups of recommended books, and watch out for more holiday features in the coming weeks. In this busy time, all of us at BookLoons wish you and yours many moments of peace, happiness, and joyful celebrations with friends and family, whatever your faith ... Do not say, 'It is morning,' and dismiss it with a name of yesterday. See it for the first time as a new-born child that has no name. That I exist is a perpetual surprise which is life. (both by Bengali Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore) Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons.