The holidays get more crowded with events every year, it seems -- if not for me, for my dearest friends. Some get-togethers just have to wait until after the holidays. So it wasn't until last night that I got to see one of those friends of the heart I call a sister (though she's not one by blood) to share holiday wishes. We toasted Obama's victory, gossiped about our husbands while they exchanged news about colleagues, and talked about the inevitable post-New Year's diet -- oops, lifestyle change in eating habits (everyone knows diets don't work, right?).

And we exchanged gifts. My gift is a book that she noted has been on my Amazon wish list for some time: the Modern Library edition of The Adventures of Amir Hamza. I've been curious ever since I read a review of this volume a couple of years ago, and I've been growing more curious about Middle Eastern literature, and, more specifically, Islamic literature for some time. And I've always loved sagas of warriors, tricksters, courtesans, magical creatures, kings and all the rest.

Thank you, my friend. I will read this with great pleasure.