No reason to suffer with allergies. Check out UnBreak Your Health for options that don't require prescription drugs.

Ultimately the only cure is to pray for rain-never fear, I've got people working on it...

It is hard to read, or even peruse, when your eyes are stuck together with pollen and snot. Sorry to hear you were under the weather. Next year call me and I will bring the claritin and we can sniffle through together..

It was glorious!!!! My husband and I arrived about 1:00pm, made a bee line for the Mystery/Thriller tent, found two great seats and did not get up again until the final speaker said good bye. David Ignatius and Daniel Silva were fascinating, J. A. Jance spoke as personally as I have ever heard an author, Carolyn Hart was the quintessential mid-westerner but, surprisingly, I was very disappointed with David Baldacci. His talk felt like David’s ‘top 10 greatest anecdotes’ - neither fascinating, personal or humble. Perhaps the only thing that would have made the day better was if we had brought our own snacks instead of relying on what is offered to unsuspecting tourists on a regular basis. Ultimately I was in heaven - surrounded by books and book lovers, listening to writers talk about their craft - it made my heart sing! It was wonderful, I hope you were part of it.

Allergies shmallergies -- good excuse to lay in bed and read! I love the quote, yes books do help us through. That's one of the biggest reasons why I write. (Not to mention read.) And by the way, I stopped eating dairy products altogether as part of a lose-weight diet I've been on and discovered that I did not suffer from my allergies in the spring or the fall (when the grasses pollinate) this year. I'm amazed, totally amazed. But very happy since I've had horrible pollen allergies since I was a kid. If you can give up that ice cream and cheese, try it out (at least during hayfever season). Amy (visit me on the web at wozabooks dot com)

Virginia, it sounds as if you had a wonderful day; thanks for posting! Amy, you are the second person this week who has mentioned the no-dairy-products diet... hmmmm... I'm going to give it a go. I have nothing to lose but avoirdupois!

Listened to Jodie Picoult, who was the last to talk in the Fiction tent, about her latest book, 19 Minutes. She did a wonderful job of making everyone wish they had her life as an author and simultaneously want to run out and grab her book.

Bethanne, just a heads up about the National Book Festival (NBF) - although I am loyal member of the political party currently NOT represented in the White House, it is worth nothing that the NBF was started at the behest of Laura Bush via the Library of Congress. Kudos to her! In fact, the first NBF (which I also attended) took place just two weeks before Sept. 11, 2001. Each of the authors I heard on Saturday charged the audience with writing their Congressional reprentatives to urge continued support and financing, especially if advance of the next presidential election. So, whether you live in the greater Washington, DC area or not - I would also urge you to write in support. It's about our livelihood, it's about literacy, it's about the importance of the written word - and writers - in all their glory!

Ok - sorry about the typos above but think you got the message!