Hi, Holy Days

The last book party I have semi-clear memories of attending was for Nick Hornby's How to Be Good, a swank affair at (the perhaps erstwhile) Serena's at The Hotel Chelsea. Longtime confidants may remember stories of this night for I got terribly, hideously liquored up there and then at Melissa's birthday hurrah, and then at Motor City, where I whispered sweet company nothings into another company's cofounder's ear (oops!) and then stumbled into Max Fish to yell across the room to an unsuspecting sortafriend, "I KNOW YOU! YOU WENT TO COLUMBIA!" Yeah, I am a class act.

Anyway, so with that image in mind, we attended a book fete last night at the Mandiram. Could two events be more vastly different? I reckon no. The guest of honor was another Very Important Spiritual Type, Jagadguru Sri Jayenda Saraswathi Sankaracharya Swamigal. I am not entirely sure what transpired during the evening, as English is not his native tongue, but I did like that he had a holy stick, and a whole VIST posse of bare-chested men with special holy markings who nodded at his every word. And, there was a literal book release--he unwrapped it from a piece of silk before flipping through it with a befuddled look on his face. I wanted desperately to whisper to Anna that it would've been so priceless if he'd looked up and said, "I never said that," but then I would've started laughing hysterically, and that sort of thing is frowned upon at Very Important Spiritual Book Release Parties.

On the positive side, I did not end the evening at Max Fish.