Hello! In the midst of my blog break, I wanted to post a few photos from my amazing week in Chartres, France, before Paris in July (#2024parisinjuly) passes us by. We explored the beautiful gothic cathedral from top to bottom, taking all available tours including of the roof and the crypt, spent hours gazing at … Continue reading Near Paris in July – My trip to Chartres
Literature It's hard to believe the end of June is upon us already! I am going to take a break in July, as I have some exciting travel planned (see below) and just need unstructured time in the summer. But I'll be back in another month if not sooner. I enjoyed everything I read this … Continue reading Month in Review: June 2024
In The Patchwork Girl of Oz, another animated character is added to the roster of inanimate objects brought to life in Oz: the Patchwork Girl, created out of a crazy quilt to be a servant to a magician's wife. "Scraps" resists that dreary fate, though. Due to the intervention of a boy named Ojo, she's … Continue reading #Ozathon24: A colorful new character
Mallika of Literary Potpourri invites us to read and discuss books with cats in them this week, and after some unsuccessful attempts to find one -- disappointed by books with not enough feline presence or too dull or unpleasant to make me want to finish or share them with you -- I came across this … Continue reading #ReadingTheMeow2024: Dewey, the Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World
What causes the United States of America to be so internally fractious and thoroughly disunited? The federal government is grinding to a halt, as opposing factions battle to wrest control of it for their own, deeply opposite agendas. Why is no one interested in getting along so that things can work better? Well, now I … Continue reading Nonfiction Reader: American Nations
Literature This month, I reviewed April's Reading the Theatre event and looked forward to my 10 Books of Summer plans. I kept up with my one book a month for the Ozathon (Emerald City) and read another book for the Nonfiction Reader Challenge, though I have yet to post about that one. Otherwise, my reading … Continue reading Month in Review: May 2024
We've had six months of the Ozathon so far, and I've had a wonderful time revisiting these childhood favorites and reading your thoughts. I'd like to thank all who have participated so far, particularly my co-host, Deb of The Book Stop. Others include: Howling Frog Books Staircase Wit Puss Reboots The Book Stop Rosie Amber … Continue reading #Ozathon24: The story continues
With the sixth Oz book, The Emerald City of Oz, L. Frank Baum did several things. He brought Dorothy, along with Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, to live permanently in Oz. This opened the way for him to close the Oz saga permanently, leaving all the characters we'd met so far happily ensconced there. To … Continue reading #Ozathon24: Farewell to Oz?
Last year I participated in the 20 / 15 / 10 Books of Summer challenge hosted by 746 Books and it was a great success for me, so I'm joining again. I used the opportunity to cross-reference other challenges or reading goals, and I'll take that approach this time too. I'm going to list specific … Continue reading 10 Books of Summer
What I enjoy most about my month of Reading the Theatre is letting one thing lead to another...reading books and plays and watching movies or recorded shows that complement and build on each other, in spontaneous and unexpected ways. This time, since I'm reading through the Oz books for the Ozathon, my path started with … Continue reading Reading the Theatre: What I read and watched (plus your contributions)
